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

Thank you. Neither Dentist or primary doc have suggest anything. It’s all round gums lower back teeth.

@twastarstream Hi. Did you have a biopsy to confirm you have oral LP? Shame on your dentist. They should have been able to refer you for help. Since my LP is everywhere, including eyes, I have a couple derms and eye specialists I work with. If your dentist won’t prescribe something your Derm should. A prednisone swish a couple times a day until your sores heal. Also they should prescribe a swish and spit which contains lidocaine/antacid and an antihistamine if you can have that. This will make brushing and flossing tolerable. I can’t have antihistamines so mine is formulated without. The doctor will call in the formula to your pharmacy and they’ll mix it special for you. If you only have a couple spots in your mouth they might prescribe a steroid gel or ointment just to dab on the particular spots. You may be lucky as some people just have a one and done occurrence with oral LP. If it becomes chronic your whole way of eating will need to change and you might need to change temporarily to help facilitate healing. During bad outbreaks I have gone months using Glucerna shakes. Most people find a diet without sugar, caffeine, chocolate, salt, spice, crunchy, or anything with edges need to be eliminated as well as carbonation and alcohol. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. I am sorry you have joined this exclusive “club”. It becomes easier to deal with as the years go on.

@twastarstream - ask your doctor or dentist to prescribe Lyderm gel to be rubbed on the affected areas of your mouth. Lyderm is generally for topical use, but can be used off label in the mouth. My mouth cleared up in seven to nine days. Haven’t had to use it since.

Oh my goodness. That sounds so promising. Thank you. I will call my doctor today.

Do you mean OLP has spread to your eyes? This sounds horrifying. I have had OLP for 8 years, seen endless docs with no success.

@jshdma wow. That is a long time with no relief for Oral LP - is it erosive? Meaning having large canker sore type inflammation all over your mouth. If that is the case, has any of your doctors suggested a high dose prednisone taper while beginning to take hydroxychloroquine?
LP comes in many forms with different medical names for each location. I have it almost everywhere. Optic LP is particularly dangerous as you might not have any symptoms that you’re having a flare so you can go blind before it is caught. I was lucky when I first had it in that I had about 5 minutes of total blindness one day and my eyes were in pain. The sores are actually in your eyes so you can’t see them.

Thanks for your message. Although the OLP has been going on for 8 years, I really don't know what is going on now. No sores, no ulcers, hardly pain etc. Main symptom is that my tongue + lips are swollen. This affects my speech. Also there is a constant pain on the sides of my nose. A specialist told me recently "it doesn't look that bad." Internet says nose pain indicates inflammation, but doc denied that. Tried steroid rinse, without success. I don't know what to do.

@twastarstream Members of this group have given you good suggestions. I included the link to the Mayo into on lichen planus because it has more helpful information:

Do you have a university hospital/dental school within a reasonable distance? They may have more familiarity with oral lichen planus and be able to treat you better.
Will you let me know how things go?

@jshdma I know how frustrating it is. My personal opinion is that Oral LP can cause permanent nerve damage. For the past 2 years my lips have felt bloated with numb and pain at the same time even though I was not having an outbreak. I dribble when I drink because I cannot feel my lips so I drink with a straw. I have seen 5 dermatologists and several other doctors and all they do is shrug and say it looks fine to them. I can only hope at some time my lips will return to normal. I hope you find an answer for yourself and wish you weren't going through this.

@bustrbrwn22 What you describe is very similar to my situation. I have also seen n umerous docs, including top specialists. They have little or nothing to offer. But thank you for your comment, and I hope you find some relief.