I have had lip swelling for a number of years. My mouth feels dry and my tongue feels swollen at times also. My lips go from pale to bright red or bluish in color. My lips have felt tingly and burning sensations, peeling, you name it, it's probably happened. It is an extremely frustrating problem that no one has an answer to--I've seen a dermatologist and have talked to my doctor about it, but since it's not an obvious/easily identifiable problem to others, I haven't been able to get any help. I live with chapstick for the bright red days and burts bees lip color on the pale days, trying to offset the problem of the day--I hate the stares that I get--any solutions??
i woke up this morning and my botom lip was swollen and it felt numb it still does and also about an inch below it i have a pimple could that cause my bottom lip to be swollen and numb i told my mom and she told me that it could be hiting a neve in my lip making it like that so i dont really know i hope some one can help me and also i do not wear make up %-)
To check in with you, how are you doing right now? Are your lips still swollen or is it feeling better? I'd like to hear from you how you're doing to see if it's still sticking around. Let me know what you think.
Hi, I am a 45 year old female who is experiencing what everyone else here seems to be experiencing. The first time was on Sept 14th where I was eating a bag of potato chips and my lips got tingly then they swelled to several times their size.
The it happened again today. I was eating a bag of frito lays frito's when it happened not long after I ate the chips.
I have also been dealing with hives since the middle of August. They come and go for me now. The Dr told me to take Zyrtec and continue my other meds with includes a thyroid pill. I take that every morning on an empty stomach.
Lets see what else, yes I have a thyroid condition, hashimoto's thyroiditis and pernicious anemia.
Ohhh also the other thing I did take was advil liquid caps/ I want to blame it on that but I'm not sure that is it. I took some advil yesterday without any lip swelling.
I hope someone has some answers. This is hard to deal with constantly. I do have an allergist appt scheduled so hopefully I will get some answers soon.
Sorry gotta go, I think the benedryl's are catching up with me.
The it happened again today. I was eating a bag of frito lays frito's when it happened not long after I ate the chips.
I have also been dealing with hives since the middle of August. They come and go for me now. The Dr told me to take Zyrtec and continue my other meds with includes a thyroid pill. I take that every morning on an empty stomach.
Lets see what else, yes I have a thyroid condition, hashimoto's thyroiditis and pernicious anemia.
Ohhh also the other thing I did take was advil liquid caps/ I want to blame it on that but I'm not sure that is it. I took some advil yesterday without any lip swelling.
I hope someone has some answers. This is hard to deal with constantly. I do have an allergist appt scheduled so hopefully I will get some answers soon.
Sorry gotta go, I think the benedryl's are catching up with me.
Currently my lower lip is incredibly swollen (not to mention dry).
This is the third time, the first time (5 months ago) I thought I new what the reason was; the night before I drank (a lot of) alcohol + cheap energy drink. I seriously looked like daffy-duck... o.O so of course after that I avoided energydrink in combination with alcohol. But two weeks ago I noticed it swelling up..during a party of a friend of mine! In my mind I panicked and started to drink a lot of water, which did help a bit. It even shrank a bit, nobody noticed. I did have some alcohol that evening, but nothing special or out of the ordinary.
But just an hour ago I had a tingling/numbing feeling on my lower lip (it has been the upper lip the whole time) and in half an hour it was already 3 times the size. I am currently still drinking a lot of water..
My first assumption of it being alcohol is prob off the table, I haven't drunken anything today (nor yesterday, nor the day before). At this moment I have absolutely no idea what the allergy can be *sigh*..
This is the third time, the first time (5 months ago) I thought I new what the reason was; the night before I drank (a lot of) alcohol + cheap energy drink. I seriously looked like daffy-duck... o.O so of course after that I avoided energydrink in combination with alcohol. But two weeks ago I noticed it swelling up..during a party of a friend of mine! In my mind I panicked and started to drink a lot of water, which did help a bit. It even shrank a bit, nobody noticed. I did have some alcohol that evening, but nothing special or out of the ordinary.
But just an hour ago I had a tingling/numbing feeling on my lower lip (it has been the upper lip the whole time) and in half an hour it was already 3 times the size. I am currently still drinking a lot of water..
My first assumption of it being alcohol is prob off the table, I haven't drunken anything today (nor yesterday, nor the day before). At this moment I have absolutely no idea what the allergy can be *sigh*..
Indeed, exactly the same. Different times and including those mosquite bites.
Wow! I am reading all these posts and still wish I knew what I have! I woke up with a swollen upper lip only on the right side. My lips are also oozing a bit and it looks almost like a cold sore in the corner. My lips were burning and itchy, I thought I was getting a cold sore. Went to Dr. and he said an allergy. I have had this for almost three days now. The swelling has migrated to the whole upper lip now and my lips are itchy and look red (looks chapped). Also, the roof of my mouth feels funny. The skin has a different texture than normal and so do my gums on my right side only. I am now trying to figure out if I'm getting a sore throat. I know of 4 other people that I just found out suffered the same symptoms but no oozing. One of my friends had it and her daughter got it and now her other daughter has it. Then a woman who goes to my gym has it too! The only common denominator we all have is that we go to the same gym. Must be viral and contagious!
