[en bloc]

My PN has extended it's reach to include a significant burning of my tongue and roof of my mouth. It occurs with eating almost any substance and is, to say the least, annoying and painful. Is there anything that can be done to reduce this discomfort? I would assume that any oral numbing agent would likewise deaden taste as well, right?

[daniella]

I am not familiar with this but will suggest a few things. Are you on meds? I was wondering if any could be contributing to this? Or on the flip side if there would be a med you could talk to your doctor about to help this in your mouth? Feel better

[malawigirl08]

Originally Posted by en bloc

My PN has extended it's reach to include a significant burning of my tongue and roof of my mouth. It occurs with eating almost any substance and is, to say the least, annoying and painful. Is there anything that can be done to reduce this discomfort? I would assume that any oral numbing agent would likewise deaden taste as well, right?

Have you tried Alkaseltzer? I have dreadful burning in my legs and feet and this is the only thing that helps me, and believe me I have tried lots of things!
I hope you get relief soon, I will be thinking of you.

[en bloc]

I take multiple meds, but nothing new and none have neuro side effects. I have sent my neurologist an email about a follow-up appt. However, I have read this is a manifestation of PN and know how difficult PN is to treat, so was wondering if others had experienced this and what they did to relieve it.

My neuropathy is ganglionitis secondary to Sjogren's, so the mouth involvement could have something to due with either condition. Sjogren's can cause dry mouth but this new problem is classic nerve type burning pain and my mouth isn't necessarily overly dry when this occurs.

I've never heard of alkaseltzer for PN, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I'll give it a try. I'm curious, what is the theory/action/ingredient that alkaseltzer helps PN?

Thanks

[mrsD]

Here is the main AlkaSeltzer thread:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ht=AlkaSeltzer

Please read the warnings at the end of the thread regarding the aspirin content, and the alternate types of things to try instead.
Take aspirin only with the approval of your doctor, regularly, and watch for any signs of increased bleeding. Sometimes you can get by with only one of the AlkaSeltzer tablets, so try that too. When it works it is wonderful, but it will not work for everyone equally.

Burning mouth can come from B12 deficiency. Some of the other B's are sometimes listed for this problem. So trying a B-complex might be helpful.

Sucking on candies, mints, various chewing gums and even the Triclosan in many toothpastes can be a culprit. Many of the fancy new toothpastes have Triclosan in them, and this has appeared in studies to cause mouth irritation.

If there are white patches with redness...that can be yeast infection, which can come from taking steroids or immune suppressing drugs or antibiotics. A doctor needs to look at your mouth to decide that.

[en bloc]

Originally Posted by mrsD

Here is the main AlkaSeltzer thread:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ht=AlkaSeltzer

Please read the warnings at the end of the thread regarding the aspirin content, and the alternate types of things to try instead.
Take aspirin only with the approval of your doctor, regularly, and watch for any signs of increased bleeding. Sometimes you can get by with only one of the AlkaSeltzer tablets, so try that too. When it works it is wonderful, but it will not work for everyone equally.

Burning mouth can come from B12 deficiency. Some of the other B's are sometimes listed for this problem. So trying a B-complex might be helpful.

Sucking on candies, mints, various chewing gums and even the Triclosan in many toothpastes can be a culprit. Many of the fancy new toothpastes have Triclosan in them, and this has appeared in studies to cause mouth irritation.

If there are white patches with redness...that can be yeast infection, which can come from taking steroids or immune suppressing drugs or antibiotics. A doctor needs to look at your mouth to decide that.

Thanks so much for the alkaseltzer link. I had no idea it contained aspirin...even though it absorbs quickly and does not linger in the stomach. I'm on heparin injections and aspirin already for antiphospholipid syndrome and stroke history, so the regular alkaseltzer will have to wait for approval by my hematologist. I may try the Alkaseltzer Gold, just to see if it makes a difference.

My B-12 was about 830 at last check so I should be fine there and I never chew gum or suck on mints/candies.

When this started (infrequently) I looked for signs of redness or white patches, but nothing unusual. There is no burning or pain until I eat and then for a while after. It's a strange symptom indeed, but feels very much like other nerve pain.

Thanks for the input.

[mrsD]

You will have to ask to have the AlkaSeltzer gold special ordered.

I don't know for sure if it is still available.
Drugstore.com still has it, but it appears to not have the bicarbonate in it anymore...it has been changed.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...ELAID=61227603
I don't know if it would work the same. Also has potassium.

TriSalts are available but do contain potassium. So you should check with the doctor about that.

Since you are already on blood thinners, the AlkaSelzer is out IMO.

You could try just plain sodium bicarbonate tablets... they do not require an RX. Any pharmacy can order these too.

What the bicarb does is quickly change the blood pH temporarily and if your burning is pH (acidic) triggered, it stops it temporarily.

Bicarb is sometimes used for people with mild renal acidosis and also for people with gout.

[jannaw]

I don't really suffer burning mouth much anymore, I believe since I started on Nortriptyline too. What I would do is brush my teeth with no toothpaste, kind of a massage of sorts, or just swish cold water in my mouth. I'm all for alka seltzer too, works for me. My hubbie has poly-rhuematica ???and is in great agony, I have sent him off to work with it(he works out of town) and I hope it helps him as well!

[en bloc]

Originally Posted by mrsD

You will have to ask to have the AlkaSeltzer gold special ordered.

I don't know for sure if it is still available.
Drugstore.com still has it, but it appears to not have the bicarbonate in it anymore...it has been changed.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...ELAID=61227603
I don't know if it would work the same. Also has potassium.

TriSalts are available but do contain potassium. So you should check with the doctor about that.

Since you are already on blood thinners, the AlkaSelzer is out IMO.

You could try just plain sodium bicarbonate tablets... they do not require an RX. Any pharmacy can order these too.

What the bicarb does is quickly change the blood pH temporarily and if your burning is pH (acidic) triggered, it stops it temporarily.

Bicarb is sometimes used for people with mild renal acidosis and also for people with gout.

I think I'll have to stick with trying just the bicarb.

I can't imagine my hemotologist would okay the reg alkaseltzer. There is a delicate balance to maintain with clotting disorders and not have bleeding events. I'm not (and I doubt the doc is) interested in rocking the boat.

Same goes for additional potassium with current cardiac problems.

So I'll keep it simple with the bicarb. Maybe hold toothpaste for a day or two.

It is still on/off with some days better than others, so maybe it will clear on it's own over time. One can hope, right??

[malawigirl08]

Originally Posted by en bloc

I think I'll have to stick with trying just the bicarb.

I can't imagine my hemotologist would okay the reg alkaseltzer. There is a delicate balance to maintain with clotting disorders and not have bleeding events. I'm not (and I doubt the doc is) interested in rocking the boat.

Same goes for additional potassium with current cardiac problems.

So I'll keep it simple with the bicarb. Maybe hold toothpaste for a day or two.

It is still on/off with some days better than others, so maybe it will clear on it's own over time. One can hope, right??

My dad suffered from this and he used to suck ice lollies and the cooling effect used to give him relief, if only temporarily- worth a try.