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Kate (Newport, Ri) on 12/03/2009
5 out of 5 stars

Hi, I was in graduate school, managing to eat healthy mostly vegetarian home cooked food - but not sleeping enough and extremely stressed and drinking coffee - when my tongue started to burn. In a couple of days it got so bad that it became insanely distracting and spread to my gums and lips. Eating (especially acidic foods) became unbearably uncomfortable. My tongue looked normal and I felt fine - just the usual stressed and tired. I was desperate for a solution and went to a great country doctor near my school. He explained that the cause of Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is hard to determine and it can come and go for years. One theory, he said, was B vitamin or iron deficiency. He asked if I ate red meat and told me to go eat dark green leafy vegetables like kale and chard and red meat 2x a day for three days and see what happens. If no change, I'd go back for some tests. In two days of eating beef and kale the burning was gone. I realized that the stress was causing my digestive system to just not work very well; I wasn't absorbing the vitamins I needed from my food or from the B complex supplement I had been taking. B vitamin supplements don't work, your stressed out system just flushes them out. Whole foods, a healthy digestive system, and calming down a bit are key. This is not the cause/solution for all BMS cases but it is a good start in your self-diagnosis to rule out the possibility of vitamin/mineral deficiency. If you have BMS, you have my sympathy! And I hope you find some relief soon.
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Replied By Burnettcj (Cathedral City, Ca) on 05/09/2010

do u still have BMS?
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Replied By Patricia (Vancouver) on 09/10/2015

I have suffered from BMS now for ten years and find that after trying all the natural remedies posted online, the only thing that helps me is clonazepam. While I hate taking this drug it is better than suffering the pain of BMS. Unfortunately the body gets used to it after a certain time and you have to keep increasing the dose.

I also tried the ALA treatment which seemed to help initially but then the BMS came back again, so I went back to the clonazepam. The down side is the drug is highly addictive and the side effects when coming of it are horrendous, which I found out when I stopped using it while trying the ALA treatment. Much as I hate taking this drug it is better than suffering the BMS, I understand how this disease can drive people to suicide. Only people suffering from BMS can understand how bad it can get.

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Replied By Leslie (NY) on 08/13/2026

You can try .5mg clonazapam topically. Instead of swallowing it. Let the tablet dissolve in your mouth for 3-5 min and then spit it out (swish and spit). It works directly on oral nerves. And since its not swallowed I have not been addicted. Regular tablets dissolve with your saliva but they also come in ODT (orally dissolvable tablets) which dissolve easier that your doctor can prescribe.
I use only when needed. Products with zylitol are often helpful for me to increase saliva. I chew Pur gum and use xylimelts.

Replied By Anon (Us) on 09/11/2015

A hair analysis may pin point the mineral that is out of balance.
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Replied By Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 09/11/2015

Hello Patricia;

Re; burning mouth syndrome

If you google "burning mouth syndrome virus caused" you will get five or six articles on HSV-I being the cause. And I believe that colloidal silver can kill viruses. I'd at least take this to your MD and see what harm it would do to swish out mouth three times daily with CS...and gargle with it. If me, I'd do a complete irrigation...that is sinus and ears as well as holding in mouth for thirty seconds and spitting out. I'd try that for a few days to see if I got any relief. Just an educated guess based on the articles under the google search.

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Replied By Dave (Los Angeles) on 11/11/2015

After one year of suffering from BMS, I was prescribed Clonazepam. It started helping within a few hours, and I've been taking it once a day (late evening before going to bed) for about 1 year. I don't suffer any side effects and the mouth pain is reduced about 80% from where it was when I started. And the pain seems to slowly be diminishing. It was quite bad at first.

Clonazepam is pretty cheap, but requires a prescription. My doctor has also asked me to replace coffee with green tea and avoid carbonated beverages. Also, no alcohol based mouthwash. The symptoms seem to be slowly going away, but there's still a bit of discomfort at all times. It's tolerable and sometimes I don't even notice it. Quite a bit better than two years ago when it started. Better in the morning, hurts more in the afternoon, and better in the late evening.

My doctor described BMS as a little bit like tinnitus (ringing of the ears), where there really isn't a ringing sound, but the brain thinks there is, and the Clonazepam stops the brain from thinking that there is burning in the mouth. So far, we have had to change the dosage and it's working for me. Plus, the stuff helps me sleep better at night.

That's my experience. Dave

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Replied By Violet (Brisbane) on 08/22/2016

Hi Dave, so glad to here that Clonazepam is working for you. I myself have been prescribed this medication for BMS but I was interested to know what dosage you are taking of this drug?
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Replied By Carol Santa Barbara (Port Saint Lucie Fl) on 11/03/2016

Yes I do but, my problems started when I was having dental work done. The technician spilled a solution in my mouth preparing for a veneer application. I had burning and blistering. I have had BMS ever since, and have tried many ways to relieve the discomfort. hopefully, some of the remedies I have been reading about will help.
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