Dry Mouth Constant...Fibro Thing?

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Blixalyn

New member
Joined
Jan 24, 2023
Messages
3
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
06/2004
Country
US
State
TN
Hi, I'm new here and not usually one to go actually join Forums or discussions online about...well anything. But I'm isolated, have maybe two friends who I rarely see or speak to because they have their own medical and personal problems to struggle with and realize that it's not the best to only speak to my fiance and therapist on a regular basis...

Anyway! What I'm wanting to ask is a constantly dry mouth a symptom of fibromyalgia? I was diagnosed more than 5 years ago and symptoms have come and go over that time with the biggies that everyone knows about sticking around with random ones popping up and then disappearing. One has popped up a couple months ago, that's really irriating and that is a constant cotton mouth. I drink plenty of water everyday. I drink 2-3 32oz bottles of water every day and don't drink sodas, but do have a Redbull while working nights to get enough energy to get ready for work.

I've been to a general Primary Care doctor recently to get a checkup and to dicuss this constant dry mouth. Everything checked out except that my kidney fuctions were on the low end of acceptable range, mostly caused by a NSAID that an arthrists doctor recommended to manage pain (and it really did nothing to help out) and she left a note to stop taking the medication which I did and also said that the dry mouth was most likely because I was not getting enough water. *sigh* How can drinking 64+ ounces a day not be enough? I already pee enough as it is! lol

I looked online and a dental problem was suggested, but!...I had the rest of my teeth removed in September 2022 and was fitted for dentures. Now the dentures suck and I have yet another appoinment to get them re-lined and adjusted in a week. So a bad tooth isn't it.

I've have increased my water intake with no desired effect taking place and I've also tried the oral mouth wash "Biotene Oral Rinse Mouthwast for Dry Mouth" but it doesn't work very well for me. It just makes my mouth slightly number for an hour or two afterwards while the dry mouth persists.

I've researched the side effects of my medications and while yes my ADD meds Vyvanse and pain medication Tramadol do have dry mouth as a side effect, I've been on it for a longer then when this new symptom came about, so I doubt that its the cause. Which leaves me with the thought of: is it because of the Fibro? Fibromaylagia is to blame for a lot of things...is this a new twist that I'm just going to have to deal with?
 
Often dry mouth is a side effect of medication, and it appears with many different medications. Side effects don't necessarily only appear at the beginning of taking the drug, but can manifest later on.

I suggest a thorough review of your medications, including anything over-the-counter, and a talk with your doctor about trying different medications that don't have that as a side effect. Being on three medications that list dry mouth as a possible side effect, it is not sur[rising you are experiencing it. Aside from being annoying, it can be extremely bad for your teeth, so a consultation to see what can be changed may be a good idea.
 
dry mouth is not a fibro thing - most likely connected to one or more of your meds - possibly a combination effect?
and yes, side effects can pop up later - not necessarily right away.
in fact, the longer you take a medication, the greater your chances of developing side effects.

I am also going to suggest that you stop using those Red Bulls as a prop-up - those kinds of drinks are seriously bad for you physiologically. All of them. I do get the reason for using them, but they are not doing you any favors. It could also be a contributor to your dry mouth problem.
There are much better dietary choices you can make than using those harmful "energy" drinks to boost your energy levels.
 
Hi, I'm new here and not usually one to go actually join Forums or discussions online about...well anything. But I'm isolated, have maybe two friends who I rarely see or speak to because they have their own medical and personal problems to struggle with and realize that it's not the best to only speak to my fiance and therapist on a regular basis...

Anyway! What I'm wanting to ask is a constantly dry mouth a symptom of fibromyalgia? I was diagnosed more than 5 years ago and symptoms have come and go over that time with the biggies that everyone knows about sticking around with random ones popping up and then disappearing. One has popped up a couple months ago, that's really irriating and that is a constant cotton mouth. I drink plenty of water everyday. I drink 2-3 32oz bottles of water every day and don't drink sodas, but do have a Redbull while working nights to get enough energy to get ready for work.

