I’m taking these allergy pills - it’s a pack with two pills a day, and the night ones are different from the morning ones. It’s the night ones, I believe, that are giving me an awful dry mouth all day (and night) long. I want to give the pills a good long trial, so I don’t want to ask for an alternative just yet. I can do without the night pill but I doubt I’m supposed to.
Any suggestions? Does anything work besides drinking a ton of water and having to pee every three exits?
We have a friend who had mouth cancer and had a salivary gland removed during the surgery. He drinks a ton of water, but also drinks a kind of “artificial saliva” akin to “artificial tears.” Ask a pharmacist. He says it just tastes like water, but keeps the mucous membranes from drying out.
There is a toothpaste, Biotene, designed to help with dry mouth.
Does it have any foaming agents in it? I use weird-ass natural toothpastes because I get a lot fewer canker sores without the sodium laurel sulphate and such. (I used to use Rembrandt but the whitening stuff was hard on my mouth, according to my dentist. So now my toothpaste is tea tree and cinnamon. Takes some getting used to.)
They also make a rinse, which my dentist says works better. He says the INSTANT I start to get dry mouth, to start using it. Dry mouth can lead to more cavities.
Do you drink alcohol? If so, you might try cutting that out. But the SDMB is not your doctor: if you’re getting unpleasant side-effects, go see your doctor.
Ahh - AlleRx tablets. I know them well. Lemon drops work pretty well, but nothing beats lots of water. You can dehydrate pretty easy on that medication.
I usually keep a piece of sugar-free gum tucked away in my mouth and chew on it discretely. I’m on a bicycle a lot and the gum really helps dry mouth - especially in hot weather.
The usual advice for dealing with dry mouth is sugar free gum, sugarless hard candies, and small frequent sips of water or ice chips. Please, do speak to you doctor about the side effects before altering the med schedule.
There is also a spray version of artificial saliva (“salivart,” I think) that we singers sometimes bust out to combat dry mouth backstage, but be warned…it tastes exactly like having someone spit copiously in your mouth. If you can handle that unpleasant sensation, it works splendidly.
~fig
I get dry mouth from a few of my meds. I just drink a lot of water, which is good for me anyway. If you stay hydrated in general, it helps. When I’m out, I always carry Tic Tacs.
No, in fact biotene is one of the few SLS free toothpastes out there, I use it for that reason. Thy also make gum and mouthwash. The gum is very good for occ dry mouth.
I picked up the toothpaste and the mouthwash today. Hey, maybe the toothpaste will beat the tea tree and cinnamon. 
I used to chew Gatorgum; it’s made by Gatorade, and it definitely stimulates salivation. I don’t know if they still make it. Look at sporting goods stores.