Tag Archives: BMS

The Honeymoon is Over – Burning Mouth Syndrome

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Well, we knew it could happen. The combination of Clonazepam ODT and Cymbalta gave me a good long run, but the tingling has gradually morphed back into my usual burning cycle, and it is time for me to discuss next steps with my Neurologist. Luckily, I have our annual checkup coming up soon.

A higher dosage of Cymbalta?

My magic eight ball says “Doubtful.” I have started getting some minor muscle tremors similar to what I experienced on Effexor XR, and I think a higher dose of Cymbalta would probably make that worse.

Ramp off of Cymbalta?

This sounds like what he may suggest, but I will wait and see.

Is there anything else we can try?

Not that I have heard about, but this is why I go to a Neurologist. He keeps an eye out for me and others who suffer from Burning Mouth, and I am blessed to have such an open-minded and professional advocate.

I will let you all know what I find out at my checkup in early November.

Take care out there, and keep using your coping strategies as holidays approach and stress can increase. Remember, one of the best things you can do for your body and your pain is hydration. Keep that water or other drink handy and stay as comfortable as possible.

I Keep Rolling Along – Burning Mouth Syndrome

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I haven’t posted for a while since there has been no change in my Burning Mouth or the meds I use to control it. The combination of Clonazepam and Cymbalta is still keeping my pain at bay almost all of the time, and I have been focusing on other projects and my overall health.

On another topic…

Weight has been a challenge for me since my teens, and I have yo-yo dieted like many of us with the same disappointing results. Nothing I did, whether exercise, fad diets, cleansing fasts, or anything else, worked long-term. None ever got me precisely where I wanted to be, and the outcome over time was always the same…the weight came back, and I felt like a failure once again.

Over the last year or two, I started hearing about the GLP-1 weight loss drugs. I was over 200 pounds, pre-diabetic, and teetering on the precipice of Type 2 diabetes that eventually destroyed my mother’s kidneys and caused her death last year. It was time to take action, and with the help of my doctor and nurse practitioner, we researched the new options and what would be the safest and most effective for me. I am very blessed. My husband’s insurance is good, and I was not automatically priced out of the market.

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The Journey Continues – Life With Burning Mouth

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The great news? The combination of 1 mg of Clonazepam ODT and 40mg of Duloxetine is still working. I am still experiencing a tingle of the tongue rather than burning, and it has been liberating.

The not-so-great news? I still have Burning Mouth Disorder, and there is no cure or even a definitive diagnostic test on the horizon. In nearly seventeen years of burning, the best we can hope for is remission. Still, the second best is a combination of medicines and coping strategies (Stay hydrated, my friends!) that allow us to function and avoid descending into depression.

We have talked about depression before and what a sneaky and destructive beast it can be. Please stay aware, and if you have people around you who care for you, ask them to be aware if your sleeping, eating, moods, or general behavior change dramatically. Sometimes those around us notice before we do because we are already in the woods.

If you haven’t seen a Neurologist, I encourage it. I find that of all the specialties out there, Neurologists are a bit more likely to have heard of or seen BMS/BMD and also seem more open to trying different therapies. Mine has had my migraines under control for over six years, and the current BMS/BMD therapy has been working for nearly a year now. Fingers crossed, right?

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Is Burning Mouth Over? No.

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Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

I have been keeping all of you in the loop as I have been combining a dosage of Clonazepam ODT with a dose of Cymbalta each day. The good news is that it is continuing to work for my primary BMS/BMD (Burning Mouth Syndrome/Burning Mouth Disorder)

I consistently have some tingling in my tongue, particularly in the front third, but it is just that—a tingle. This combination of medicines has greatly lessened the fierce burning I have dealt with over the past seventeen years (yes, May 2025 will be the 17th anniversary!).

Some may say, “Doesn’t that mean you are cured?”

No. It means I have found a combination of medicines and coping strategies that are allowing me to live a nearly normal life. That is a fabulous thing, but it is not a cure.

If you have read some of this blog, you know what a slog it was to get here and that I do not take it for granted. There have been other medications that helped until they didn’t, and I just hope this is not one of those. However, for us, there is no guarantee.

