dry lips and mouth problems-advice?

[brazen_irish_hussy]

On and off for a little over a month I have been experiencing really strong dry mouth and painfully chapped lips and can''t figure out why, but it is really making me miserable.

I live in Denver, so it is dry, hot and a high altitude, but I have lived here my entire life and never had a problem. Plus, I am inside working all day so I don''t even get much heat.

Most of the online info said it is dehyration, hyperglycemia or a medication side effect. I drink MASIIVE amounts of water and tea, very little salt, no soda and I show no other signs of dehydration. It isn''t hyperglcyemia because I am on the other end of the spectrum, hypoglycemia. I doubt its my medication because I have taking all the same things for 4 years without a problem.

I use A & D on my lips at night and that nasty gel that increases salivia, but that only stops the issues from getting worse.

Any ideas what is causing this? Or any advice for treating it more effectively. My lips are so cracked eating is painful and if I forget my gel my mouth hurts so much, please help.

 

[aprilcait]

That sounds terrible! Poor thing.

This is a shot in the dark, but I remember reading a thread on PS a week or so ago about deviated septums and people who tend to breathe through their mouth instead of their nose. People mentioned that dry lips were a common side effect of "mouth breathing". Have you been breathing through your mouth more than usual, by any chance?

 

[Deelight]

BIH I have no idea what could possibly be causing your problems but my niece used to get horribly dry lips when she was little they were so parched and red and cracked the thing we found that helped her most (I have used it too) was Blistex Lip Ointment http://www.blistex.com.au/lipointment.html.

Even though technically it is a coldsore cream it helps to moisturise your lips and make them supple again, word of warning though it does burn when you apply it the first couple of times but it works fast to fix it . I use this as well without fail and it helps.

I really hope it improves soon.


ETA: I don't know if the US eqivilent product is the same thing

 

[Sabine]

I was going to question whether you had allergies or were breathing through your mouth more for some reason like Aprilcait. Also, when I was having thyroid problems, I was thirsty all the time, and had major dry mouth, although it didn''t really give me chapped lips.

 

[Sabine]

When I woke up this morning, I thought about this thread, because my mouth was overly dry and lips were chapped because my dad had turned the air conditioning off, so I had slept with the ceiling fan on. Different types of heating/cooling tend to try me out at different times of the year too.

 

[SparkleSparkle]

Maybe you''re having an allergic reaction to the A&D? A friend of mine was using Burt''s Bees lip balm and the same thing happened to her - the doctor told her she was allergic to something in the balm. Have you tried vaseline? I''ve been using it for years and it really helps me!

 

[dianne]

Brazen: When I read your post two things came to mind: Diabetes and Sjogren Syndrome.

Hubby is diabetic and, before he was diagnosed, I could not believe the volume of liquids he would drink on a daily basis. I''m not sure dry eyes is a symptom of diabetes but dry mouth is.

I have rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren''s Syndrome can be a side effect of this disease causing dry mouth and dry eyes. I don''t have it but a co-worker does and she always has something to drink in her hand and uses eye drops on a regular basis.

I''m sure you have already done research but here is a list of 13 causes of dry mouth and dry eyes, along with accompanying descriptions. Diabetes and Sjogren''s Syndrome is on the list.


http://symptoms.wrongdiagnosis.com/cosymptoms/dry-eye/dry-mouth-desc-all.htm

I hope you find it''s something really simple, easy to fix and I hope you feel better soon.
Good luck!

 

[Independent Gal]

Blistex is awesome. Another vote for that. There''s some stuff I got in the US called ''Carmex'' or something like that? It''s quite waxy and stays on for hours.

 

[miraclesrule]

You're not pregnant, are you?

Because that causes unbelievably chapped lips and dry mouth.
Diabetics do drink a boatload of water...their bodies just crave it. Definately something to look into.

What changed last month? Have you been able to think of anything that changed about a month ago? New office, new a/c system at work, new cosmetics, new lip stick, new toothpaste, new type of food item...anything? If the cause is not environmental, you will need to be your own investigator to discover a root cause. Otherwise, you're left with treating the symptoms.

If it's environmental, then I would suggest researching for the fastest way to cure them and then focus on preventing it from recurring.

I will see what sort of at home remedies there are for you to do easily. I know that having a humidifier will definately help. Avoid anything on your lips that have phenol in them. Even some lip balms have it and can make you worse.

There is really good organic lip balm that they sell at or near the counter at Borders. It is John Masters. It was inexpensive and that is what I have been using. It works great and doesn't leave that waxy feel that most chapsticks leave. Or that medicinal taste. That is why I don't use Carmex. I can't stand that taste.

I hope you find out what is causing it, because it's clear it' making you miserable. Having chapped lips and dry mouth is no picnic.

 

[oobiecoo]

I''ve noticed that my cuticles and some areas of my face (including lips) get very dry at certain points in my monthly cycle. I assume it has to do with the hormones so you may want to check into that. You may have some sort of imbalance.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Thnak you all for the advice. It is better at the moment, but it comes and goes

Deelight, Indy: I will pick up blistex the next time I go to the store, thank you for the suggestion

Sparkle: I don''t think that''s it because I have been using A & D for years without issue, but next time it comes back, I will be trying blistex, so I will see

Dianne: Its possible that I have Sjogren''s and I will look into that. I am hypoglycemic, so I am actually the opposite of diabetic, but I know that can cause it.

mirclesrule: I''m not pregnant, but if I was dry mouth would be the least of my problems! I haven''t changed anything, but its possible they changed the AC at work and I don''t know about it as it is a large building. Let me know f you find anything.

oobiecoo: This seems to be the one health problem I have that isn''t dictated by my cycle, but a few people mentioned hormone related things, so I will look into it.

 

[princesss]

I am SO glad you asked this. I''ve been having the same problem.

Carmex is lovely, but for something that softens and doesn''t smell terrible, try the Rosebud Salve from Bath and Bodyworks. It''s a CO Bigelow product, and it has really helped. Everything else would burn, but this really soothes my lips and makes me feel better.

 

[mimzy]

this might be a stupid suggestion because you''ve probably already tried it, but keep xylitol gum or hard candies (sugar free, whatever) with you and suck on them throughout the day to increase saliva production.

i know allergies were mentioned, antihistimines can cause dry mouth....

if it persists i would definitely go see your doctor. dry mouth can cause all sorts of problems in your mouth and when swallowing. if you can''t figure out the cause and it doesn''t go away it will probably be necessary to get your hands on some synthetic saliva (some are decent!) but obviously that would be a last resort.

i ditto the blistex recommendation - especially in the pink tub or in the white squeegy tube!

i hope it gets better BIH.