Dry Mouth

[peppermintteagirl]

Firstly, I've got an appointment with my GP late next week, but just wondering in the meantime...

About 2 weeks ago I suddenly started getting what I initially thought was extreme thirst, but now think is actually a really dry mouth. No other symptoms, except I was having major issues with dry eyes back in Jan/Feb (not so bad now), and have been having some fatigue for quite a while. I last had bloods back in August and everything was fine. I'm 40.

Any ideas what's going on? Sjogrens Syndrome seems to fit but it seems to not be very common so don't know if it would actually be that. The dry mouth is quite annoying but I don't know if I should push hard for it to be properly investigated or just accept it if bloods come back ok.

Perimenopause? Dry mouth is a sign.

Oh interesting, I did think that but it didn't come up on the couple of websites when I searched for perimenopause symptoms, but it does come up if I search specifically for dry mouth.

I feel too young for perimenopause! (I know I'm not).

I've had the same @peppermintteagirl I thought I had night-time asthma because I would wake up choking but realised it was an extremely dry mouth and throat.

My symptoms fit sjogrens too but I haven't pursued it because I'm not sure much can be done. I use eye drops and always sip water through the day (and night if needed) and make changes to diet to help with immune system.

@peppermintteagirl

Hey, I work in dentistry and xerostomia (dry mouth) is very common with many different conditions and medications:
Menopause
Hormone imbalance
Diabetes
Anti depressant medication
Epilepsy medication

You can speak to your GP or dentist for a saliva replacement or there is a product called oralieve which you can buy online which can help with the dryness, try to drink more water if you can, and suck on sugar free sweets to induce saliva production.

Hope this helps x

Thanks, that's good to know. I was thinking that too about not being able to do much if it was Sjogrens. I guess so long as it's not anything worrisome like diabetes then it doesn't really matter.

Thanks so much, that's really helpful. Good to know about the saliva replacement and I hadn't thought about sucking on sweets.

From your list only menopause and hormone imbalance are options - I need to get diabetes checked again but all was fine in August so I'm hoping that's not something that would come on suddenly in the space of less than 8 months.

@peppermintteagirl

Sjögren's syndrome is another as mentioned but that pretty rare and you would have other symptoms included that you would have noticed:
Dry eyes
Vaginal dryness

Have you started any medication or vitamins recently?

Thanks, yes I had very bad dry eyes earlier in the year, but didn't think anything of it (I wear contacts so thought it was related to them). Mostly ok now but still occasionally dry.

No new medication or vitamins, can't think of anything at all that has changed recently.

I think going to GP will help, but do ask for replacement if you are finding you have a dry mouth most of the day. Salvia production slows down when you sleep so it's naturally to wake up with a dry mouth.

All the best x

suck on sugar free sweets to induce saliva production.

I forgot this one! Definitely keep some in my pocket. It's the sweetener that helps. Experiment until you find one that works for you. Peppersmith pastilles are good (from Ocado) with xylitol but be careful not to let any dogs get them.

I had dry mouth and dry eyes in perimenopause. HRT resolved it - presumably the oestrogen part of HRT.

I started with exactly the same about a year ago, it happened almost all of a sudden. I was waking up with the sides of my tongue glued to my gums, seems to be worse on one side for me too for some reason. My mouth often feels sticky too.

I've had dry eyes forever so did consider sjorgens but I think more likely peri menopause in my case as I'm 50 and getting all the bloody symptoms.

Just make sure you up your dental hygiene as a dry mouth can make you more prone to problems. I am meticulous now whereas before I didn't always floss as regularly as I should but I do every day now.. I'm also looking into the saliva replacements.