# Help and Advice > Related Illness/medication/alternatives >  Venlafaxine and sore mouth

## Pen

I have been taking venlafaxine for about 4 years now. For the first few years I had very few side effects but about two years ago I started developing a sore mouth.My GP at first thought it was thrush and treated it as such but it did not go away and then she decided that it was a side effect of my medication, that my mouth was getting too dry and ulcers were forming.
This has gone on now ever since and sometimes it gets so bad that the pain makes me want to cry and certainly stops me wanting to eat anything. Some foods I have to avoid completely, I cant eat anything with chilli in it (even the slightest hint of it and its like eating razor blades) and black pepper and baking powder I have to avoid, as well as alcohol. I have to carefully check the ingredients in anything I have to make sure it is suitably bland and even then I may have a problem (last night half a bounty bar had me in agony).
I wake up at night with a dry mouth and have a dry mouth spray that will relieve it but I have to brace myself to use it as it will sting to use it. I also have a ready supply of sugar free menthol sweets that I suck to help relieve the discomfort as well as keep my mouth moist during the day.

Does anyone else have this problem? I am thinking of asking the doc to take me off all anti depressants as I dont think I can carry on like this much longer but if I am alone in this side effect maybe its something else?

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## Paula

I get a very dry mouth with venlafaxine. I do get soreness but that's down to my inhaler (which has a high amount of steroids in it) and is controllable if I gargle. If it's that bad please go back to your dr. You shouldn't have to cope with that

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## rose

Hi Pen, I take Venlafaxine and thankfully haven't had this problem.
Perhaps you could ask to decrease a little bit and see if the problem gets a bit better, if it does you know its the medication and if it doesn't then it might be something else?
Good luck  :(bear):

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## Pen

Thanks rose. The pdoc did that last year but did not seem to make a difference.

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## rose

What else could be causing it, do you have an inhaler like Paula does?
I get mouth ulcers and it always happens when I am run down or under lots of stress. Could it be that?

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## Pen

No dont use an inhaler. It has been like this for years so i dont think it is because i am run down.

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## Suzi

If reducing it didn't make it any better then are you sure that's what it is? I definitely agree, go back to your dr and ask for help.

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## Pen

Dont think that going to see my gp will help. My previous one was stumped as to what it could be and I dont suppose my current one will be much better. I also think that he will say "well you have put up with it for several years so why complain now?"

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## rose

I don't think anyone knows what causes mouth ulcers. Presumably you have tried bonjela? There is an adult version too.

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## Paula

Different Drs see things differently so you never know, lovely. You shouldn't have to put up with this  :(bear):

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## Pen

Its not ulcers as such. On my tongue it comes as white patches. Not like a discharge more like the pink skin of my tongue turning white. In my mouth it comes as sore patches, sometimes pimples that come and go within a few hours often depending on what I eat. This morning it felt like a raised line across the roof of my mouth.

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## rose

That sounds more like it could be an allergy to something maybe?

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## Pen

Hmmm... possibly food, as most things I eat seem to cause a problem. I have considered stopping but then my tummy starts to rumble!  :(nod):

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## Pen

Deep sigh... Just tried to book an appointment online. The earliest appointment I can get is the 20th May at 7:10 in the morning. The system appears to show that my GP only works up to 8:30am on any date....

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## Paula

Is it worth calling them?

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