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What Causes A Dry Feeling On Mouth And Tongue?

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Posted on Fri, 27 Feb 2015
Question: What causes your mouth to feel dry? Tongue feels dry and scalloped like dehydration but i drink about 8-10 pints of water a day?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
There are medical conditions that cause this situation

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

I'll present you with some common or not so common conditions that may cause your mouth to feel dry and some basic directions on how to distinguish between them.
First of all, the mouth may feel dry because it is dry! This can be caused by dehydration (loss of water) by increased perspiration (physical activity, fever), drugs (diuretics for example, antihistamines, etc), diseases (diabetes mellitus or insipidus, Sjoegren, etc).
Regarding diabetes mellitus a urine test for glucose or blood glucose measurement may prove whether you've lost water in the urine due to diabetes or not. If this is the case then you should have noticed increased urine production.
Sjoegren's syndrome causes dryness in mucous membranes, particularly in the eyes and in the mouth. Eating dry food might prove difficult without drinking water. A gritty sensation is common.

Food can also cause a sense of dryness. Onions and garlic may make you feel thirsty all the time. Too much caffeine or alcohol may also cause dehydration.

The picture you've uploaded is not very clear because of the reflections but I can't see anything abnormal.

I hope you find my answer helpful!
If you'd like further information, please use your follow-up questions.

Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (18 minutes later)
Okay because i do excercise at night but i dont have dry mouth then. Usually when im drinkin alot of water my tongue feels that way. I do urine alot but thats when im drinking alot of water without doing anything but sitting around the house. Or relaxing . My urine is like clear mostly or little tint of yellow. Even when i wake up in am my urine isnt strong or darker yellow. Just my mouth is dry. Just confusing when i drink 10 bottles of 16oz water and my tongue gets dry. 2 weeks ago i was tested for diseases everything was negative( Gonorrhea , Chlamydia,& Hiv test) all negative. Thats why i was trying to see what other causes can make this happen because the scariest reasons were ruled out.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (7 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Will you upload test results?

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

it could be helpful if you uploaded the test results. I'm not interested in sexual transmitted diseases because they are not supposed to cause this feeling (at least not without any other symptoms). I'll be more interested in your blood glucose levels, a urinalysis showing no glucose at all, if you're using too much coffee (cola drinks and tea contain caffeine too), if you're taking any drugs etc (refer to my first answer). Also please answer my comment about the gritty sensation of dry foods. Do you feel like having sand in your mouth? Do you need water to swallow the food?

I couldn't see whether your tongue is red or white which might mean fungal infection. The second picture which is much more clear, seems normal. Fungal infection may cause a burning sensation or feeling dry.

I'll be waiting for you input.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (15 minutes later)
I dont need water to swallow my food and it doesnt feel like sand in my mouth just feels like i havent drank water in a long time. And i dont have any burning sensation on my tongue at all. The test results were told to me over the phone but i took an in home test to that said negative for Hiv.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (9 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Please exclude the most common diagnoses

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I think you should exclude some common conditions that cause dry mouth like the ones I've mentioned and particularly diabetes which is too common to be overlooked. Checking your urine for glucose and perhaps a blood glucose measurement will prove whether your increased urination is related to the water you drunk or the opposite. When you have diabetes, you loose water in the urine. The higher the blood glucose, the more the lost water. Loosing so much water makes you feel dry and thirsty.

Your response probably excludes sjogren's syndrome (which also causes dryness) but it is still possible. There are blood tests for this condition. Anti-Ro (SS-A) and anti-La (SS-B) are the most commonly used ones.

You haven't mentioned anything about caffeine consumption.

Anyway, I've presented some of the most common causes of your feeling. If the most common organic conditions are excluded then anxiety could be the cause but this diagnosis cannot be established before all else is investigated and ruled out.

I hope I've helped!
I'll be available of course, if you have more questions.

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (7 minutes later)
Thats crazy you brought that up because i suffer from severe anxiety and depression. I was on Prozac about a year and a half ago. There is the pic of the in home test i took.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (8 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
anxiety can cause that indeed

Detailed Answer:
Yes, it's true... anxiety may cause a lot of strange or not so strange symptoms and sometimes mimic other diseases. If you're taking drugs for depression, please be aware that some of them may also cause a feeling of dryness. Prozac is one of them.

I checked the picture. It's definitely negative but I did not expect HIV to present with a dry mouth anyway.

The best thing to do, is to visit your doctor, who can examine your mouth and prescribe tests to rule out organic conditions and if everything is OK, then managing your anxiety should be your target.

Kind Regards!
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
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Answered by
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Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 3809 Questions

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What Causes A Dry Feeling On Mouth And Tongue?

Brief Answer: There are medical conditions that cause this situation Detailed Answer: Hello, I'll present you with some common or not so common conditions that may cause your mouth to feel dry and some basic directions on how to distinguish between them. First of all, the mouth may feel dry because it is dry! This can be caused by dehydration (loss of water) by increased perspiration (physical activity, fever), drugs (diuretics for example, antihistamines, etc), diseases (diabetes mellitus or insipidus, Sjoegren, etc). Regarding diabetes mellitus a urine test for glucose or blood glucose measurement may prove whether you've lost water in the urine due to diabetes or not. If this is the case then you should have noticed increased urine production. Sjoegren's syndrome causes dryness in mucous membranes, particularly in the eyes and in the mouth. Eating dry food might prove difficult without drinking water. A gritty sensation is common. Food can also cause a sense of dryness. Onions and garlic may make you feel thirsty all the time. Too much caffeine or alcohol may also cause dehydration. The picture you've uploaded is not very clear because of the reflections but I can't see anything abnormal. I hope you find my answer helpful! If you'd like further information, please use your follow-up questions. Kind Regards!