Rash, welts, and swollen lips
About 3 weeks ago I started getting a rash an thought I just had really bad dry skin and started applying skin moisturizer liberally, it did very little to alleviate the itching. I lived with this for a couple more days when welts started to appear on my buttocks, arms, back and chest. Two days later I woke up with a swollen bottom lip.
At this point I started reading about this Sudden Swollen Llip malady on the net and started taking Benadryl tablets. I started with 1 in the morning as this is when the symptoms started to occur around 5am, which were waking me up. For many days that seemed to keep everything under control and then a few days ago I woke up with the rash and an upper swollen lip. At this point I took 2 Benadryl that morning and it took about 4 hours before I started looking normal enough to go to work.
Today I started having a funny sensation in my throat at work and felt my lips starting to tingle, I took a couple Benadryl and left the office for home. I have about a 40 minutes drive and within about 20 minutes my upper lip left side started to swell. The swelling then moved to the right upper by the time I got home and finally the upper center started to swell. After about another hour the bottom left and right were swelling , however the center bottom didn't swell, this is weird stuff.
Some thoughts:
I started using Blistex lip balm (blue tube stuff) about the time this started which I am not going to discontinue.
I had originally thought early on that the rash may have been due to a new clothing detergent my wife started using which we discontinued, at which point we went back to the old stuff and washed everything in the house twice, but it doesn't seem to have had any effect all the symptoms' are still there.
I have not been eating anything new but am thinking now that the chemicals in one of the products I eat may have changed or added, possibly a preservative in something. I read the most comment foods that can do this and one thing I do eat a lot of is tuna which I am going to discontinue for a while to see if it has any effect. A also rarely drink milk but have a few time since this started happening so I going to stop drinking that as well for a while.
One other thing that is different from the time this started is we bought to very large humidifiers for the house and we put a cap full of bacteriostat and a another chemical that treats the water to prevent lime and calcium build up. I'm going to continue to run the humidifier without putting the chemicals in the water. I am a bit concerned if it was the water treatment chemicals for the humidifier because the chemicals would be on every surface in the house, and it amy take awhile for them to break down.
An interesting thing I read was one person thought they might have been allergic to something in a new shampoo she was trying which she also discontinued with good results, which makes me wonder if the pillow has the all over it. My wife had some new shampoo that I gave a try about when this started which I will also not use again as a precautionary measure I'm probably going to dump my pillow and buying a new one just to be on the safe side as that is the only article on the bed that has not been washed and my pillow is not washer safe.
She wrote:
"I discovered the cause of waking up in the morning with a swollen lip and/or tongue. I am allergic to a Redken hair product called "Disrupt" -- when I sleep at night, a small amount of the hair product residue is left on the pillow which gets rubbed on my face/lips/tongue during the night. If you're waking up with swollen lips, suspect your hair product(s) and/or cosmetics. To test, dab a small amount on your lips, then wipe it off. If it swells, you know you're allergic to that produc."
Things to think about which I have read from other posts:
Household chemicals. Products such as air fresheners, candles, dish soaps and cleaners can all cause allergic reactions, especially when it comes to added scenting. What you're putting into the air with a "vanilla breeze" freshener or "apple pie" candle is probably manufactured artificially scented.
Keep track of your diet, paying special attention to nuts (peanuts and tree nuts), milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish, as these foods account for 90% of all food reactions.
Cosmetic items. A great many chemicals and dyes, as well as unexpected animal products, constitute makeup and other beauty products. Change you lipstick, your chap-stick, and your other makeup items.
Drugs. Upon being informed of your allergic reaction, your doctor is likely to consider your prescriptions and change any new prescriptions to ones that won't give you an allergic reaction if he can. Over-the-counter drugs can cause allergies too, so pay attention to what painkillers, cough syrups, and other medicines you use. Remember that even if you've been using an item for a while without problems, an allergy to it can pop up without warning.
I also wonder if there is something we all have in common, things we eat or drink, a drug or hygiene product.
If you want to discuss ideas you can
About 3 weeks ago I started getting a rash an thought I just had really bad dry skin and started applying skin moisturizer liberally, it did very little to alleviate the itching. I lived with this for a couple more days when welts started to appear on my buttocks, arms, back and chest. Two days later I woke up with a swollen bottom lip.
