POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: YellowFever on January 25, 2013, 01:43:16 am
-
Hi all,
I've been having frequent mouth ulcers (~once a month) and they are quite bothersome to treat (applying Dexamethasone paste onto the would). Left untreated, it usually takes about 10-14 days to clear (which is a pain-in-the-mouth). I'm wondering if anyone has more convenient solutions to this? (Special ingredient to look for in a mouthwash, patches, tablets...?)
-
I had one annoying bugger on the inside of my lower lip, kept reoccurring for some months even after I started meds but then it just stopped and havent come back ever since.
I also had a friend who kept getting these , turns out he was allergic to some foods, cant recall what but anyhow he stopped eating it and voila no more ulcers.
Some sores/ulcers can also be caused by herpes.
-
Hi all,
I've been having frequent mouth ulcers (~once a month) and they are quite bothersome to treat (applying Dexamethasone paste onto the would). Left untreated, it usually takes about 10-14 days to clear (which is a pain-in-the-mouth). I'm wondering if anyone has more convenient solutions to this? (Special ingredient to look for in a mouthwash, patches, tablets...?)
Has a doctor or dentist prescribed this dexamethasone paste or have you been self-prescribing?
If I were you, I'd go to a dentist who is experienced in treating hiv positive patients and get to the bottom of what's going on.
-
If they are canker sore type blisters they are probably caused by herpes type 1 which most people have, and it is most easily cleared up with Valtrex.
-
Self-prescribed. These aren't sores at the edge of the lip but deep inside the inner linings of the mouth. I doubt it is Herpes as my doctor ran tests for co-infections when I first tested poz and I do not have any STDs other than HIV. But yeah, maybe a visit to the dentist is in order. Thanks!
-
Self-prescribed. These aren't sores at the edge of the lip but deep inside the inner linings of the mouth. I doubt it is Herpes as my doctor ran tests for co-infections when I first tested poz and I do not have any STDs other than HIV. But yeah, maybe a visit to the dentist is in order. Thanks!
About 80 percent of people have oral herpes 1 which is not genital herpes. Many people get it casually as children. I used to get those same mouth ulcers under my tongue, on my tongue, on my gums on occasion too. I used to rinse with salt water, and take antacids, and take Tylenol to take away the discomfort. It just had to work it's course and it was really bad sometimes for about a week. Now I take Valtrex only when I feel one coming on and it's gone in a day or two. The doctor even told me I can take it every day to prevent them, but I'd rather just take it when I get an outbreak.
-
If we're talking about the same thing, I get them very frequently. They are always at the back of my throat. They are yellowish-white. They can be bothersome. I often get them more, when I am stressed. I've found gargling with salt water seems to really help. Last time I used too much salt, and I think that's what caused my tongue to feel like I had burned it.
My brother is neg and gets them, too. He actually gets big ones on the side of his tongue.
-
You shouldn't be using dexamethasone for this. :-\
Since it's an imunosupressant.
Try something with hyaluronic acid instead, like Gengigel gel.
-
You shouldn't be using dexamethasone for this. :-\
Since it's an imunosupressant.
Try something with hyaluronic acid instead, like Gengigel gel.
Or better yet, see your doctor or dentist and get a diagnosis and a prescription fitting that diagnosis.
-
A few things to try:
1) switch to a toothpaste without sodium laurel sulfate, which can be an irritant. I use biotene. This alone reduced flair ups by over 90% for me.
2) when you have a flair up, be extra diligent in brushing and flossing.
3) rinse with hydrogen peroxide, with acts as an oral debrider. That can help speed healing slightly (more effective earlier) and it can help relieve the pain.
4) swish/sip plain soda water. The carbonation can help the pain.
5) avoid citrus, pineapple and acidic foods if you feel a flair up starting or if you find it causes them.
I used to get ulcers every few weeks but now maybe 1-2 times a year.
-
A few things to try:
1) switch to a toothpaste without sodium laurel sulfate, which can be an irritant. I use biotene. This alone reduced flair ups by over 90% for me.
2) when you have a flair up, be extra diligent in brushing and flossing.
3) rinse with hydrogen peroxide, with acts as an oral debrider. That can help speed healing slightly (more effective earlier) and it can help relieve the pain.
4) swish/sip plain soda water. The carbonation can help the pain.
5) avoid citrus, pineapple and acidic foods if you feel a flair up starting or if you find it causes them.
I used to get ulcers every few weeks but now maybe 1-2 times a year.
Hi pittman and welcome to the forums . Feel free to introduce yourself and let us know a little bit about you . Welcome again , Jeff .
-
I agree with Pittman in regards to acidic foods, I was getting mouth ulcers a couple of months ago, not sure what caused them, the fact my numbers dropped to 180 or the many home grown tomatoes I was eating, probably a bit of both, I found a mouthwash rinse helped.
Welcome to the forums Pittman, look forward to hearing more from you.
Jan
-
A few things to try:
1) switch to a toothpaste without sodium laurel sulfate, which can be an irritant. I use biotene. This alone reduced flair ups by over 90% for me.
I've read this so many times, yet I haven't switched to a toothpaste not containing it. Perhaps I will finally give it a try, and see if it really helps. But, what about Listerine? I brush at least twice a day, and gargle every time. I've also read mouthwashes can be irritants. But, other articles say Listerine is okay and that it is often ones like Scope that are offenders.
-
My dentist told me any mouth wash product labeled as comparable to Listerine is fine . I didn't think to ask why but that what he told me when I asked about generic mouth wash .
I get those things in my mouth also and mouth wash may burn at first but it sooths the pain really quickly afterwards .
-
My dentist told me any mouth wash product labeled as comparable to Listerine is fine . I didn't think to ask why but that what he told me when I asked about generic mouth wash .
I get those things in my mouth also and mouth wash may burn at first but it sooths the pain really quickly afterwards .
Listerine is what I used, and still do, it really does seem to help keep the mouth ulcers at bay.
Aroha
Jan :-*
-
Hey, YellowFever.
I'm not at all implying that this is your situation, but for anyone reading the thread with a similar-sounding problem, I thought I'd throw this out there. Even if the cause is different, the advice might still be useful.
If you smoke certain drugs (meth, for example), you can get a thing called 'speed bumps' in your mouth, mostly on the tongue. They can make eating - and sometimes even speaking - difficult. Brushing and regular mouthwash habits can be hard to keep up with because of the pain. The best way to get rid of them, of course, is to stop smoking. However, that's not helpful if you already have them. Anecdotally, using a mouth rinse like Biotene or any generic equivalent (CVS has one for about 25% cheaper than the name brand) helps these heal faster - from a week to a few days. If money isn't a problem, you can even get gum with the same ingredients. It's not all that expensive, but it's definitely more per dose than just using the rinse.
Alcohol-based mouthwash is probably not great for other reasons, and anyone, drug user or not, can probably benefit from switching to something like Biotene. I own no stock in the company. ;)