Dry mouth

A dry mouth is rarely a sign of anything serious. There are things you can do to help ease it yourself. See a GP if these don't work or you also have other symptoms.

Causes of a dry mouth

The main causes of a dry mouth are:

• dehydration – for example, from not drinking enough, sweating a lot or being ill
• medicines – check the leaflet or search for your medicine online to see if dry mouth is a side effect
• breathing through your mouth at night – this can happen if you have a blocked nose or you sleep with your mouth open
• anxiety
• cancer treatment (radiotherapy or chemotherapy)

Sometimes a dry mouth that doesn't go away may be caused by a condition like diabetes or Sjögren's syndrome.

How to help ease a dry mouth yourself

A pharmacist can help if you have a dry mouth

Ask a pharmacist about treatments you can buy to help keep your mouth moist.

You can get:

• gels
• sprays
• tablets or lozenges

Not all products are suitable for everyone. Ask a pharmacist for advice about the best one for you.

If your dry mouth might be caused by a blocked nose, a pharmacist may suggest decongestants to unblock it.

See a GP if:

• your mouth is still dry after trying home or pharmacy treatments for a few weeks
• you have difficulty chewing, swallowing or talking
• your mouth is painful, red or swollen
• you have sore white patches in your mouth
• you think a prescribed medicine might be causing your dry mouth
• you have other symptoms, like needing to pee a lot or dry eyes

They can check what the cause might be and recommend treatment for it.