Hello All. There was a thread about burning mouth syndrome. AJ provided a really good link to the Mayo Clinic about the syndrome. I would like to add a few words about some of the problems that lithium can cause and the prior thread has been closed so I have started a new one.
Lithium in itself doesn't cause many oral problems other than dry mouth. However dry mouth can cause a huge range of problems ranging from many extra dental cavities to fungal or bacterial infections(which is one of the things that can cause burning mouth). There are products available from your pharmacist to prevent your mouth from drying out, especially at night. I hate them, but some people don't mind.
The Mayo clinic also has a list of possible home solutions to dry mouth and is in the link at the end of this. You can also get prescription meds to make your body produce more salvia, but I am unsure of the pros and cons of this.
Insufficent water intake can, even if one takes no medications, cause dry mouth all by itself.One common sign of dry mouth is a salty or metallic taste in our mouth. Those of us who take lithium often do not drink enough water and/or drink too many things that act as direutics(coffee, booze etc). Sufficent water intake can be a chronic problem when taking lithium. One last thing. Some mouth washes can actually contribute to dry mouth. Mouth washes contain alcohol may do this. Take Care. paul m
Lithium in itself doesn't cause many oral problems other than dry mouth. However dry mouth can cause a huge range of problems ranging from many extra dental cavities to fungal or bacterial infections(which is one of the things that can cause burning mouth). There are products available from your pharmacist to prevent your mouth from drying out, especially at night. I hate them, but some people don't mind.
The Mayo clinic also has a list of possible home solutions to dry mouth and is in the link at the end of this. You can also get prescription meds to make your body produce more salvia, but I am unsure of the pros and cons of this.
Insufficent water intake can, even if one takes no medications, cause dry mouth all by itself.One common sign of dry mouth is a salty or metallic taste in our mouth. Those of us who take lithium often do not drink enough water and/or drink too many things that act as direutics(coffee, booze etc). Sufficent water intake can be a chronic problem when taking lithium. One last thing. Some mouth washes can actually contribute to dry mouth. Mouth washes contain alcohol may do this. Take Care. paul m
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