Dry mouth and about to give up

[Emerald Ice]

His everyone...hope all is well with you all. So I’m just going to start at the beginning. It will be a year at the end of this month when I began using my Cpap machine. I’ve been through what feels like a 100 mask and I just can’t find the right one. I don’t what to put the humidifier on or the the heated tubing on. It’s been about three months since I’ve started sleeping with my mouth open. Prior to this I was using dreamwear nasal mask and occasionally the gel pillows. My mouth and nose became so dry I would wake up choking. So it was time for a new mask the Sept and thought I might need a full face mask. I tried the F10 for two weeks and had horrible leaks and still had dry mouth. Even tried the chin strap with it. So I now tri dnthe amara view last night dry mouth was worse than ever. Geez it feels like the Mojave desert in my mouth. Right now my humidifier is set on 5 and heated tubing is set on 1. Water is at max in the chamber. I can’t get anyone with my DME to help. I also did a mask check and it saying no leaks but once I’m asleep and my face relaxes there are leaks. Highest AHI was 14.6 with f10 mask last week. Last night with Amara view AHI was 6. I also have severe insomnia which I take sleep medications for so my doctor insists I wear my mask because of the slow respiration from the meds. I only sleep with the meds about 4 to 5 hrs a night. If I don’t sleep with my Cpap I will sleep 7 hrs but I scared I won’t wake up. I’m exhausted fighting to sleep with med with Cpap machine. If I could just fix one thing at a time I would do it. First and foremost I need moisture the dry mouth is killing me.

If anyone could give me suggestions I would greatly appreciate it so very much.

[MrsRinPDX]

Welcome to the forum Emerald Ice,

Sorry to hear you're having a rough time of it. You are not alone. Dry mouth is usually caused by mouth breathing and sometimes meds, and adjusting the machine humidity won't touch it because the machine humidity is meant to moisturize your nasal passages, not the rush of air escaping through your mouth. So that's why it is ineffective.

I can also attest that the Amara View drove me nuts the first night I wore it, so I understand your frustration there as well.

There are multiple things to try to combat the dry mouth: mouth taping; soft cervical collars and mouth lozenges (Xylimelts). Different folks have different preferences. I haven't tried the last two, but I do have a roll of NexCare Sensitive Skin Tape that I use with my nasal pillows mask. It works well with no sticky residue and you can use it more than once. Just fold over each end so you can remove it quickly. It costs about $6.

[zonker]

welcome to the zoo!

i'm one of those that swear by xylimelts, as mrsrinpdx mentioned. they aren't the cure for the CAUSE of your dry mouth. i'll leave that to smarter folks than me!

what an xylimelt is, is a lozenge that fits between teeth and gum. as the night progresses, it melts and promotes saliva. pop them in right when you are going to bed and it should last you all night.

they can be found in either grocery stores or drug stores. in flagstaff arizona, they are found at cvs.

good luck!

[Grace~~~]

Hi Emerald Ice ~~~

You know what they say about falling off the horse ... "you've just got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and lube up your mouth"... (or something like that?)

I am a fanatic about dry mouth. I'm really concerned that dry mouth will cause all sorts of tooth decay and other issues in addition to just the yucky feeling.

Since I knew I would be on cpap for life I just bought a bunch of things in bulk to get the lowest price. I never intended to create the odd and complicated ritual of mouth lubrication that I have ... but then again it's just a personality flaw of mine and my life id FULL of odd and complicated rituals.

What I can tell you is these things WORK and that my mouth is downright juicy. I could make a rabid dog jealous.

So in addition to drinking lots of water and keeping a no spill thermos of water next to my cpap, and doing all sorts of regular brushing, waterpiking and multiple mouthwashes I use the following:

I bought a TON of biotene lozenges, (lovingly referred to by my most intimate friends as saliva candy). I used to use them all night long, I could unwrap and pop one in without waking up. I'd alternate between the citrus and the berry. However, I recently became afraid of choking on them accidentally and stopped this behavior and so it's taking REAL WORK to get another ritual that works as well. I still use one as I'm "winding down" in the hour before I go to sleep, and I sometimes use them during the day. This is probably because I have like a hundred million of them. They do work GREAT ... but it's probably a bit unsafe to sleep with hard candy in your mouth.

I have replaced the biotene lozenge ritual with TWO xylimelts (one would just be too sane) that I stick up in my gums on either side of my mouth. They glue down and fit outside between your teeth and cheek. I get mine at Walmart but am still looking for bulk pricing.

Before I put the xylimelts in I use Biotene mouth rinse ... just because? Because I bought everything and I have gallons of it. It tastes good and if I do get up to pee in the night I use it again. I take some to swish with before I sit down and spit it out as I flush. All without opening my eyes.

I also have .. and quite LIKE ... Biotene GEL. It's right above my head when I sleep and I squeeze some extra in if I wake up or if I know I am going to be very lazy and sleep late I put some in and go back to sleep.

Emerald Ice of the great state of Louisiana .... There's no reason you have to suffer with dry mouth with all of these products available. I also chew ACT dry mouth gum. Or many gums like even dentine are great for drymouth. (and will lead to more supply closet make out sessions )

Like Zonker said, it's best to find the causes of the drymouth and control the leaks ... but in the meantime you can dust off that mouth and be wet by tonight while you work on those other issues.

Please don't give up and please let us know of your progress. I love love love the name Emerald Ice and look forward to seeing the name pop up here on CPAPTALK with stories of how WELL YOU ARE DOING!

