My dry mouth has gotten worse :(

[nursewife]

Anyone have recommendations besides Biotene, sugar free candies, lemon, gum, and the tiny mouth patches? I constantly have a glass of water by my side. Without it I'm miserable. I'm having a hard time sleeping at night since I have to keep sipping water, then getting up to go to the washroom. I plan to ask about getting a prescription med when I see my dentist next since it's causing cavities. Does anyone have any other tips?

[nursewife]

It's due to cymbalta. I'm on 120mg to help with pain. It's really helped, but the dry mouth is brutal.

[alzi]

Apr 26, 2015 20:01:48 GMT -5 @cse1960 said:

do you have any underlying health conditions? Do you smoke, or use meth?

This is cracking me up.

[Jalapeñomel]

Apr 26, 2015 20:03:34 GMT -5 nursewife said:

It's due to cymbalta. I'm on 120mg to help with pain. It's really helped, but the dry mouth is brutal.

I have this with my pain medication too.  Its really frustrating, but over time, it has gotten better.  How long have you been taking it?

[nursewife]

Apr 26, 2015 20:18:39 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Apr 26, 2015 20:03:34 GMT -5 nursewife said:

It's due to cymbalta. I'm on 120mg to help with pain. It's really helped, but the dry mouth is brutal.

I have this with my pain medication too.  Its really frustrating, but over time, it has gotten better.  How long have you been taking it?

I've been on it for the last 2 1/2 years. My doctor increased it a month ago to 120mg instead 90mg. It's made a huge difference in my pain and mood. It bugged me a bit before, but nothing as bad as it is now. I'm assuming it's the cause of my 7 cavities and root canal last month. I never had issues with me teeth before starting the med. It's so frustrating!

[nursewife]

Apr 26, 2015 20:10:25 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Apr 26, 2015 20:06:40 GMT -5 alzi said:

This is cracking me up.

Right? It's most likely the meth!

Definitely meth!! Especially since I just had such a bad dentist appointment   

[ledareansley]

I feel so bad for you. I had the same side effect with a medication that did not work so they just took me off it. Just hugs and definitely call the doctor and ask for help. I found dry mouth to be one of the worst side effects ever. I know it sounds like no big deal but it was crippling to me and you!

Bright side, my doctor did tell me she could prescribe something for the dry mouth if the drug fixed the migraines. No dice but at least there's something. Good luck! Anything that wakes you up is bullshit!

[nursewife]

Apr 26, 2015 20:29:31 GMT -5 ledareansley said:

I feel so bad for you. I had the same side effect with a medication that did not work so they just took me off it. Just hugs and definitely call the doctor and ask for help. I found dry mouth to be one of the worst side effects ever. I know it sounds like no big deal but it was crippling to me and you!

Bright side, my doctor did tell me she could prescribe something for the dry mouth if the drug fixed the migraines. No dice but at least there's something. Good luck! Anything that wakes you up is bullshit!

It really is brutal! I have a hard time swallowing at times since my mouth is so dry! I'm glad the med is helping with pain but I'm debating decreasing my dose to help. Do you know what medication the doctor mentioned? I have migraines, and they suck!

[nursewife]

Apr 26, 2015 21:14:08 GMT -5 nicbreeful said:

I know you said besides sugar free candies, but have you tried Ice Chips? They specifically list that they can help with dry mouth. And they are really, really good (my faves are the Wild Berry, Root Beer, and Lemon.. and I usually hate lemon flavor).

Amazon sells them but I think they're actually cheaper on their own site. I got the 6 pack.

I haven't even heard of that. I'll look into it Thanks!

[lilac05]

Does it help to think about eating something sour? It sounds silly, but when I was doing swallowing therapy, sometimes the act of just thinking about eating something sour would be able to produce enough saliva to initiate a swallow. Think about lemon drops or warheads & see if you can trick your body into reacting.

[nursewife]

Apr 26, 2015 21:25:33 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

Does it help to think about eating something sour? It sounds silly, but when I was doing swallowing therapy, sometimes the act of just thinking about eating something sour would be able to produce enough saliva to initiate a swallow. Think about lemon drops or warheads & see if you can trick your body into reacting.

Great tip! Thank you! I'm up for any suggestions as I don't want to change my medication due to this.

[sofamonkey]

Look for products with xylitol in them rather than fake sugars. I am pretty sure the ice chips has that in it. Gum with xylitol helps too. Sorry you are dealing with this.

[ledareansley]

Apr 26, 2015 20:33:55 GMT -5 nursewife said:

Apr 26, 2015 20:29:31 GMT -5 ledareansley said:

I feel so bad for you. I had the same side effect with a medication that did not work so they just took me off it. Just hugs and definitely call the doctor and ask for help. I found dry mouth to be one of the worst side effects ever. I know it sounds like no big deal but it was crippling to me and you!

Bright side, my doctor did tell me she could prescribe something for the dry mouth if the drug fixed the migraines. No dice but at least there's something. Good luck! Anything that wakes you up is bullshit!

It really is brutal! I have a hard time swallowing at times since my mouth is so dry! I'm glad the med is helping with pain but I'm debating decreasing my dose to help. Do you know what medication the doctor mentioned? I have migraines, and they suck!

[
She just said "the side effects are dry mouth and constipation (sorry) and if it works I can prescribe to fix the dry mouth, if this med fixes these migraines, we will work out the dry mouth." At that point, I was ignorant of what dry mouth really meant. When I finally told her how bad the side effects were she just took me off it and now lists it as an allergy so no one will ever prescribe it again.