I've been to a general Primary Care doctor recently to get a checkup and to dicuss this constant dry mouth. Everything checked out except that my kidney fuctions were on the low end of acceptable range, mostly caused by a NSAID that an arthrists doctor recommended to manage pain (and it really did nothing to help out) and she left a note to stop taking the medication which I did and also said that the dry mouth was most likely because I was not getting enough water. *sigh* How can drinking 64+ ounces a day not be enough? I already pee enough as it is! lol

I looked online and a dental problem was suggested, but!...I had the rest of my teeth removed in September 2022 and was fitted for dentures. Now the dentures suck and I have yet another appoinment to get them re-lined and adjusted in a week. So a bad tooth isn't it.

I've have increased my water intake with no desired effect taking place and I've also tried the oral mouth wash "Biotene Oral Rinse Mouthwast for Dry Mouth" but it doesn't work very well for me. It just makes my mouth slightly number for an hour or two afterwards while the dry mouth persists.

I've researched the side effects of my medications and while yes my ADD meds Vyvanse and pain medication Tramadol do have dry mouth as a side effect, I've been on it for a longer then when this new symptom came about, so I doubt that its the cause. Which leaves me with the thought of: is it because of the Fibro? Fibromaylagia is to blame for a lot of things...is this a new twist that I'm just going to have to deal with?
Hello 👋 @Blixalyn
I suffer terribly with dry mouth which started way before taking my HRT and Sertraline. I don't drink quite as much water as you but I am well hydrated.
It's a head scratcher for sure. How are your eyes? I find I get dry/blurry vision too.
I was diagnosed with Fibro a couple of years ago. Due to other ongoing symptoms that are not typical of fibro I am awaiting to see the neurologist again. If you are concerned by your symptoms, which you obviously are because you've landed here, then do make an appointment to see your GP.
 
I get dry mouth too but I’m on amitrytiline my teeth have gone so bad lost a lot of them, do you get dry eyes too?
 
I definitely have pretty dry mouth, strongest in the 2nd half of the night, and mine doesn't come from meds, but meds worsened it.
Dry mouth is a symptom that I've actually "regularly" seen mentioned on various forums, but the last time here was over a year ago, by Jemima. She also put it into the context of us often having dry mucous membranes generally. My outside skin as well as my inner skins tend to be very dry (and hurting), so I go a bit further: dryness 'all over' is often called "sicca syndrome". Unfortunately that didn't help find out any root cause. But TCM practitioners like mine will maybe look at dampness being locked up in wrong parts of the body, and not enough where it's needed, as @fibro849 recently explained.

Another connection @seniorzala just pointed out is possible co-morbidities: "Fibromyalgia, Sjogren's & depression: linked?" is a review by Loganathan et al. 2020 on pubmed that names it as one of 6 symptoms that can point to each of these 3. In my case a centre for rare diseases suspected I actually or also have Sjögren's, also cos of fairly dry eyes, but a lip biopsy proved not. But like seniorzala I agree it's good to get checked. Doing a Saxon test was the way they twice showed I had a somewhat dry mouth. I didn't even realize it till then. Minagi et al. 2020 found that the test helps diagnose hyposalivation/xerostomia even if we haven't got Sjögren's Syndrome, and is usually dryer in female and older persons. May make teeth worse, does seem to in my case, so we've stepped up my tooth care. Other reasons might be coeliac disease etc.

I agree that medications are good to check & know about first. But as many seem to cause it, switching might not help much. Also it's often side effect we try to tolerate if the med is otherwise helpful. Amitriptyline first seemed to help a bit, and it was only with 7 other side effects that dry mouth became a reason to stop it. Same with my antihistamine at the moment: It can increase dry mouth, but doesn't seem to be doing so, whilst the stuff is helping me a lot.