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Using Clonazepam for Burning Mouth? You Should Know This.

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Clonazepam is also called by the brand name Klonopin and the form I use is the Orally Dissolving Tablets (ODT). A sharp-eyed reader named Susan O’Brien called this alert to my attention. Even though I read the New York Times fairly regularly, I missed this one and received no other alert about it. I hope the same is not true for you!

The NYT article is at F.D.A: Some Clonazepam Pills Recalled Over Incorrect Dosages on the Label.

The article came out just a few days ago, and once I was alerted, I immediately checked my current stock of Clonazepam ODT for any disagreement between what the box said and what the multi-tablet packs inside said.

No problem here. They match perfectly, but as you read through the article, you will see how dangerous it could be if you were taking multiple tablets and it turned out they were larger doses than you thought.

So, please take a moment and do what I did. Check your box against your multi-tablet or blister pack and make sure those dosages match up.

Wishing you all a very Happy Harvest Holiday Season and some wonderful get-togethers with those you love.

Cymbalta and Clonazepam for the Win – Burning Mouth

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The good news: I don’t need a root canal…yet. The endodontist recommended that we wait until after the first of the year and if it is still sensitive to cold and heat or gets infected, we will address it.

The bad news: No flare of pain to deal with. I haven’t had a big flare while on Cymbalta and Clonazepam ODT, so I can’t tell you how well that treatment works for me when the burning gets turned up to 11.

I must say that this combination has given me a combination of pain-free days (I still sometimes tingle) and sleep-filled nights.

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Clonazepam ODT and Cymbalta for Burning Mouth

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Photo by Karolina Grabowska of Pexels

Another month began and I am still getting the best symptom relief I have ever had without annoying side effects.

Clonazepam ODT at 1 mg and Cymbalta at 40 mg once a day is doing the trick for me. I try not to get too excited about it because I have been fighting this dragon for almost seventeen years, and I know things can change, flares can happen, and medicines can simply stop working.

Meanwhile, I am going to enjoy this respite. I am traveling with my family to Maine for a couple of weeks and then to Amsterdam with my husband. He will be working, but I will take long walks, look at beautiful old things, and enjoy the coolness that is sadly lacking in Texas right now.

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Cymbalta and Burning Mouth

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Photo by Tara Winstead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/illustration-of-a-head-and-butterflies-around-the-scalp-and-inside-the-brain-8849272/

As promised, here is an update on my Burning Mouth Journey and the latest thing I am trying.

You may remember my experience with Effexor XR/Venlafaxine and the muscular tic side effects that forced me to abandon it even though it had been very effective at reducing my burn to a tingle.

My primary Doctor suggested that I talk with my Neurologist about compounds similar to Effexor XR but that may have fewer side effects. My Neurologist listened, did some research, and we decided to try Cymbalta/Duloxetine at a very low dose and see if it made a difference. This was in addition to the Klonopin/Clonazepam ODT at .50 to 1 mg daily that I take to control the burning escalation.

I must admit that at 20 mg per day of Cymbalta/Duloxetine, I noticed no change at all. I passed this information back to my Neurologist and he prescribed 30 mg per day.

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Not So Sweet Sixteen with Burning Mouth

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Photo by solod_sha on Pexels.com

Every year in May now, I join Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis, fundraising and supporting my oldest grandson in his fight with CF.

I celebrate Mother’s Day with my family…

And I mark off yet another year of Burning Mouth Syndrome/Disorder. This year marks the sixteenth anniversary and the beginning of the seventeenth year because there is no cure or even a reliable treatment in sight.

Sounds a bit melodramatic, doesn’t it? Believe me, if you felt what we feel every single day, you might slip a bit into the dramatic side yourself!

I have described Burning Mouth Syndrome/Disorder in this blog several times over the years, so I won’t make you read that again, but you can definitely find the definition here in prior posts.

Today I made my yearly pilgrimage to the Neurologist to check in, renew my Aimovig prescription (For migraines – VERY effective), renew my Clonazepam ODT prescription (helps me deal with the daily burn), and to talk about any other options that may have come up in the past year.

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