hello. i am currently on wellbutrin and lexapro combo and i have really bad dry mouth. i wake up in the middle of the night feeling very thirsty and from the time i wake up til i go to bed i need to be drinking because of the dry feeling in my mouth and throat. i know meds cause dry mouth, but why exactly is that? are the salivary ducts affected or is my whole body actually dehydrated? i drink so much water i actually feel sick at times from drinking too much... but my skin also feels dry and i get headaches... so im worried i could be dehydrated. would that be possible? thanks

There's two sets of nerves that control your organs, "sympathetic" and "parasympathetic". Sympathetic is the fight or flight system: makes you sweat, your heart race, pupils widen and your mouth go dry. Parasympathetic usually does the opposite: makes you salivate, your heat slow down and your stomach + intestines start working.

Bupropion and other stimulant-like drugs can cause increased sympathetic stimulation, and drugs like lexapro can block parasympathetic stimulation. So it's probably not that you are dehydrated, just that the glands are not getting the signal to produce saliva.

Ugh! I hate dry mouth! Of the four(4) medications I take daily, four(4) have dry mouth as a side effect. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if someone's playing a very peculiar prank on me; it feels as if I've been sitting right in front of a fan with my mouth hanging open for several hours. I may never know.

Being the lucky, lucky devil I am, I don't just get dry mouth(parched gullet? The Great Mouth Desert?) at night/in the morning... I get it all day. Walking around with my lips stuck to my teeth is not something I get pleasure from; however, I have found some things to be helpful.

I strongly suggest the Biotene (http://www.biotene.com/index.aspx) line of products. There's toothpastes, mouthwash, mouth sprays, gum, gel, etc., specifically for people experiencing dry mouth. It's slightly pricey, but worth it, in my opinion. Most drug stores(i.e. RiteAid, CVS, Walgreens) and KMart/WalMart carry Biotene products, so it should be easy to find.

Keeping water close at hand, chewing gum, and eating small snacks like an apple or some carrot sticks throughout the day can also be helpful.