[Stuart2]

Anyone have advice/solutions for dry mouth? Is it PN related? What causes it?
A month ago I woke up with cotton mouth and have had dry mouth ever since. It is not too bad during the day--I just drink more and chew more gum and use sugarless hard candy. Drinking less coffee helps. But every night I get woken up by dry mouth several times. I sip water and then end up using the bathroom more often. It is ruining my sleep.
Am currently on no meds so that is not what is causing it. I was on Prilosec for acid reflux, but stopped that 2 weeks ago thinking that that might be the cause. No change.
Eyes don't seem terribly dry so I doubt that it is Sjorgens. (sp?)
I'm 54 year old male and was diagnosed with idiopathic PN about 14 months ago.
Thanks for any suggestions.

[mrsD]

Don't know ...

But my doctor has suggested that I suck on some sour candies once or twice a day to keep saliva flowing. It does slow down with age. If it gets really sluggish, stones may form in the ducts.

I can tell when mine are getting slow again, because the glands at my jaw under the ear seem to enlarge.

Sometimes I can get the saliva to flow by just thinking about sour things now!

(caffeine will dehydrate you and so will alcohol--and both can cause dry mouth)

[Sheltiemom18]

Yes, dry mouth can be caused by neuropathy - in my case, it's small fiber non-length dependent. I also have the dry skin, etc., that can be associated with this.

However, neuropathy can also affect people with Sjogren's.

Was prescribed pilocarpine 3x a day (generic for Salagen) for mine, but there's also Evoxac for this. I only take it 1x or on occasion 2x a day and it seems to work. If you wind up taking either of these Rx meds, you must drink a lot of fluids. Some take a product for the dry mouth/eyes from an on-line company called TheraLife. I don't know anything about it except what it says about itself, so did not order.

And sipping water and juice plus hard candy is also good. I sip throughout the day/early evening and don't seem to need anything during the night.

[cyclelops]

I did some interesting reading on autonomic PN, and if you happen to have supine hypertension, you may end up voiding too much at nite as your body tries to adapt to lower the BP, hence sicca.

[Rrae]

I learned the hard way that having drymouth (mine was due to medications)
can open you wide up for rapid tooth decay!

Caring
Rae

[kreink]

High Blood Sugar can also cause Dry Mouth if you are Diabetic.

[nide44]

Tooth decay and/or periodontal disease are a reality with dry mouth.
I've just undergone my 5th perio surgery.($1500... a pop)
I rinse with Biotene Dry Mouth mouthwash when I wake up
in the middle of the nite.
It helps some.

[Kitt]

How about lemon drops. I know a lady who does that and it works great. She does have false teeth though

[dahlek]

My dentist is now carrying starter packs [oooh w/coupons no less?] for Biotene products... but I'd learned of Biotene here from Silverlady!
While an 'acquired taste'? The stuff works! It's not cheap, but if it works? We gotta do what we gotta do!
After about 4 years? I'm beginning to 'like' the taste. Most peculiar? But, could be lots worse!
I mostly use the 'spray' or 'drops' - http://www.biotene.com/Products.aspx
FINDING it can be a hit or miss search in various local drugstores. I've had luck in some and none in others in my area. If you can't find it? ASK!
I HAVE found out tho? That use of Biotene? Helps keep down cavities for me! Especially since I've been going thru definite osteoporosis and resulting enamel loss. Got quite expensive for a while, now, better in check.
's!!!!!! - j

[jannaw]

My dentist told me chew Trident White, it has xylitol(sp?) and I've tried biotene, didn't help me. I sip on soda alot, water makes my mouth drier..soda through a straw, I tell meself it isn't hurting my teeth! I also carry a xylitol spray in my purse that I got from the dentist, it helps. I always brush my teeth before bedtime and use a dental rinse too. My burning mouth is back after 5 months of calm, but so is my PN, back pain and joint swelling, the remission of sorts is over and it's back to constant pain. Funny thing, I dread summer because of heat and we didn't have much heat so summer was great, now is when I'm sposed to be comfy and its raging away like in the early days....sheesh!