Dry hands, lips, nose and throat

[Jiminni]

Does anybody have any suggestions for the above? I have gotten a humidifier and it has helped but my nose is still bloody/crusty when I blow (sorry). My cuticles and hands are so dry that it actually digusts me to touch certain material as it feels weird with dry hands. I wake up sometimes in the middle of the night with a throat and month with no saliva in it. I wake up coughing violently. What can I do? Anybody have any suggestions? I am on Detrol, Hydroxine, Cardura and sometimes Levsin. I had to stop the levsin as I was getting bloody noses.

[leelee88]

Only thing that helps me is drinking alot of water, If you are taking detrol, well one of its side effects dry mouth.

[SrMaggie]

Drink a lot of water and use eucerin. I think that's the way it's spelled. It is a lotion. Sometimes, I;ve heard of people putting on their hands and then putting light weight gloves on to keep the moisture in.
My feet are also very, very dry. Sometimes so dry that it runs my hose. Of course, I do buy the 50cent kind in the dollar store.

[Trishann]

Susan my feet is very rough too. This all started after taking medicine. The only thing that helps me, I use baby oil and sometimes coconut lotion. Lately I have been using a feet scrapper to scrap off the dead skin and then lotion my feet really good. My feet aren't as soft as they use to be but they are better. The scrapper only cost me .98 cent and I think the coconut lotion is about $5.00. And any kind of baby oil will do.

As far as dry mouth during the day, I chew gum, it keeps the salvia going. I don't like sucking on candy because it is bad for your teeth. During the night, that is hard. I do keep water by my bed. When I need to take a drink, I keep it in my mouth for alittle bit then swallow. You are probably like me, you don't want to drink alot of water at night.

Detrol is really good about dry mouth. I hope this will help you, Trishann

[Jiminni]

Thanks everybody. I drink Deer park water 64 ounces or more a day. I just started for the first time last night Neutrogena sesame body oil to see if that helps. I keep a water bottle by my bed but I only use it if I have too otherwise no sleep for me. I thought the humidifier would make a big deal and it has worked but not like I hoped it would. Thanks all.

[kennedy]

Hi,
I was reading some of the postings on this Sjogren's Syndrome because I was wondering if this is what has been plaguing me. I've had the dry eyes/mouth and cough for a while (always thought it was allergies, guess it still can be) but now I have these little red dry spots on my body, where I am the driest and itchiest. I have the most on my thighs and a couple on my tummy and hands. At first I thought I might have chicken pox!! (I'm 25, a little old for it, huh?) But, I'm ruling that out since I had it pretty good when I was little. Does anyone else experience this??:confused:


Thanx and I hope everyone is having a pain-free day!!
Kennedy

[kadi]

I use the Neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream. I keep a tube of it in my purse, and another one in my desk at work & reapply several times a day & every time I wash my hands. You can also use it on elbows, heels, & lips.

I also use the St.Ive's Collagen lotion & slather huge amounts of it on.

For my hair, which is also dry - I use the Nexxus Color Formula & the Humectress conditioner.

[UCSB]

This time of year many of us start using our forced air heating. This can really dry out the air. I found a few solutions. First, I purchased a high quality space heater for about $100. Mine is a DeLonghi and has an electronic digital display and controls. At night I turn off my main heater and just use this quiet heater in my bedroom. No more forced, dry air and it is quiet. You can set it to any desired temperature. This easy, economical solution was all that I needed to do. Another thing that I find helpful is to just turn down the main heater. This means that it runs less and causes fewer problems.

For the hands, you might try Clean & Smooth liquid soap with moisterizers.

[4kidzmom]

I put lotion on my hands and feet at night then sleep in socks and gloves (it does help)....also keep a water bottle by the bed for a swig if needed, but try not to drink too much water during the night.....I already struggle with frequency so I don't want that to increase too much. My lips stay very dry and I recently found a product that I really like, it is called Aqua Fina lip oil, it is not sticky like alot of lip products. This time of year with the dry heat on at work and home it is definitely an issue.

[ICNDonna]

You might try a plain saline nasal spray to help keep your nasal passages moist. This is the time of year when our houses tend to be dry because we are using heating systems.

Donna

[pingpong]

I've always had dry skin, and my heels can dry out so much they crack and really hurt. I put on a heavy-duty moisturizer at night and wear socks to keep the cream on my skin and away from my sheets. Another trick is to apply baby oil to your skin after your bath or shower, before you've dried off. Then just rub it into your skin while you're drying off. Just make sure you don't drip the stuff on the floor, since it's slippery!

As far as the dry mouth is concerned, there is a special toothpaste for this problem - I can't remember if it's available OTC, but your dentist could tell you. Dry mouth is really bad for the teeth, so your dentist is a great source of information about this problem. For the thirst at night, there is some stuff (I can't remember what it's called) that you put on your tongue to moisten your mouth. It's sort of "artificial saliva" (gross, I know!) that would keep your mouth moist without making you go to the bathroom all night long. I believe this stuff is OTC.

