Gum pain

I feel like my gums are so sensitive now. I brush, floss and use non-alcoholic mouthwash, but I keep looking at gums, and now have this irrational fear that they're all going to recede and my teeth will fall out. Sometimes I get a sour taste in my mouth, thinking that valium might be relaxing the LES valve and is making GERD worse. (I do take 40mg of Protonix at night, and am hoping that's enough. Don't want to do more).

  So sorry you are feeling bad.  I am having similar symptoms with my mouth.  I have burning on left side of tongue mostly and sometimes top or other side.  Was having excess salivation first and now in the past week it has mostly been the burning.  I don't know why we have these mouth symptoms, I guess its something in the brain.  I also take Zantac twice a day.  Hopefully this symptom will go away for you.  I am scared also, am going to the dentist next week to make sure there is nothing wrong in my mouth.  Hope today is better and your gums feel better.  Maybe try Sensydne toothpaste, that seems to help with my tongue for a little while anyway.

I developed burning mouth during my withdrawal. It started in tolerance with a metallic taste/perfume taste and blossomed from there. I saw every doctor imaginable and had a myriad of invasive testing. The treatment for Burning Mouth Syndrome when there's no detectable underlying cause?  Klonipen. Yup. That tells me everything I need to know. I think that GABA receptors may have something to do with it. You could try Vitamin B12 (mine was a low from poor eating during withdrawal) and taking that helped. I'm three months out now and symptoms are improved and continue to improve, albeit slowly. I have come to the firm belief that it is benzo related and that healing takes time. Many scoff at how much taking benzos, then not taking them, can do.  I do take Nexium 20 mg per day and it helps a little. When symptoms finally, completely resolve, I'm going to stop that and see how I do. But again, I reiterate, I see vast improvement in myself. It was my most worrisome symptom that drove me nuts and to doctors and countless diagnostic tests.

Needs relief,

 

Did you have the bad taste before you started to taper ?

 

Sorry but asking ths because I've had a bad taste in my mouth before I jumped.....but I still have it..

 

My taste comes from the left side of mouth...it's so bad.....also have burning mouth...but that comes and goes......

 

Think I'll try B12.... Thanks for suggestion......

 

TM

Dear Texas Mama,

 

I did. That is what sent me on the chase for a cause that ultimately led me to decide to stop taking Xanax.  It was a weird, bitter taste in the back of my mouth. I thought it was GERD or ketosis (that dieters get from a low carb diet), but I wasn't eating low carb, just less. I was taking so much antacid with no relief. I've had endoscopy, upper/lower GI, blood work for everything imaginable, saw a neurologist and an ENT, and then back to primary care physician. Then I read somewhere that Xanax could cause it. I didn't quite believe it. The ENT suggested I take dissolve-on-your-tongue klonipen strips, that these are highly effective. Oh boy, that gave me my answer. The cure is often the cause, right? I knew then that I'd either have to take more benzo or quit, and decided to quit through taper. Then symptoms got bad. All other tests were fine,except B12 was a bit low. After shot #3 I noted a significant improvement in symptoms, but still it was there and by then I was in acute withdrawal. Now the sensation is much, much improved and improving each week.

 

If you're going to try B12, see if you can't get your B12 tested first. But B12 doesn't reach toxic levels (but check on that, I think you just clear out excess in urine). Oral B12 should be sublingual tablets as I do believe benzo withdrawal messes with absorption, as do antacids. 

Your story sounds exactly what I'm experiencing....it's a bitter taste..it sometimes almost stings ...I've had this for two years.....it's very hard to cope with......been to so many doctors....but I remember once running out of pills...for six days...had abad taste in mouth with numbness burning...got script filled...it all went away...but after that I noticed teeth issues....when slowly everything went bad...

 

Thanks so much......

 

TM

I think with others complaining about all kinds of mouth and GI issues, it's related to benzos and benzo withdrawal. B12 did help me, but I was low. It didn't take it away, but definitely improvement. But this syndrome is common and eventually goes away, though it could take a while, I'm told.  I wasn't eating well, and benzo withdrawal made that worse, so I may have gotten B12 deficient.

 

I apologize in advance for reminding everyone of this, but I do suffer (with the operative word being suffer) from hypochondriasis (or health anxiety) ... call it what you will, but it can make me very sick with worry and then actually sick, so I ask politely that people please refrain from making comments regarding health, disease, etc. I did offer up my symptoms only to encourage others that symptoms are not abnormal. I usually hesitate doing that, however, because I fear "medical" advice/suggestions or poor health stories. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I don't have the fortitude to hear it. I'm sorry in advance. Trust me, I've seen every A-list doctor there is.  Thank you all for your understanding.

 

 

Also, I'm not entirely convinced that it's not related to GERD, and I think GERD is exacerbated by benzo use and benzo withdrawal. So, anyone taking a PPI or 5HT3 agonist like Zantac probably shouldn't quit. I'm not a doctor so I'm not giving out expert advice. The GI docs says no, but I wouldn't be knocked over by a feather if it turned out that there was some cause/effect. 

Thank you so much Needsrelief......for sharing......

 

Hugs!

Texan

I have problems with burning mouth also.  It started 3 years ago around the time I was given xanax for panic attacks.  It was really bad when I was at my highest dose.  I went to different kinds of docs and was giving different kinds of meds to try.  I started reading and found that xanax could cause this.  However all docs say no.  I also tried the Klonapin which did not help at all.  As I lowered my dosage, it did seem to get better.  I am 4 months off now and it still seams to be improving.  My gums don't hurt as often and I actually have days that I hardly notice it at all.  Thanks for posting, it is nice to see someone that is getting better with this.

 

Monique