Take The "Ow!" Out Yer Mouth! (Adcortyl in Orabase)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Adcortyl in Orabase
Date:	29/10/06 (3653 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Effective pain relief, rapidly speeds up recovery from ulcers

Disadvantages: Feels really odd in your mouth

Quite what God had in mind when he invented mouth ulcers, I’m not entirely sure. From time to time, I find myself plagued by the little critters and anyone else who has ever suffered from them will sympathise with me when I whine about how painful they are. The problem with a mouth ulcer is that, unlike a cut of graze to the exterior part of your skin, it’s very difficult to go about your everyday business without interfering with the ulcer. Just the saliva in your mouth is enough to cause stinging and discomfort, and if you get a really nasty one, you might just as well give up eating for the rest of the month. Mouth ulcers can be symptomatic of many things, and with no medical qualifications of any description, I’m not really going to get into that, but if you are interested in finding out more, there are a wealth of Internet sites to tell you more.

I generally find that I get mouth ulcers for one of two reasons. Firstly, and most commonly, any form of trauma in my mouth will generally result in an ulcer - so if I bite my tongue, or the inside of my cheek it will pretty much always turn into an ulcer. My addiction to crisps is a major problem for me – every mouthful can be like chewing on a mouthful of glass. Secondly, feeling stressed or being generally run-down also seems to cause mouth ulcers. If I have a cold, or a few too many late nights, and I don’t eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables, I am normally punished with an ulcer.

Fear not, however, for this opinion is not without good news. I’ve tried all sorts of over-the-counter products for mouth ulcers, almost entirely without success. Bonjela and Anbesol offer only limited relief, and I quickly find that my mouth seems to build up a resistance to their effects. Last winter, I suffered from a particularly nasty attack of ulcers, and had three on the edge of my tongue, all of which were about the size of a new five pence piece. Ouch. I was unable to eat, drink or even talk properly, and in desperate need of some relief, I turned to my local pharmacist. He suggested that I try a product called Adcortyl, which is available without prescription and costs about £4 for a 5g tube.

The product is contains a medicine called triamcinolone acetonide, which is a coticosteroid. Corticosteroids reduce inflammation and in Adcortyl the active ingredient is suspended in a rather strange paste. The paste it is formulated within is designed specifically to provide a protective layer over the ulcer, to allow the preparation to do its business, without being instantly washed away. It’s actually a very simple product. It doesn’t promise a miracle cure, and still relies on the body’s own immune system to deal with the actual ulcer. The benefit of the product is that it enables the body to do this, without the interference of saliva and by reducing the risk of infection.

I generally find that mouth ulcers are a little bit like cold sores, in that they have two very distinct stages. When a new ulcer is on its way, I notice that the skin inside my mouth is very sensitive to salt or acidic food and that sometimes, the skin is slightly raised or swollen. Over the following day or so, this then tends to manifest itself as a full-blown mouth ulcer. Adcortyl is most effective during the preliminary stages of the ulcer, which means that I always ensure that I have a tube with me, whether at home, in a meeting or away on business. The preparation is particularly effective at night, probably because you aren’t talking, eating or drinking, but it still does some good during the day.

The preparation has a gritty, gel-like consistency that closely resembles powder-based glue. You only need a very small amount, and it is important to ensure that the substance is applied with precision. Always wash and disinfect your fingers thoroughly before application, because your skin will come in direct contact with the ulcer. I also find that a shaving mirror is particularly handy to get the stuff in the right place. You squeeze a small droplet of the gel onto your finger and then using extreme caution, you apply the gel directly to the ulcer, and any area affected by inflammation around it. Adcortyl really is a very curious substance, and when you first use it, it takes some practice to apply it properly. Part of the problem is that as soon as it comes into contact with the moistness of your mouth, it tends to solidify very quickly. So you can easily apply it to the wrong area, and find yourself having to put some more on. If you put too much on your finger, you generally find that the wiping action inside your mouth simply creates a small ball of gel, which drops into your mouth as soon as you take your finger away. I find that the best way to apply it is to roll it between two fingers very gently and then use one of the fingers to apply it to the ulcer.

As soon as you apply the paste, particularly if the ulcer is fully formed, you will instantly experience some pain relief. This is brought about by the anti-inflammatory properties of the preparation and it is therefore particularly nice to apply just before you need some sleep. Once applied, don’t eat or drink anything – make sure you have cleaned your teeth first. Additionally, try not to talk or move your mouth at all, as any movement may disrupt the gel’s position. The paste feels very strange on your skin – it feels rather like glue, as it forms a semi-hard layer and you may feel as though your mouth has been anaesthetised. The preparation gradually dissolves in your mouth and you will find that by the time you wake up, it will have dissolved completely. The preparation has no taste at all really – it contains liquid paraffin and there is a mild chemical taste, but nothing at all unpleasant. When you have applied it with your fingers, you will find that it is q bit difficult to wash off your hands, and I tend to wipe my fingers with a flannel or cloth otherwise it ends up all over the towels.

Adcortyl is not (and nor does it promise to be) a miracle cure, but I have to say that I have been very impressed with the results. If I notice that a mouth ulcer may be coming, by applying this stuff before bed I can honestly say that it has prevented the ulcer forming in the first place. Furthermore, when I have reached the stage that the ulcer is fully formed, the Adcortyl has been a great help in pain relief and speeding up the time taken for the ulcer to disappear. Compared to other substances that are available, this is by far the most effective treatment that you can currently buy. The texture of the substance is quite unusual – but not particularly unpleasant and once you’ve got used to using it, it can be a real godsend. The other bonus is that the size of the tube is so small that you can easily keep some of this in a pocket wherever you are.

In terms of side effects, I've never suffered any. You're not supposed to use it for more than about five days. Corticosteroids can cause problems if they get absorbed into the blood stream, but this seems very unlikely if used only for short periods of time.

If you suffer from regular or occasional mouth ulcers, I strongly urge you to invest in a tube of this stuff from the chemist. You may find that it is the best £4 you ever spent.

Highly recommended

Summary: The most effective ulcer treatment you'll find in the chemist today