[SandyRN]

The detrol la might be the culprit, along with the weather changes, etc. When I took it my tongue would literally stick to the roof of my mouth. Now it gets like that from the atropine in my b&o suppositories. We just can't win for losing, huh? :)

[Jiminni]

Is there an alternative to Detrol LA? I am switching gears to money wise. I hear they have the patent for another 8 years of so. I don't think I will make it at a $100.00 per 30 pills.

[Trishann]

I think there is a medicine beside Detrol. The only problem with it you take it two or three times a day, which that was a problem for me.

You can call a pharmacy and they can tell you the name of it. Sorry it was awhile back and I forgot the name of it.

Hope you can find something cheaper that you can afford. The prices of RX is outrageous.

Hugs, Trishann

[~*~Christine~*~]

Have you been tested for Sjogren's Syndrome? Because a lot of what you're describing with the dry throat, nose and skin sounds like it since your glands are not producing enough natural moisturizers

For your nose, you can try using extra-virgin-olive-oil. Just rub a bit inside, I do this when it gets crusty and works like a charm

The best moisturizer I cam across is at The Body Shop, it's a cream made from hemp and you don't need to keep applying since it works that well

Maybe try adding Flax Seed to your diet, either fresh flax seed or the capsules in the vitamin section, since they help produce moisture in the body

[Jiminni]

Have you been tested for Sjogren's Syndrome? Because a lot of what you're describing with the dry throat, nose and skin sounds like it since your glands are not producing enough natural moisturizers

For your nose, you can try using extra-virgin-olive-oil. Just rub a bit inside, I do this when it gets crusty and works like a charm

The best moisturizer I cam across is at The Body Shop, it's a cream made from hemp and you don't need to keep applying since it works that well

Maybe try adding Flax Seed to your diet, either fresh flax seed or the capsules in the vitamin section, since they help produce moisture in the body

No I haven't been tested for Sjogren's. I have only had these symptoms since I have started the meds. If I add Levsin it gets worse. I think I am going to talk to my doctor on changing the med mix somehow to feel better.

Thanks for the Body shop suggestion. I don't normally get there but I am going to now.

[jen48446]

I used to have an issue with dry skin, and eyes. Since I got regulated on the birth control I've been able to stop using Thera Tears morning & night & using Refresh Pm eye ointment @ night as well. For me I believe it was hormonally linked.

[Julie B]

Donna already suggested the saline solution....Also, we have a humidifier on our furnace, so we haven't really had to worry so much. But I have been having some voice problems lately so the doctor wanted me to get a humidifier for the bedroom and keep it at the highest level. My husband thinks we are going to get a bunch of mold, but it is only at night, or when I am in the room. It has worked WONDERS.

I also use Allergan's Liquigel in my eyes each morning before I put my contacts in and at night after I take them out. The soothing effect lasts a long time. You can even get a thicker gel for the eyes that you put in at night (OTC, I am not sure of the name).

Hope that helps!

[jen48446]

One thing you can do for your hands & lips is exfoliate (scrub) them, if you get the dead skin off then your moisturizer can do it's job better. You can find hand exfoliators pretty much anywhere. For the lips, Mary Kay & Beauticontrol have lip masks, I use mary kay's & have for years. It sure makes a difference! You won't want to use something like a exfoliating towel or exfoliating gloves on your lips, those will be alright to use on your hands or body though.

[jen48446]

If it's the inside of your nose then I remembered 2 more products that helped me. Ayr saline nasal gel (it's gross but it helps a LOT!), and Nasal Comfort Moisture therapy nasal spray. I'll give you the manufacturer & phone number if you e-mail me since I can't post it on the boards due to the advertising guidelines. I got it @ the Meijer grocery store though, it's the only place I've seen it but I'm sure if you contact the manufacturer you can get a listing of stores in your area that carry it. Living in Michigan I sure can relate to these issues, with it being arctically cold & extremely dry in the winter it's hard to keep our insides & our skin hydrated, it can get very frustrating
:cussing: :cat:

[humpieumpumkin]

I get what I call "lizzard skin" during the winter and Detrol LA made it about 5 times worse. Good old petroleum jelly is the best I have ever tried and great for sensitive skin. For the eyes try a tear replacement-Visine makes a great one. For the dry mouth, there is a special mouth wash called Oasis. This also comes as a Saliva replacement. I agree with everone else there could be something else going on here. These treatments may only "mask" your symptoms. Good Luck:smile tee

[Berkshire Road]

Vitamin E is a godsend for dry skin, taken orally and/or applied topically. It can actually help you from the inside out.

BTW, I learned this bc. my vet prescribed it for my dogs :) It made a huge difference for their dry winter skin, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try myself. Now my husband and daughter are converts too.

Vitamin E extract to rub on skin can be insanely expensive. You can buy a bottle of safflower oil in the grocery store and it's basically the exact same thing!

I don't know about dry mouth. I have it too, and the only thing that helps is drinking water. Sigh. A friend of mine swears by sugar-free hard candies.