Sjogren's Syndrome Support Group

Hi Cherokeesister,

Are you on any med like Salagen or Evoxac for dryness?

No justgothere, i am not on any meds for this dryness, didnt know there were perscriptions for this, my Dr. just put me on a over the counter mouth wash! I will however ask him next month when i see him! Thanks:)

Sometimes drinking a lot of water can make the problem worse by washing away any saliva you DO still make. In addition to Evoxac, I use numoisyn (little tablets you dissolve in your mouth--prescription), chew gum (biotene brand or Spry), and occasionally use the Biotene spray or Oasis spray. When you drink water, drink it in sips, not gulps.

Chamomile tea with a bit of honey was soothing for me. Not hot.

During the daytime I can't seem to quench my thirst so I take very small sips of Gatorade..Polar Ice and the Lemon/lime... there must be something in there my body needs. It is the only thing that helps.

And that is with the Salagen.

I like evoxac, though it is like a flood of saliva for the hour it is most active.

When i was at Costco the other day picking up meds i noticed a box behind the counter fo biotene dry mouth. I have been using the mouth wash but this was a gum, for enzyme system, so i tought what the heck! Well i must say ,it is working vry well. I chewed a piece for about an hour and didnt have dry mouth for about 3 hrs.. so far so good!

This sounds pretty familiar. About ten years ago, or so, I started having problems with needing to clear my throat a lot and a tickle in my throat. I found that drinking any amount of water didn't do a thing for me. For the tickle, I needed something more syrupy, like gum or candy. For the throat clearing, my boss suggested using breath spray, which works, much to my amazement. The underlying problem for both of these issues - for me anyway - is dry sinuses. The breath spray and the gum/candy both do the same thing: they stimulate my saliva and lubricate my sinuses and throat. The breath spray irritates my throat initially, but the end result has been nothing short of amazing. I just have to make sure the spray gets all the way to the back so the part that burns my nose and turns on the water actually gets to my sinuses.

Biotene makes a mouth spray that helps so much. Got it at Walgreens. I have one bottle in my purse, by my bed (spritz before going to sleep to avoid night choking) and one bottle on my desk at work. I spray a few squirts right onto the back of my throat and it stops the choking immediately. My mom had a hacking dry cough due to allergies and it also helped her with the tickle in back of the throat. She loved it and has purchased her own bottle, even though she does not suffer from SJ. She has bad allergies and wears dentures, which dry out her mouth.