Oral lichen Planus: What home remedies or medications help you?

@lyndabusd

Hello everyone, my name is wazir and I’m 30 year old. It’s been one year. I have orl lichen planus. Anybody know about this treatment or any good medicine please tell me and please help me how to treat this problem.

Hello, everyone,
I am new to Lichen planus. About a year or so ago, my dentist commented on my gums that they were so red that this must be lichen planus, but he thought it weird that only areas of my gums were "fire engine" red! He said to watch it for a few weeks and call back if still red-I called back and I am not certain the message was relayed to him. I was not in discomfort so I let it go-had never heard of lichen planus, so on with life!
My next dentist appointment, he was alarmed that my gums looked so inflamed and gums recessed. I was sent to a periodontist who cleaned the roots of all my teeth and I am set up to have my teeth cleaned every 3 months alternating between the dentist and periodontist. He did a biopsy which confirmed erosive lichen planus and referred me to a specialist. Now I am alarmed-they were all so empathetic at the periodontist encouraging me that the gum tissue had improved after the root cleaning and I was feeling more positive!
My appointment with the specialist left me numb! He's a dermatologist and dentist. He looked at my mouth and said that it "was a mess"!
"We'll have to treat this aggressively"! So began clobetasol and minocycline daily and I ended up with oral thrush!!! They backed off the clobetasol to every other day. At three months, he was pleased with the results and removed the minocycline and added an "anti-rejection" medicine rinse. He checked and said I also have it vaginally! I am using another cream there.
My tongue often feels like it's been scraped. My husband and I had been going through a rough patch, but had just begun to iron things out and wanted to return to intimacy but the pain is incredible!
I am looking for advice, empathy, a place to share and find answers. I am frightened as this increases the chance of squamous cell carcinoma and I have had two spots removed elsewhere prior to the LP.
Thank you for any help
microgirl

Good morning Maryz,
I am about 6 months into treatment for OLP and vag lp. You have so much experience I wanted to ask you about symptoms. I am doing clobetazol 4x week and a liquid concoction of an anti-rejection medication. Some days my gums look "fine" and then they're flaming. I have had episodes of thrush. I am really frustrated. Before my diagnosis with biopsy, I had no lesions, no burning tongue-my dentist just seemed concerned that my gums were so red. He suspected lp and sent me to a specialist and my world turned upside down. Did you go through any allergy testing? I have some metal fillings-the specialist said, no that's not the cause, but I am considering having those replaced just in case it might make a difference. I am not satisfied treating the symptoms-I would like to know the cause and address that. what are your thoughts?

Did you have an awful taste in your mouth along with sores in checks and mouth? They haven’t been able to decide what is causing my horrid taste for eight weeks now?

Licorice or licorice root acts like steroids in the body but you have to be careful since it can increase blood pressure. I used it in the beginning for several months with great relief. I felt like my cells were getting support since they lacked something. Anyway, licorice was an ingredient in a product called Glutamed by NuMedica. Of course it’s not a prescription but not everything has to be prescribed to work. It is all trial & error since there is not much experience with OLP out there. There’s no real treatment & it’s frustrating to treat. I’ve been dealing with this for 8 years.

After suffering with ELP consistently, my dentist suggested trying some laser treatments on the affected areas of my mouth. Finally SUCCESS! I was shocked at how well this responded when nothing else worked. Might not work for everyone but it has made my mouth feels nearly "normal ". Talk to your dentist and the incredible doctors Mayo.

@fancyrph
Thank you for this idea. I went onto the NuMedica website and it seemed like you have to be a professional to order this. I really appreciate your comment about licorice and will probably order some of that through Starwest Botanicals to see if I can get any relief from using licorice as a rinse, or create a paste with coconut oil and licorice. How were you able to order the Glutamed OTC? Thanks.

I developed Lichen Planus and Sclerosis after my second confirmed Covid infection. (Literally, the second day of illness both areas exploded.) Having no clue, and in the middle of switching to a new doctor, I went from September to end December untreated, and was very bad when diagnosed. I had been experimenting with a full red light blanket for long covid, and my mouth started to heal first. I found a cheap ($30) red light belt on Temu and Amazon rated for red and UV light. I turn that belt into a circle with the velcro...put it at the highest setting for 20 minutes 3x/week, and it has gone into remission. It only comes back slightly when migraines prevent me from remembering to treat it. It also works beautifully on the lichen sclerosis(vaginal). I open the belt and lay it front to back on the closed lid of the toilet. I put a couple of layers of toilet paper on it and straddle the belt on highest setting for 30 minutes 3x/week. I hope this is able to help someone.

@laurelsorensen Wait--how do you use a red light belt for an oral problem like oral lichen planus?