Opioids Opioids and dry mouth

[HaZeX]

Recently I have been getting very bad cotton mouth. It always happens after I snort Oxymorphone (old formula) and can last for 5hours. Granted my nose does get clogged causing me to breathe from my mouth but it even happens if my nose is clear.

I always need have something to drink next to me, take a sip of fluid then 5 minutes is like the desert in my mouth.

Does anyone else experience this? I tried searching but there were multiple threads on this topic from weed users, which obviously doesn't apply.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Well - I get dry mouth from oxycodone. I think it's a common side effect to all opiates - I get it on all others too. Luckily it's not very intense for me and very manageable in comparison to cannabis cotton mouth.

Is yours particularly bad?

 

[Phat5o]

i'm pretty sure dry mouth can and will mess your teeth up. keep some ice around to suck on or something

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I get it more from cannabis, but it can happen on many drugs. Stay hydrated. I always have a liter of water next to me.

 

[Jabberwocky]

With opiates and cannabis it's not a hydration problem - you salivary glands simply produce less saliva due to the drugs effect on your body. It's such a pain in the arse - I really have no idea how to combat the problem, no matter how much you drink you'll still have a dry mouth. The best relief I've found is simply sipping on cold water slowly and in small sips. Sour skittles also really help - any sort of sour candy as it stimulates your salivary glands.

 

[HaZeX]

Well - I get dry mouth from oxycodone. I think it's a common side effect to all opiates - I get it on all others too. Luckily it's not very intense for me and very manageable in comparison to cannabis cotton mouth.

Is yours particularly bad?

I would say yea it is, it feels just like cotton mouth from cannabis, but a tad different. Its hard to describe. ROA doesnt matter, I only take my OxyM nasally, but it happens with Oxycodone also, orally or nasally. Im starting to think it could be dose dependent, but im not sure.

i'm pretty sure dry mouth can and will mess your teeth up. keep some ice around to suck on or something

Thats what im worried about, ive only ever had 1 cavity in my life and pride my self on my oral care. I keep around water but its also a big problem when i finally go to sleep. I wake up and inside my mouth is desert like conditions.

I get it more from cannabis, but it can happen on many drugs. Stay hydrated. I always have a liter of water next to me.

I stay very well hydrated, i drink about 9-12 bottles of water a day, plus whatever else I might drink; milk..etc. so I know it cant be due to hydration.

With opiates and cannabis it's not a hydration problem - you salivary glands simply produce less saliva due to the drugs effect on your body. It's such a pain in the arse - I really have no idea how to combat the problem, no matter how much you drink you'll still have a dry mouth. The best relief I've found is simply sipping on cold water slowly and in small sips. Sour skittles also really help - any sort of sour candy as it stimulates your salivary glands.

I dont eat candy or sweets, any idea on a healthy alternative. But like I said its also a big problem during my sleep.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Dehydration is a big problem with opiate use.. many other drugs cause the same side effect. Especially long term use.. you can become pretty unhealthy and worn out looking solely from being so dehydrated for so long. You need to remember to consciously make the effort to drink a lot of water if you are going to use opiates.. your overall health will be much better.

 

[Jabberwocky]

You could try simple lemon and lime juice. The sourness will stimulate your salivary glands. Rinse it around your mouth (it might taste a bit bad) but it will help the cotton mouth.

As for the night time... You could try a humidifier in your room when you sleep which may help. There are also mosturising mouthwashes available that could be of assistance. If all else fails it may be worth talking to your doctor about salagan or evorax which stimulate the salivary glands.

 

[Captain Brewster]

Here in Australia we get these things called hydralyte. They have salts in them that help rehydrate your body (I think there's magnesium, calcium etc.)

I will take them constantly throughtout opiate use, keeps my mouth moist.

 

[BeachBum4u]

Dehydration is a big problem with opiate use.. many other drugs cause the same side effect. Especially long term use.. you can become pretty unhealthy and worn out looking solely from being so dehydrated for so long. You need to remember to consciously make the effort to drink a lot of water if you are going to use opiates.. your overall health will be much better.

You are absolutely correct! I've been a chronic pain patient for almost 30 years and have been on most of the commonly Rx'd pain meds. I can tell you first-hand that my Rx for 15mg Oxycodone pills (worse as winter approaches) make my mouth dry, my lips crack and major constipation. And like another poster pointed out, I NEVER leave home without a bottle of soda or water.

Now I don't know if it's having a dry mouth all of the time or something more internal but I do know with certainty that with extended opiate usage, dental problems will follow. I generally take care of my teeth and I can now only chew on one side of my mouth because I don't have most of my back teeth on the other side. To boot, the dentists want to pull anywhere from 1-3 teeth on my good side and I refuse to let them. I am not going to eat my meals from a blender, damn it! I'm sure at some point I'll have no choice but do something major but I honestly feel all of this is due to years of opiate usage. Due to my physical problems, I wouldn't have gotten along too well over the years without the meds, so what do you do? Just my two cents from years of living'.

 

[Eva 33]

I find that all opiates cause some degree of dry mouth. Now that I'm a chronic pain patient, I never leave home without a bottle of water. I really am in too much pain to go anywhere, but I sometimes think----what if I had to fly on an airplane? Security doesn't even let you bring a bottle of water with you anymore! That's a real hardship for CP patients who have to be on opiates all the time.

Usually the dry mouth isn't intense. The one exception is when I tried the Fentanyl patch. The patch caused my mouth to become so dry that I was forced to constantly guzzle water, which led to me having to run to the bathroom very frequently. That side effect was unacceptable to me, so I switched to a different long-acting opiate.

Just know that dry mouth is a very common side effect of opiates. It is very true that people on opiates need to take extra care of their teeth because of dry mouth. So far I've been lucky in that respect.