Description and Possible Medical Problems
The production of sufficient saliva is important to proper digestion. Besides producing enzymes that help to break down food so the body can use it, saliva helps to prevent tooth decay and also makes swallowing easy. Though a decrease in saliva production is more common in adults, an increase—known as sialorrhea—does occasionally occur.
Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is often a side effect of a particular medication. However, an increase in the output of saliva can also result from taking a new drug. Bethanechol chloride, which you may be taking if you have a urinary retention problem, and neostigmine, a medication that alleviates the symptoms of myasthenia gravis, a neurological disease that results in a loss of muscular control, can also cause your glands to produce more saliva than usual.
Sialorrhea is virtually always reversible when your doctor switches your medication. If your doctor does not want to change yout medication, I recommend that you take the antihistamine Benadryl in pill or capsule form twice daily. Seldane is another antihistamine that will also help to dry your mouth, but it doesn’t cause drowsiness like Benadryl does; I suggest you take Seldane once or twice a day. It’s also important to know that increased salivation can be a sign of the progression of Parkinson’s disease, a result of the muscles of the throat becoming lax and hard to control.
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