Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is a condition where your body doesn’t produce enough saliva to keep your mouth wet. This condition can cause other symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing, a dry throat, and difficulty tasting things.
If your symptoms are severe, you may also experience cracked lips and a burning sensation in your mouth.
A dry mouth can develop due to several reasons that may trigger a decline in the saliva your salivary glands produce. Saliva is essential for your digestive process to help soften food and is a first-line defense of your immune system.
Common causes of a dry mouth include:
Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when you lose more water than you take in and can cause a dry mouth.
This occurs because you do not have enough fluid in your body to keep producing saliva.
Around 20% of your daily intake of fluids comes from water-rich foods like lettuce and leafy green vegetables. While there is no recommended amount of water to consume daily to remain hydrated. It can be beneficial for males to drink at least 13 cups per day, and females need to drink at least 9 cups daily.
Taking certain medications
A range of common medications can cause a dry mouth as a side effect. More than 400 different medications cause your salivary glands to produce less saliva.
Antidepressant medications like tricyclic antidepressants are most likely to cause a dry mouth, reducing saliva production by nearly 60%.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), other common types of medications that can cause a dry mouth and decreased saliva production include:
- antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
- decongestant medications, such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)
- medications to manage high blood pressure, such as captopril (Capoten)
- urinary incontinence medications, such as tolterodine (Detrol)
- antidiarrheal medications, such as Pepto-Bismol
Underlying health conditions
Several health conditions can affect the functioning of your salivary glands and cause a dry mouth, including:
- lymphoma
- stroke
- diabetes
- nerve damage to your head or neck
- hepatitis C
- human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV)
- cystic fibrosis
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Sjögren disease
Cancer treatment
A dry mouth is a mild side effect of various cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and head or neck radiotherapy.
This can develop during the treatment or, over time, years after the therapy has ended. Cancer treatment can cause symptoms of a dry mouth due to the toxicity it exposes your salivary glands to. It can irritate or damage your salivary glands, causing them to produce less or thicker saliva than usual.
The dosage of radiation therapy you undergo directly relates to how much your salivary gland function declines.
Lifestyle factors
If you have a stressful lifestyle or experience regular periods of anxiety, you can have an increased chance of experiencing dry mouth.
Experiencing stress can significantly reduce your salivary flow rate and cause dry mouth. This is a reaction by your nervous system and part of the ‘fight or flight’ response.
Other causes of dry mouth include:
- Smoking: If you regularly smoke tobacco, you are at risk of experiencing dry mouth as your salivary glands get damaged, alongside other health conditions.
- Recreational drugs: As per a 2021 study, over 80% of people who take illegal drugs experience dry mouth. This symptom worsens after 5 years of taking illegal drugs.
- Exercising outdoors in the heat: Frequently undertaking vigorous exercise in the heat can cause dry mouth as your body fluids reach other places, making you sweat.
What can help with dry mouth?
Various ways in which you can manage a dry mouth include:
- frequently sipping water
- avoiding alcohol, if you drink
- avoiding tobacco or smoking, if you smoke
- avoiding caffeine
- stimulating saliva production by chewing gum or eating sugarcane
- avoiding spicy food
Medication options for dry mouth
Treatment for a dry mouth will depend on the cause. For example, if you are experiencing a dry mouth because it is a side effect of a medication you are taking, your doctor will likely reduce the dosage to help relieve your symptoms.
Your doctor can also prescribe common prescription medications, such as pilocarpine (Salagen) and cevimeline (Evoxac), to relieve dry mouth symptoms.
Over-the-counter options include mouth sprays, such as Biotene and Salivea.
If you need help covering the cost of medications, the free Optum Perks Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Follow the links on drug names for savings on that medication, or search for a specific drug here.