Good Luck
~~~grace

[kteague]

I would think figuring out how much humidity you can tolerate is first. If you're lucky your sinuses will love a lot of humidity. Mine don't. In an attempt to address the maddening dryness, I found I could raise the thumidity a little above passover without getting bad sinus drainage. The snottiness of higher made me have to accept that humidification would not be my only answer. Tried a dry mouth gel that that it turned out I'm sensitive to. The tissue between the gums and lips never fully recovered and still has a sandpaper texture in spots. I know I'm not a mouth breather, but I was plagued with air blowing into my mouth and escaping, for which I taped. The dryness this caused was distressing, waking with everything feeling stuck together. After I learned the trick of keeping my tongue sealed to the roof of my mouth, my dry mouth got better. Have tried to get into the habit of any time I slightly waken to change position to release my tongue and move things around to generate some saliva. Since I'm not waking up glued together, I've resigned myself to a bit of residual dryness. Will be reading this thread to see if there's something else I'd like to try.

[clenchingtobreathe]

, I've resigned myself to a bit of residual dryness. Will be reading this thread to see if there's something else I'd like to try.

There's a great little product that comes in a small spray bottle called "Oasis Moisturizing Mouth Spray." When I wake up terribly dry and have to peel my lips apart (HA!) one little squirt relieves the dryness in my mouth and all the way down my throat in a hurry. Tastes good too. Just make sure you point it in the right direction in the middle of the night! I recommend it to everyone who uses a cushion or a pillow. Might be more difficult for a FFM user.

[Sluggish]

Have you tried the basic foam neck collar from CVS (or wherever)?

Dry mouth is almost always from leaks/mouth breathing.

Do your charts show leaks on the days you wake up with dry mouth?

[Muse-Inc]

...First and foremost I need moisture the dry mouth is killing me...

Sounds like mouth breathing. Xylimelts helps when my nose is completely shut down. I keep in nightstand drawer for those times. Try a hybrid-style mask like mine (click on it in my signature). It is the first hybrid-style FFM and the simpliest IMHO: pillows and covers mouth so no loss of therapy air. I could stop leaks with the Amara View, another hybrid-style. Strangely, in my case, too much humidification increases my congestion and thus mouth breathing -- might try turning down humidification and see if that might help.

[Emerald Ice]

As we say here in Louisiana “ya’ll” Or “you all” are the best. I appreciate the time each of you took to help me with suggestions and things you guys do. So since my post I have what feels like 20 times changed my masks once again. I just can’t do full face. So I’ve gone back to nasal pillow Fisher&Paykel Brevida. I had somewhat better numbers and fit with this one. I just don’t know why I’ve become a mouth breather. So off to CVS to get supplies all of which you all suggested. Keeping fingers crossed that something will work. I will definitely keep ya’ll posted and thanks so much again for the help. Have a great weekend all!!

[ChicagoGranny]

There's a great little product that comes in a small spray bottle called "Oasis Moisturizing Mouth Spray." When I wake up terribly dry and have to peel my lips apart (HA!) one little squirt relieves the dryness in my mouth and all the way down my throat in a hurry. Tastes good too. Just make sure you point it in the right direction in the middle of the night! I recommend it to everyone who uses a cushion or a pillow. Might be more difficult for a FFM user.

That's true, but it is only a temporary treatment. Fall back to sleep and start mouth breathing again - the mouth will get very dry quickly. Xylimelts or a good mouth gel will last all night for many people - preventive instead of treatment after the fact.

[Emerald Ice]

Thank you all for all the helpful info. I appreciate it!

[clenchingtobreathe]

There's a great little product that comes in a small spray bottle called "Oasis Moisturizing Mouth Spray." When I wake up terribly dry and have to peel my lips apart (HA!) one little squirt relieves the dryness in my mouth and all the way down my throat in a hurry. Tastes good too. Just make sure you point it in the right direction in the middle of the night! I recommend it to everyone who uses a cushion or a pillow. Might be more difficult for a FFM user.

That's true, but it is only a temporary treatment. Fall back to sleep and start mouth breathing again - the mouth will get very dry quickly. Xylimelts or a good mouth gel will last all night for many people - preventive instead of treatment after the fact.

Tried 'em.....didn't like 'em.

[nicholasjh1]

Sometimes it has nothing to do with mouth breathing... It could be mouth leak. This was the main reason I got dry mouth... air coming out my mouth during an OSA, or just extra pressure not getting in my throat going up my mouth. If it's this (and even if you mouth breath) taping can help.

[purple22]

Might be easier if you could post your reports so someone knowledgeable could look at what is going on with leaks and such, like Pugsy, or ------.

A machine set to auto, can use a small leak to increase pressure and then a bigger leak.

I had some dry mouth issues that I now think were related to in some ways to GERD, Stomach acid, and a straight pressure machine. Some of the GERD being a thing that was provoked by a cycle of a drippy nose delivering bacteria to my stomach, which churned out stomach acid, that rose up, irritating my nose further, and then when without the mask (with Pressure), i had a bit of something that liked to sit on top of my trachea, and make me cough. Not quite what you describe.

The solution to the dry mouth, as well as improving GERD was a Bi-Level Machine. In fact, I suspect that GERD can often be improved (treated) with a Bi-Level machine, with the right pressure.

Anyway, it seems the dry mouth, in my case was related to stomach acid.

Problem two is that with Medicare as my insurance, one could not (five years ago) get a Bi-Level machine for what is termed --Comfort. One must fail xPAP in some way, or have a special condition.

[ChicagoGranny]

The solution to the dry mouth, as well as improving GERD was a Bi-Level Machine. In fact, I suspect that GERD can often be improved (treated) with a Bi-Level machine, with the right pressure.

Reflux is often caused by untreated obstructive sleep apnea. During the struggle to breath, stomach contents are thrown up the esophagus and sometimes farther. Treat the apnea effectively with any CPAP machine - straight CPAP, APAP, Bi-Level - and the reflux problem might be solved.

Happy that the bi-level machine is working well for you.