Suggest Treatment For Painful Gums While Undergoing Chemotherapy

Posted on Thu, 18 Aug 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 Answered on

Wed, 7 Sep 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : My Dad is going through chemotherapy.right now and his gums are so painful,,is there anything he can use to numb the pain? ex:Anbesol? He doesn't see his Doctor until Monday and this is horrible..he is 88 years old and on radiation also.

Answered by Dr. Indranil Ghosh (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
yes some relievers are required

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for your query.

This situation is quite common in cancer treatment. Can be really painful. He requires something to numb the pain. Anbesol can be tried. Other alternatives including benzydamine preparations are also useful. If these are not sufficient, then oral pain relievers can be used. Among OTC drugs, paracetamol (tylenol) is useful.

If still no relief then oral opioids will be required, obviously by doctor's prescription. If his doc is unavailable over the weekend, then an ER visit may be needed.

Hope this helps.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar