How do you get rid of/cope with dry mouth caused by medication you have to take?

1. 85

   Laura Schneiderposted 10 years ago

   How do you get rid of/cope with dry mouth caused by medication you have to take?

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2. 91

   Theophanesposted 10 years ago

   "Take small sips of water throughout the entire day." That's what my doctors and dentists have told me but in truth there's not a lot you can do. Because of my lack of saliva my teeth don't have the protection they need and just a few years on a very common med ALL my teeth, save for one, had cavities. There was no other reason for this - I was brushing fine and my diet was not sugary, nor had anything else changed since I had healthy teeth... it was just a lack of spit. Can you believe that? Crazy. Have fun with the water. I dread to know what my teeth would look like if I was a soda drinker.   Good luck!

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   1. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Theophanes! I chew gum (like a kid--really professional, oh well) all the time whenever I'm awake. Expensive, but works better than water, which I tried first. ALL my teeth had to be crowned, can you believe that? Ouch! Crazy! Good luck! :-|

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3. 71

   MargaritaEdenposted 10 years ago

   Water and gum or candy with xylitol, also use xylitol toothpaste.

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   1. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent advice! Thanks, MargaritaEden! I just checked, and the Trident(R) gum I've been chewing does contain xylitol (and no sugar). (I'll have to check my toothpaste...)

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4. 0

   lisasuniquevoiceposted 10 years ago

   
   
   Laura,
   
   I'm a voice over artist and what I use to combat dry mouth is a product I got online called "Mouth Cote".It works great. You just spray it and it takes away dry mouth I also take small sips of water during my recording sessions.
   Lisa

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   1. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Lisa! I've never heard of this product before. I'll ask at the pharmacy if they carry it. Cheers!

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5. 60

   Cas Merchantposted 10 years ago

   I always keep a pack of gum called Biotene handy. It works great, and also a bottle of water or sports drink to sip on.

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   1. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Cas Merchant! I'll look for Biotene gum, also. (Why did my doctors never tell me these things existed??) I have a very ugly but very leak-proof bottle of water with me at all times (Tupperware).

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6. 0

   Queenlushlipsposted 10 years ago

   Gatorade is good, but try also eating fresh grapes or cantaloupe

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      lisasuniquevoiceposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Queenlushlips,
      I drink Gatorade all of the time. You're right it does take away dry mouth. I'm going to try the grapes and cantaloupe too.
      Lisa

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   2. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Queenlushlips! I'll try Gatorade along with what everyone else has suggested. I'm allergic to fruit, unfortunately, but hopefully it will help someone else with this problem!

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      Queenlushlipsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Your Welcome Ms. Laura Schneider!

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7. 49

   jellohelloposted 10 years ago

   All you can do is sip, sip, sip, and sip some more.  Look on the bright side, at least your pretty hair isn't falling out! Some medications even cite possible death as a side effect.  Could be worse.

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   1. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Could ALWAYS be worse, true. ALL my teeth had to be crowned ($$,$$$) simultaneously because of just sipping. My dry throat closes and I often choke, especially in my sleep. Agreed, the other side-effects are much worse; so maybe this one is fixable.

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   2. 49

      jellohelloposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, that is some intense dry mouth! Hope you can resolve it.  Maybe your doctor can put you on another medication.

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   3. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Lots of good suggestions here, thanks to everyone for commenting! I'll follow up with each suggestion and hopefully one or more (or several at once) will help!

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8. 59

   Jennifer Bartposted 10 years ago

   I suffered from dry mouth due to medication there is a line of products out there called Biotine they have a mouth wash, a tooth paste and an oral spray. It helped me a lot! You can get it at any drug store without a prescription in the toothpaste section. Hope this helps!

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   1. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Jennifer! I'll give them a try for sure!

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9. 90

   Faceless39posted 10 years ago

   I'm a dental hygienist.  Here's my hub on this topic:
   
   http://faceless39.hubpages.com/hub/Dry- … lationship

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   1. 85

      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Cool! I'm off to read it now. Thanks for writing about it!

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10. 85

    Rosie writesposted 10 years ago

    Sleep with a warm mist vaporizer running all night.  You will breathe in the moist air all night and it will provide you with relief throughout most of the following day.

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       Queenlushlipsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Now this is a good recommendation, yes!

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11. 54

    ericberchposted 10 years ago

    "Take small sips of water throughout the entire day."  - yeap this works...

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