Johns Hopkins experts provide eight practical tips to help you reduce medication-related dry mouth.
Dry mouth is a common side effect of many psychiatric medications. Dry mouth occurs when a drug blocks the receptor sites of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which controls saliva production. There are several simple, helpful remedies to help you relieve dry mouth:
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Take frequent sips of water or sugar-free drinks throughout the day.
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Avoid coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol, as they are diuretics leading to dehydration.
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Have water available at your bedside to avoid dry mouth during the night.
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Drink frequently during all meals.
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Carry sugar-free hard candies, mints, or chewing gum (sugar-containing remedies increase the risk for dental cavities).
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Try to avoid spicy, salty, and acidic foods, as well as tobacco.
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Some patients find it soothing to use a humidifier, particularly through the night.
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Under your physician’s guidance, a minimal decrease in medication dosage, or dividing the dose into a twice-daily regimen, may help diminish many side effects, including dry mouth.
If these remedies do not help relieve dry mouth, your doctor may prescribe the medication Salagen (pilocarpine in 1% solution) as a mouthwash to use three times daily. Salagen is a cholinergic agonist, which means it has a strong affinity for the acetylcholine receptor sites that many psychiatric medications block. Cholinergic agonists increase the flow of saliva, thereby helping to counteract dry mouth.
Another medication often prescribed for dry mouth is bethanechol tablets, 10–30 mg once or twice daily. Bethanechol is sold under the brand names Duvoid, Urabeth, and Urecholine. Like Salagen, it is a cholinergic agonist, so it stimulates saliva production.
Because dry mouth increases the risk for dental cavities, it is important to be particularly vigilant about dental hygiene if you are troubled by this medication side effect. Dentists recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day (and immediately after eating sticky, sugary foods), using dental floss after every meal, and using toothpaste that contains fluoride.
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