SIDE EFFECT WARNING

 WARNING - WARNING - DANGER - DANGER !!  Please, folks, for your own sake, if you encounter any medication for migraines(or anything else for that matter) that gives you DRY MOUTH, read the following:

I was taking Depakote as a preventative for migraines for about eight months.  It didn't work for me, but gave me wicked dry mouth.   I was working retail at the time, so I could drink frequently, only chew gum discretely.  Move ahead eight months, and go to the dentist.  As soon as he looked at my x-rays he asked if I had been on any medication that gave me dry mouth.  "Why yes," I said.  Seems as though when you get dry mouth, a special bacteria forms in your mouth, and over time, will give you cavities just where the teeth touch together.  Thus, I have about 12 or thirteen cavities that now need to be filled, and since my migraines have taken me out of the job market and I have no insurance, the dental work will have to wait.  It's going to cost several thousand dollars to fix.  If my dentist knew right away what caused the problem, you would thing that the medical community might find that information worthy of passing on to its patients.

According to the dentist, who was a great guy, the only way around this condition is to chew a special gum with XYLITOL in it.  It isn't usually found in your local store, but plenty of sources on the internet exist.  I got a whole case last week for $20, so nothing gets worse until I can get these cavities filled.  I only wish someone had given me the head-up when I started that darn worthless Depakote.

Hope this helps somebody.

Leigh Ann

The same thing happened to me. I take several medications that warn about dry mouth as a possible side effect. Elavil (amitriptyline) and Zoloft, which are also commonly prescribed to people with migraines, also warn of dry mouth. I usually buy sugar free hard fruit flavored candies and break them up a bit. I suck on them throughout the day.

But, yes, I did end up with a lot of decay in my mouth. Fortunately I have dental insurance. I had some back teeth that were so decayed that they could not save the teeth. Even with insurance, I had to have 4 pulled and not replaced. I have about 6 root canals and crowns in my mouth. Very expensive.

No one warned me about it. I only knew that my lips stuck to my teeth and my tongue stuck to my mouth when I talked, so I had to do something. I always carry water with me. I can't even go out to get my newspaper without bringing water with me because a neighbor might want to chat.

I still have terrible gum disease. Gingivitis. My dentist suggests gum surgery. I'm not ready to punish my mouth until after my head gets some more relief!

Keep your mouth hydrated!

~~Pegasis

Hey Leigh Ann, and others. I am not telling u that u r incorrect, but I want to tell u something. Besides many other illnesses, I am Epileptic. I took Depakote (3000mgs then up to 5000mgs) for 20 years. I do not have 1 cavity in my mouth. And trust me besides the vicious nausea, I had dry mouth everyday, I drank tons of water and Gatorade. I am no longer taking it for my Epilepsy as I am taking something else for it. But I still take the depakote for my migraines and BiPolar, and I think it is one of the best drugs ever on the market. I hope you all find something that will help your migraines. And Leigh Ann do u have frequent migraines? I ask as I have them daily and all the Neuros I have seen say there is no such thing as that many migraines, but u said u had to quit your job becuse of the migraines. Please let me know. And I really hope u and everyone feels better. There is nothing worse than a headache, let alone a vicious migraine. Take care and God bless each and every one of you.

Be well, and please write back soon (I CARE),
Patti ;~)

Hi Patti,

There is such a thing as daily migraines. I have been diagnosed by both my family doctor and neurologist with Chronic Daily Migraines. The neurologist I see is quoted to be the top neurologist in British Columbia in the treatment of migraine headaches.

The person who told you that daily migraines don't exist is obviously not very well versed in headaches, especially migraines. He / she might want to consider reading some of the medical journals containing studies and research on headaches.

I recently read a book called Heal Your Headache. The 1-2-3 Program. It is written by a neurologist, though I can never remember his name. He speaks about the fact that many doctors mis-label headache patients as whiners, chronic drug seekers, depressed and other horrible names. The challenge is that doctor's don't really know what causes headaches, each person's situation is unique and the medications can make the situation worse.

Doctors often label their headache patients even though the research does not support this. Do you call the doctor everytime you have a headache? I don't usually end up in the doctor's office until I've had a headache for weeks and I'm ready to take drastic measures if someone doesn't do something for me. I take responsibility for my headaches, often too much, feeling guilty when I get them. I live life doing my best to avoid situations, foods and other triggers that cause them.

The author of the book explains that doctors mis-label patients or tell them things don't exist because they don't have an answer. Some doctors suffer from a God Complex and if they can't fix you or explain your problem then they would have to admit they're not God. It's much easier to blame you or tell you it doesn't exist.

Sorry this message is so long. This is a subject that's near and dear to my heart. I get tired of being treated like I'm blowing things out of proportion, I just have a headache. There are good doctors out there and with enough perserverence they can be found. I'm adamant that I'm not going to feel guilty anymore about having headaches.

Good luck!

well i was on medication that caused dry mouth and there is another toothpaste put there that is available almost everywhere and it help reduce the dry mouth it i called biotene anti drymouth tooth paste which is made just for peopl on medication that cause dry mouth
thought you could use the help
dink