So at the end of the day checking co-morbidities and meds may like in my case not change much, so we're left with the workarounds.... (Research also has so far hardly found anything that helps.)
I have to drink a sip every time I get up at night, for mouth and stomach, but of course that increases my urge and helps wake me up again.... I don't take Biotène cos of the sorbitol in it, but GC dry mouth gel helps me a little, also creaming my lips (with aloe vera stuff). Still it can sometimes stick together so tightly at night that there's been a sharp cutting pain trying to get it apart, which wakes me up with a jump, worse than having to go to the toilet. Now I do the opposite: First I pull it together even tighter, collecting saliva, and only then open again. A bit hard to remember at night, so I make a habit of it in the daytime and while dozing.
Drinking in the daytime? I've had to increase my fluid intake from 2x to 3x1 litre cartons of almond milk (plus yogurt and raw veggies) every day cos of my 100 supp pills, plus powders, more since I found more bloods defiencies and my new practitioner's suggestions. 1 litre is 33 oz, so that means 100 oz per day. That increases my urge, but doesn't decrease that dryness feeling at all, so for me also no solution.
My mouth feels dry immediately after drinking, or rather even while drinking, regardless of what.
Keeping a sip in my mouth can be OK while it's there, so to not drink even more that and spitting it out might be something I/we could try.
I'm not sure if it's better in the summer than at the moment, but my/our also very chapped lips are better then, cos the cold seems to take more moisture out of them.
I spose we can try all the many bits of advice like the youtube video "What to Do When You Have A Dry Mouth", but I do all of that already.
By the way it does tell us to avoid carbonated beverages.... 😏 as well as alcohol, caffeine, smoke, acidic juices (grapefruit, orange & tomatoes), dry and salty foods.
I don't chew a sugarless gum any more, because the substances aren't good for me.
I don't use a humidifier at night, because dry air is better for stopping my nostrils close up (yep, too much liquid in my nose - is that where it all goes off to? :D - which I explain as an MCAS / histamine / immune system problem...).
True, I could and should remember to brush my teeth more often.... at least for a bit of relief for 1 minute, which is longer than from drinking.
Much easier to moisturize my dry eyes with warming them and then Gua Sha stroking above and below them with a jam lid....

So I can sympathize, empathize, but I'm also just left with accepting and tolerating it as another small discomfort/pain which I don't dwell on, but will continue to look for workarounds for.
If the suggestions of my practitioner do work, I'll be gladly sharing that! No sign of that yet.
 
Yes.
FM-RA-Sjögren's are close friend with each other ,buth also with Lupus. In any case,dry eyes and rapidly decaying teeth can also indicate Sjögren's.
Avoid:alcohol,cigarettes and lot coffee.
Pay close attention to your remaining teeth.
But first ot all ,its an investigation,until then everthing is speculation.......
Keep your head up
senior
 
I meant for Staciee...
but I agree with the above
Senior
 
I did see my GP and she brushed it off saying I'm not drinking enough water.
 
How much water do you drink daily?
 
As @sunkacola said, dry mouth is a common side effect of many meds. In my case, amitriptyline seems to be the culprit. I only experience dry mouth during sleep as I take my amitriptyline at bedtime due to its other side effect of drowsiness (and also as prescribed). What I'm doing now is keeping a ramekin with a little Biotene mouth rinse in it on my nightstand alongside a cup to spit in. When I wake up in the middle of the night, typically one time per night, I swish and gargle the Biotene for 30 seconds and spit into the cup, then back to sleep I go. This method has helped me a lot. When I wake up in the morning, my mouth does not feel nearly as dry as it did prior to using the Biotene during sleeptime.
 
I did see my GP and she brushed it off saying I'm not drinking enough water.
If you are drinking 2 or 3 32oz bottles of water every day then your dry mouth is not caused by lack of water.
Maybe there's a way to test to see if water is being properly assimilated into your body?
I don't think that doctor should have brushed you off.

If you like that doctor anyway, then increase your water consumption and go back to the doctor and tell them how much water you are drinking. They need to be considering other things, like the medications you are taking.
 
Maybe there's a way to test to see if water is being properly assimilated into your body?
I wonder too, but neither urologist or nephrologist could, or have found anything.
After a hunch from an alternative practitioner I did a 24 hour comparison between water and soy milk and found - like it felt - that soy milk was much more effective, water or any tea are so diuretic. Go figure...
The hunch was/is that I'm sort of allergic to pure water inside like I seem to be outside.
But how the soy or now almond milk "wraps up" the water I can't imagine. But it keeps me a little "saner"....
And at least neither urologist nor nephrologist laughed about my input output results, were just astonished.
 
hastimoto's can cause dry mouth and dry eyes - to increase the moisture in your mouth make beliece your sucking a lemon - this usually produces saliva - i suffer from dry eyes from hastimoto first the eye lashes went then it affected the oil grands then started to affect the optic nerve - does not sound as if you have hastimoto but you can get an over the counter replacement for the oil loss and an old aussie bushmans trick is to such a smooth flat river stone (just a small one) to produce saliva
 
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