Mouth ulcer hell

[Perpetuallyperplexed27]

Every now and then I'll get the odd mouth ulcer when I'm tired or run down. Without wanting to sound like a baby they really make me feel awful. They give me headaches, swollen glands, lots of pain when eating and speaking. Just awful.

For some reason I've had a massive flare up and at the moment have counted 6 on my bottom lip on the inside. Another one coming on my tongue which are always the worst.

Can anyone offer any sympathy or tips? I'm medicating with listerine and painkillers atm.

Are your iron, folate and B12 levels levels ok? Anaemia can cause mouth ulcers, and yours sound quite bad...

I'm not sure I've never had them checked I've just dealt with them when they arise but never had so many at one time, I feel dreadful.

Usually they clear up on their own after a week or so but I'm really suffering with having so many.

This may be completely irrelevant but there are two things that give me ulcers like this:

1. When I'm coming down with a lurgy

2. If I don't brush my teeth after taking my inhaler

Grind up some paracetamol (or buy the capsules and empty the powder). Rub gently onto ulcers.
The best pain relief I've found.

I get them whenever I eat nuts (too sharp).

Take folic acid and B vits.

I'd very much recommend Gengigel Mouthrinse, they have it in Boots.
It's a slightly off-putting pale blue in colour, but contains hyaluronic [?] acid and it's really soothing and healing.
My dental hygienist suggested it to me and I think it's excellent stuff, worth having around for when you burn your mouth on a hot drink, or bite the inside of your cheek.

www.boots.com/gengigel-mouthrinse-150ml-10038084

Colgate peroxyl mouthwash clears mine up very quickly.

Definitely start taking iron and B6 &12
Anbasol gel is good but stings like a fucker at first.

Get some anbesol liquid, it really helps to numb the pain. Also I remember having some really awful ones once and someone recommended a dab of marmite- stings like a bitch but does seem to help somehow?!

Look out for the ingredient Sodium lauryl sulphate (sls) in your toothpaste. This is know to contribute to ulcers if you are susceptible to them.

Yes it could be your toothpaste, if I use Sensodyne I get hellish mouth ulcers that go on for weeks!

Do you think you might have hand foot and mouth disease? Not being funny, when I had it I was the illest I have ever been and my entire mouth and tongue were covered in huge blisters, it was indescribable. Check your fingers and toes for blisters, they can be tiny. Worth a visit to the doctor perhaps.

I've always suffered really badly with ulcers. I had a particularly bad falre up one where I had about 15 tiny ones all over the tip of my tongue. The dentist told me that giving up smoking and eating a lot of tomato based food can cause it.

Whitening toothpaste also makes mine worse.

Could be HFM

Well, that sounds horrible, OP. I had a lot of mouth ulcers when I developed coeliac disease. Worth seeing your doctor just in case there's a medical reason.

SLS-free toothpaste seems to be helping my usual stress mouth ulcers stay away. Wilko sensitive is sls-free and only 70p.

Swill mouthfuls of sage tea, letting it run over the affected area as you do so, then spit or swallow. Personally, I swallow because the minerals in the tea are part of the cure.

Buy proper sage tea, not a blend like Holland and Barrett. I get mine (teabags) from a Turkish supermarket, but some European grocery shops sell it and you can also buy it online (loose or in bags). Let it steep for 2 minutes and put the bag aside because you can get more goodness from it for a second cup a few hours later.

Thanks for all of the advice. I had an early night last night and feel a little better today although the ulcers are still there and still painful. I really do believe that tiredness and being run down are triggers for me. I can go months without one and then I'll get burnt out and have a flare up. Last week I had a really hectic weekend, very little sleep and a raging hangover on Sunday. I've never had so many in one go, that's the worst bit. I also find they make me drool terribly in my sleep!!!

I have taken paracetamol this morning and used nearly a bottle of listerine over the week. I'll have a look in boots today for some of the products recommended.

Definitely see your gp if they’re this bad. Sounds like you need some blood tests to see if anything weird and wonderful is going on. Could be anaemia, coeliac disease, b12 deficiency, Addison’s disease, hypothyroidism... all sorts of things.

Ouch. You have my sympathy.

If I have too much sugar my mouth gets sort of unbalanced and ulcers can pop up. Also can happen when tired and run down, which is also when I'd eat more sugar for energy boosts. A bad cycle.