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Dry Mouth?? Anyone know what could be causing it?

By Expert HERWriter April 9, 2009 - 4:32am
 
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Does anyone suffer from dry mouth? A friend of mine has been dealing with this for about a year.

I asked her about medications. I know that's one of the side effects to certain medications.

I know Sjogren's Symdrome can cause dry mouth.

I know diabetes can cause dry mouth.

Can you help her? It's driving her crazy and she doesn't quite know what to do it's starting to worry her that she could have something more serious.

Best in health,
Michelle

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Michelle, what were her answers to your questions?

Is she, in fact, on any medications that we could research for her?

Does she have allergies?

Does she think she may be at risk for diabetes?

Does she smoke?

Sjorgen's Syndrom does cause dry mouth, but other symptoms as well, such as dry eyes -- has she had any trouble with this?

It can also be a symptom of arthritis, if that is a problem for her. And can be related to autoimmune disorders, anxiety or depression.

Here is the Mayo Clinic's page on Dry Mouth; be sure to have her click on the buttons on the left side that lead to "Causes" and "Treatments:"

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dry-mouth/ha00034

Here are some of the home remedies the Mayo recommends:

-Chew sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free hard candies.
-Limit your caffeine intake. Caffeine can make your mouth drier.
-Avoid sugary or acidic foods and candies because they increase the risk of tooth decay.
-Brush with a fluoride toothpaste. (Ask your dentist if you might benefit from prescription fluoride toothpaste.)
-Use a fluoride rinse or brush-on fluoride gel before bedtime.
-Don't use a mouthwash that contains alcohol because these can be drying.
-Stop all tobacco use if you smoke or chew tobacco.
-Sip water regularly.
-Try over-the-counter saliva substitutes. Look for ones containing carboxymethylcellulose or hydroxyethyl cellulose, such as Biotene Oralbalance.
-Avoid using over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants because they can make your symptoms worse.
-Breathe through your nose, not your mouth.
-Add moisture to the air at night with a room humidifier.

And here is a page from drymouth.info that has a place you can click (on the left) to look up whether a specific drug might be contributing to dry mouth:

http://www.drymouth.info/consumer/TreatmentForDM.asp

Please let us know if there might be more specific information we could find for your friend.

April 14, 2009 - 8:37am
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