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DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have burning tongue syndrome. At times, it is almost unbearable.



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(From Topix Neurology)

[mrsD]

Here is a quote from this article (newpaper links typically are not long lived and will disappear on the net)

Burning tongue syndrome is also known as burning mouth syndrome because the gums, roof of the mouth and lips also can feel like they are on fire. It happens mostly, but not exclusively, to women after menopause. Although painful and disturbing, it's not a health threat. No one knows the exact cause, but it might be that nerves serving the tongue and mouth are malfunctioning.

Let me give you a few home remedies for it: rinsing the mouth with cold apple juice; and combining equal parts Benadryl elixir and Kaopectate as a mouthwash. Don't swallow these rinses, and use them four times a day. Another remedy is six drops of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco sauce) in a teaspoon of water and swishing it around in the mouth four times daily. It might increase the burning at first, but after a day or so it should lessen it.

Don't eat or drink spicy or acidic foods or beverages. Don't use mouthwashes with alcohol in them. Change your toothpaste brand. Chew sugarless gum.

When burning mouth fails to respond to the above, the medicines Klonopin, Elavil or Neurontin might help.

Have your doctors looked for things like dry mouth, B vitamin deficiencies, anemia, diabetes, lichen planus, thyroid problems and Sjogren's syndrome?

Sores on the tongue and in the mouth are not ordinarily a part of burning tongue syndrome. Get to a doctor when the sores are present. You might have recurrent canker sores and not burning mouth syndrome.

The Kaopectate mentioned here is NO LONGER MADE...
It used to be a common ingredient in swish and swallow mixes for people with chemo pain in the mouth/esophagus and throat. The Kaopectate name was sold, and the new owners have PeptoBismol in it. This can turn your mouth BLACK and is very different. People who cannot take aspirin also should not use the NEW Kaopectate.

The old Kaopectate was a clay product, kaolin. This adsorbed toxins to it and removed them from the body. The FDA is systematically going thru older remedies and requiring new drug certification for them. Robitussin products elected to spend the money and do this. Pfizer who owned Kaopectate decided to NOT do this and sold the name. Hence there are no kaolin products sold in stores for diarrhea or compounding rinses anymore.
(in Canada, Kaopectate still has the original formula)

I don't know why the FDA has allowed this confusing thing to happen. It is like Tylenol being allowed to contain aspirin and no more acetaminophen to be allowed. Everyone would think Tylenol is an aspirin alternative when it would not be.
This Kaopectate snafu is terrible in this regard!