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Original poster

Mouth ulcer remedies please

56 replies

jinglebells22 · 23/12/2022 21:27

Currently I have two massive mouth ulcers on my bottom lip and back of my throat. They kill and are making me feel totally unwell. I'm fatigued, headachey and have sore swollen glands. I can't even think about drinking alcohol or eating much which is really bugging me at this time of year!

I do get these quite often when I'm run down and usually just ride it out, but I really want to feel better for Christmas. I've been using corsadyl mouthwash for a few days which hasn't helped and also anbesol liquid which offers temporary pain relief but isn't healing them. Usually they hurt like a bitch for a week or so then the pain subsides and they gradually get smaller and go away. I just want to get to that pain subsiding place now! Any tips gratefully received. I plan to do a last minute pharmacy trip tomorrow.

OP posts:
curiouscat1987 · 23/12/2022 21:29

Salt water gargled regularly is good. Hope you feel better soon!

GracePooleslaugh · 23/12/2022 21:30

Take painkillers

dancinfeet · 23/12/2022 21:31

I hate to say it (as it stings like mad and tastes revolting) but plenty of salt dissolved in a bit of water dabbed onto the ulcers several times a day is the best remedy I have found. I sympathise as I currently have a large one on the inside of my lower lip where it joins the gum.

whataboutnow · 23/12/2022 21:32

I had some horrible ones with a bug last week. Tried everything but found a warm water salt rinse better than anything else.

OrangeBlossom28 · 23/12/2022 21:33

Iglu paste on them works really well although it sounds like the one in your throat might be inaccessible.
Soluble aspirin helps too esp if you can gargle with it or hold the liquid on the ulcers for as long as poss, then swallow. It kind of numbs them too as well as providing pain relief.

GracePooleslaugh · 23/12/2022 21:33

Sorry posted too soon, my daughter gets them quite often and now and again a really painful one. She takes painkillers as well as anbesol and salt water if it's a bad one.

Wafflehouse · 23/12/2022 21:34

Ds gets these from time to time, the dentist recommended anbesol, the liquid not the gel. He says it’s the best thing he’s used for them.

Haydugee · 23/12/2022 21:38

I hesitate to write this as the pain is SO intense, but if you cut a garlic in half and hold it on the ulcer for around a minute it will (in my experience) make it stop hurting and go away.

However the eye watering pain from doing this is so extreme, I rarely treat mine like this.

BlandSoup · 23/12/2022 21:42

Anbesol liquid gets rid of the pain long enough to be able to eat a meal. It’s absolute agony when you put it on but then it’s bliss. I also have started using Kingfisher toothpaste and not normal toothpaste. Also, I’ve stopped eating anything too sugary and like sweets or chocolate. And I don’t get nearly so many.

DrCoconut · 23/12/2022 21:47

The mildly steroidal nasal spray you get for allergies. Spray it on the ulcer and it helps. ENT are all linked after all, so not harmful despite not being the original intended use.

Curlygirl06 · 23/12/2022 21:53

I've tried this once in desperation- brush the ulcer with a toothbrush so the top comes off and it usually bleeds, then put salt on it. Hurts like an absolute bitch but it worked. Don't think you can do that with the one at the back of your throat. God only knows where I heard that idea from but by then I was ready to try anything.

Cuppasoupmonster · 23/12/2022 21:56

Yep, dampen a finger, put it in the salt cellar, then straight on to the bastarding ulcer. Hurts like a bitch for a few seconds then they’ll go really numb for a bit. Handy if you’re struggling to eat/drink etc.

Soubriquet · 23/12/2022 21:57

Anbesol. It’s honestly a lifesaver. I always have some in the house. Good for teething babies (when I first bought it), right up to ulcers, and sores in the mouth.

I currently have a cut on the side of my mouth and I’ve been used it. Stings like a bitch but numbs it quickly

Careeradvice123 · 23/12/2022 21:58

Won't work on back of throat but igloo gel is good for me.

WildRosie · 23/12/2022 22:01

The garlic tip is a good one. Antisocial and stings but effective - must be something in the juice. Also soluble aspirin dissolved in warm water - drink, swill vigorously and swallow.

Diverging · 23/12/2022 22:02

You can dissolve a steroid tablet in water and use that (nhs instructions on internet) or get steroid buccal tablets. But you need a dentist for those which isn’t going to be easy at this time. So the suggestions above are probably your best bet in the short term.

CaptainBarbosa · 23/12/2022 22:05

I just pour salt on them, no water nothing, straight from the salt packet. Neat salt drowning the ulcer and the surrounding area.

Don't get me wrong my eyes water, the pain is phenomenal, but if you just sorta breath through 5-10 seconds, it all then goes numb.

Original poster
jinglebells22 · 23/12/2022 22:07

Thanks all some great advice. Agree Anbesol offers temporary relief but at this point I need something to really blast the fuckers. It's not the pain so much, it's the other symptoms that go with it. I've had constant headache for the best part of a week. Am taking paracetamol too but I just want rid of them now. Frustratingly I know they will go soon but I don't want to feel crap over Xmas and not be able to eat or drink. I also had a killer one on my birthday this year and couldn't enjoy my birthday meal either. So annoying.

OP posts:
Original poster
jinglebells22 · 23/12/2022 22:08

Does salt actually kill the ulcer?

OP posts:
MissyB1 · 23/12/2022 22:12

jinglebells22 · 23/12/2022 22:08

Does salt actually kill the ulcer?

Salt is a healing agent, centuries old but still works.

BlackForestCake · 23/12/2022 22:12

I think all salt really does is make it hurt even more so that your adrenaline gets going to help you cope.

WildRosie · 23/12/2022 22:16

I wouldn't bother with paracetamol. If you can take aspirin, then go for the soluble solution I suggested. It's direct and powerful. Also, Disprin-branded aspirin is by far the best one. It's more expensive than others and you may have to buy it from a pharmacy rather than a supermarket but it's worth buying. My GP from years back would swear by Disprin.

Suboptimalsitch · 23/12/2022 22:16

You can dissolve a steroid tablet in water and use that (nhs instructions on internet) or get steroid buccal tablets. But you need a dentist for those which isn’t going to be easy at this time. So the suggestions above are probably your best bet in the short term.

I agree. I have apthous stomatitis (is loads of ulcers all the time). I was in torment especially when they were on my tongue. I have dissolvable steroid tabs that I use as a mouthwash and spit out after 5 mins. Steroid buccal tablets and orocort paste to use at night. These stop ulcers getting painful and stop them developing. Over the counter I recommend iglu . I feel your pain. They are so bloody painful.

Babymamaroon · 23/12/2022 22:23

An old school friend told me this and I swear it works.

Eat a goodly portion of liver pâté (straight liver if you can stand it) and with each bite, follow it with a swig of orange juice. The combo helps the absorption of the iron and clears the ulcers up within about 24 hours.