Tag Archives: Clonazepam

Burning Mouth Fantasies

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canstockphoto67880648-Marisha

(c) Canstock photo/Marisha

A friend asked the other day how I was doing. Was the burning any better? Had they found any cures?

I assured her that all was the same. I am so grateful for the efficacy of Aimovig in controlling my migraines, but it has, as expected, done nothing for Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). The Clonazepam ODT I take twice a day keeps the burning at a level where I can function and only occasionally do I have a flare of a day (or three) where nothing seems to touch the pain level much and staying very hydrated, sleeping and being quiet are the only coping strategies that get me through the day(s).

After we spoke, however, I found myself in a fantasy where I typed the amazing title of a blog post. “Burning Mouth Syndrome Cure is Here!” I was delighted as I daydreamed about a day when we would all descend on our doctors in droves, eager to start the totally fictional therapy that would break us out of the bars of this chronic pain prison. I imagined how gleeful I would be to write that very last post in my “Burning Mouth Journey” as I sent people on to pursue their cure and closed this shop up once and for all. Continue reading →

Eugenol, Nerve Injections, and BMS

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Dental Injection

(c) Can Stock Photo / Nejron

A 2003 literature review article stated researchers were connecting eugenol and other dental pain relievers, nerve injections, and possible damage to the lingual nerve with Burning Mouth Syndrome. Take a look and see what you think, but I have long suspected a link between dental work, oral surgery, and eventual extraction of my front teeth to the resultant burning mouth pain I have suffered for over a decade.

This is not, of course, the only cause possible. There are many people with BMS who have not had dental work done near the time of onset and so other factors must be in play.

When I read this, I looked up eugenol because I had never heard of it. To my surprise, I found it is found in clove oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bay leaf but by far the most common use of it is in dental work. When eugenol is used in dental preparations such as surgical pastes, dental packing, and dental cement, it may cause contact stomatitis (cutaneous lesions) and allergic cheilitis (inflammation of the lips). The allergy can be discovered via a patch test. 

I do not recall ever having an allergy patch test done by any of my dentists or other specialists. If you suspect it might be a culprit in your BMS, it is worth asking about. Continue reading →

Burning Mouth and the Humorous Pain Chart

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A friend shared this image today on her Facebook page.

It caught my eye because as chronic pain sufferers, we get asked about our pain level all of the time by a variety of specialists. Burning Mouth Syndrome is a novelty to some doctors we encounter, and a pain chart helps to accurately convey the level of pain you experience and how it affects or inhibits your daily activities. Often it is a range, and with BMS, this is particularly true because our pain escalates throughout the day unless we find coping strategies or medicine that provides some intervention.

This “improved” version adds a bit of humor to the pain scale (bees, bears and ninjas?), but also makes the point that if you are truly at the top-level of pain (10 is the top!) then you are incapacitated or have been rendered unconscious by the level of pain and medical intervention is required immediately.

I was surprised by the comments that accompanied the image. Some laughed, but others were angry, feeling that the image was mocking their pain. Some even took the scale to task for not having enough numbers, because their pain was “at least an 11 or 12!” Others berated the creator for not including labor, even though that is a pain that only affects one gender.

Pain is affected by many factors, and each person’s tolerance and perception is individual but we must be consistent and coherent when talking about our pain levels with medical professionals. Some of the comments came from people in the medical profession and they gently mocked people who claimed they were experiencing a 10 level of pain but were “casually talking on their phone and eating chips.” Continue reading →

Burning Mouth & Neurologists

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Doctor Appointment for Burning Mouth SyndromeIt’s just about time for my yearly check-up with my Neurologist. I refer to him as #3, since that is how many I have gone through in over 8 years of dealing with Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS).

Yes, you read me correctly…I am now at yearly check-ups. Continue reading →

Gaming the Pain-Burning Mouth Syndrome

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Pensive WomanIf you are here for information about Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) and my journey with it, you are in the right place.

I am continuing the information I shared in “A Pattern of Pain – Burning Mouth Syndrome, so feel free to read that post first if you haven’t already.

I outlined my experience with Klonopin/Clonazepam ODT Dissolving wafers and how much better they seemed to manage my pain. This is still the case, but I wish I could tell you that I was completely out of pain, or better yet, in remission. Neither is true, unfortunately. I have good days and bad days, but fewer bad days than I used to.

A couple of months ago, I became curious about these bad days. They had become more sporadic, but why? What was different on those days that made my usual therapy nearly ineffective? Continue reading →

The Pity Party-Burning Mouth Syndrome

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holohololand
Image courtesy of holohololand/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have been suffering from Burning Mouth Syndrome for nearly six and a half years now.

Every once in a while, what my Neurologist euphemistically refers to as “the persistence of it” overwhelms me and I have a brief, but intense pity party.

Instead of focusing on the optimistic side of the coin:

  • It isn’t fatal
  • At least it isn’t cancer
  • My family is supportive
  • Some drugs help
  • I have developed decent coping strategies

I occasionally dip into the pessimistic side:

  • It hurts nearly every day
  • The drug helps but can me drowsy and aimless
  • There is no rhyme or reason to the good days or the bad days
  • Even on good days, my tongue tingles all of the time
  • I think, deep down, I am angry
  • I fear – It. Will. Never. End.
Continue reading →