Recommendations for an alternative to Biotene gel?

Had anyone found a dry mouth gel comparable to Biotene's ORIGINAL formulation? I hate the new one!

Thanks, Jean

Jean, I've been buying the Rite Aid house brand of mouth rinse which (at least for the time being) is very close to the original Biotene formula. You may want to check in on the oral cancer support forum, where there is an ongoing thread about the Biotene debacle and people occasionally write in to share the alternatives they've tried. I don't know if Rite-Aid has a gel but according to someone on the ocs forum they apparently do have a mouth spray that still has the enzymes: http://oralcancersupport.org/forums/ubb ... Post178516.

Thank you! A quick look at that forum makes me grateful to only be worried about something so small!
Good reality check. My dry mouth and I will be fine....:)

Jeannh wrote:Thank you! A quick look at that forum makes me grateful to only be worried about something so small!
Good reality check. My dry mouth and I will be fine....

I had the same reaction Jean.

I've been using Walgreen's house brand of dry mouth rinse and it takes care of my dry mouth.

I'll check out the Walgreens house brand. Maybe they have a gel.

Thanks for posting...good information/alternatives to pass along to patients.

If you look at the Biotene ingredients you'll see the first four ingredients are water, glycerin, xylitol and sorbitol, followed by a few other goodies including parabens The ingredient that keeps your mouth moist is the xylitol which is also the main sweetener in many sugar-free candies. Personally, I try to avoid parabens as much as possible particularly by mouth as the mucus membranes absorb things quickly. There are NO enzymes in the Biotene.

You might consider looking for a candy or a gum (if you can chew gum; I can't) or a sugar-free beverage that has xylitol. If you do an internet search for xylitol, a bunch of products will come up. Also a good way to kill time on a long grocery line - read the ingredients on the sugar free candies and gum - if it's listed, I throw it in the cart.

Good luck

Catlizg wrote:There are NO enzymes in the Biotene.

There used to be. GlaxoSmithKline bought the company that made the original Biotene (Laclede) -- they removed the helpful enzymes and added some not-so-helpful ingredients. GSK cleverly kept the package design (with only "New Improved Ph Balance" in small print) so that people wouldn't notice the change and would keep purchasing the products. Most consumers didn't know about the changes until they started brushing or took a swig of the mouth rinse and were shocked by the awful taste of the toothpaste and the burning sensation of the mouth rinse. This is why the oral cancer support forum terminated their relationship with and endorsement of the Biotene products on their website.

As far as I know they haven't changed the formula here in Australia. If you were willing to pay the stupid postage costs (anything over a couple of pounds is hit with a surcharge by the US government) I could send them.

I will dig out my tube of gel and check the ingredients.

Great offer- thanks!

Chemo can cause or worsen dry mouth, but whatever the cause, shame on GSK for ruining a good thing!

OK ingredients on the box are as follows;

Glycerin, Sorbitol, Aqua/Water, Xylitol, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcelloulose, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylparaben.

The cheapest place I know of in Australia sells the tubes for $10.39 AUD

mgaggie wrote:OK ingredients on the box are as follows;

Glycerin, Sorbitol, Aqua/Water, Xylitol, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcelloulose, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylparaben.

The cheapest place I know of in Australia sells the tubes for $10.39 AUD

Curious -- Does it say "New Improved Ph Balance" anywhere on the container?

kaiasgram wrote: Curious -- Does it say "New Improved Ph Balance" anywhere on the container?

Nope, since you posted your original thread about Biotene I've been carefully checking the packaging.