Is is my meds or Sjs that is making everything extra dry

[lesmom]

good afternoon all
I am really having a heck of a time. My eyes and my mouth are back to being so dry that it is driving me nuts. I have horribly dry eyes and use Resatis and Systane during the day. But over the past few days my eyes, my mouth and my skin and become even more dry. I get to where I can't talk because my mouth is so dry. I've been chewing gum and sucking on hard candy, but it's not helped. I've tried a few different types of skin lotion, but my skin is really dry and then I itch and get sores from where I itch- not good. I've just started taking Ultram ER and Nifedipin. I have been on Cymbalta and Gabapentin for over 6 months. I'm just wondering if this is just a flare up, or if the meds are making things worse? The new meds have helped a lot with my fibromyalgia pain and with my newly diagnosed Raynauds, but I'm not sure if the trade off is worth it.

Any input is greatly appreciated. You all are wonderful!

Leslie

[Chickpea]

Hi Leslie

Sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time.  This could be a flare as everything's got extremely dry at once and it's happened pretty suddenly.  Or it could be the new meds.  Sometimes you have to be a detective to work this stuff out!

Did you have a smooth adjustment to Cymbalta and Gabapentin or did you have side effects?  After 6 months you should have adjusted enough to introduce new meds with no worries, so maybe it's the new meds themselves or together? 

The first thing to do is ask your doctor if these are 'normal' side effects, and how long you should expect them to last.  Then I suppose it's up to you to decide if it's a price worth paying for the help with pain and Raynauds.  Sometimes we have to expect a trade off and only you can know if it's worth it.

Are you also taking a systemic treatment like Plaquenil?  Or steroids for inflammation?  If not then maybe you've reached the point when SjS has to be treated as a whole, rather than symptom by symptom.

There have been some great posts on skin lotions (or 'sin lotions' as I typed first!!).  Wednesday McH even posted some recipes for body butters and lip balms.  I'm sure you could do with something soothing and delicious to calm your skin.

Thinking of you - Chickpea

[lesmom]

Thanks Chickpea.

I did have a fairly smooth adjustment to the Cymbalta and Gabapentin luckily. I did some more reading and I see that the BP med Nifedipin can cause a dry mouth and it might take a bit for that to not be so bad. It didn't however say anything about the eyes...... So I'm not sure if maybe it's a combo of things. I'm not on Plaqunil or any thing like that. I haven't been to the rheumy yet- just piecing things together from my opthamologist and my PCP.
I will certainly look up the recipes for the lotions and lip balms! That sounds wonderful. 

All the best,
Leslie

[Calli66]

Were you getting a benefit from the Restasis before this flare? If not, you might consider stopping use. It can sometimes make your eyes feel very dry and miserable.

Calli