At this point I started reading about this Sudden Swollen Llip malady on the net and started taking Benadryl tablets. I started with 1 in the morning as this is when the symptoms started to occur around 5am, which were waking me up. For many days that seemed to keep everything under control and then a few days ago I woke up with the rash and an upper swollen lip. At this point I took 2 Benadryl that morning and it took about 4 hours before I started looking normal enough to go to work.
Today I started having a funny sensation in my throat at work and felt my lips starting to tingle, I took a couple Benadryl and left the office for home. I have about a 40 minutes drive and within about 20 minutes my upper lip left side started to swell. The swelling then moved to the right upper by the time I got home and finally the upper center started to swell. After about another hour the bottom left and right were swelling , however the center bottom didn't swell, this is weird stuff.
Some thoughts:
I started using Blistex lip balm (blue tube stuff) about the time this started which I am not going to discontinue.
I had originally thought early on that the rash may have been due to a new clothing detergent my wife started using which we discontinued, at which point we went back to the old stuff and washed everything in the house twice, but it doesn't seem to have had any effect all the symptoms' are still there.
I have not been eating anything new but am thinking now that the chemicals in one of the products I eat may have changed or added, possibly a preservative in something. I read the most comment foods that can do this and one thing I do eat a lot of is tuna which I am going to discontinue for a while to see if it has any effect. A also rarely drink milk but have a few time since this started happening so I going to stop drinking that as well for a while.
One other thing that is different from the time this started is we bought to very large humidifiers for the house and we put a cap full of bacteriostat and a another chemical that treats the water to prevent lime and calcium build up. I'm going to continue to run the humidifier without putting the chemicals in the water. I am a bit concerned if it was the water treatment chemicals for the humidifier because the chemicals would be on every surface in the house, and it amy take awhile for them to break down.
An interesting thing I read was one person thought they might have been allergic to something in a new shampoo she was trying which she also discontinued with good results, which makes me wonder if the pillow has the all over it. My wife had some new shampoo that I gave a try about when this started which I will also not use again as a precautionary measure I'm probably going to dump my pillow and buying a new one just to be on the safe side as that is the only article on the bed that has not been washed and my pillow is not washer safe.
She wrote:
"I discovered the cause of waking up in the morning with a swollen lip and/or tongue. I am allergic to a Redken hair product called "Disrupt" -- when I sleep at night, a small amount of the hair product residue is left on the pillow which gets rubbed on my face/lips/tongue during the night. If you're waking up with swollen lips, suspect your hair product(s) and/or cosmetics. To test, dab a small amount on your lips, then wipe it off. If it swells, you know you're allergic to that produc."
Things to think about which I have read from other posts:
Household chemicals. Products such as air fresheners, candles, dish soaps and cleaners can all cause allergic reactions, especially when it comes to added scenting. What you're putting into the air with a "vanilla breeze" freshener or "apple pie" candle is probably manufactured artificially scented.
Keep track of your diet, paying special attention to nuts (peanuts and tree nuts), milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish, as these foods account for 90% of all food reactions.
Cosmetic items. A great many chemicals and dyes, as well as unexpected animal products, constitute makeup and other beauty products. Change you lipstick, your chap-stick, and your other makeup items.
Drugs. Upon being informed of your allergic reaction, your doctor is likely to consider your prescriptions and change any new prescriptions to ones that won't give you an allergic reaction if he can. Over-the-counter drugs can cause allergies too, so pay attention to what painkillers, cough syrups, and other medicines you use. Remember that even if you've been using an item for a while without problems, an allergy to it can pop up without warning.
I also wonder if there is something we all have in common, things we eat or drink, a drug or hygiene product.
If you want to discuss ideas you can
I have had this condition where my lips swell up for about two years now. The main culprit seems to be the consumption of MSG. Mono-sodioum glutamate is a nuero-toxin and many people react differently when it's ingested. A few weeks ago I ate Chinese food and later that night I awoke to a swollen upper lip. I took a Zyrtec pill but the lip continued to swell. Fortunately, the swelling went down enough by the time I had to leave for work because I didn't want to leave the house looking so weird.
One Doctor originally prescribed Renitidine (by prescription) and advised me to take Zyrtec whenever the lip swelled up. My new Doctor said to forget those and instead take Benydryl. She also gave me a prescription for an Epi- Pen which I carry with me (in the event of an emergency) at all times. The lip swelling is an allergic reaction to a substance entering your system.
Read the labels on all the foods you're buying and look for ingredients such as MSG, and other toxic additives that may induce a lip flare up. They are hidden not just in Chinese food, but in every day foods such as BBQ sauces, soups, salad dressings, certain types of chips, etc.
One Doctor originally prescribed Renitidine (by prescription) and advised me to take Zyrtec whenever the lip swelled up. My new Doctor said to forget those and instead take Benydryl. She also gave me a prescription for an Epi- Pen which I carry with me (in the event of an emergency) at all times. The lip swelling is an allergic reaction to a substance entering your system.
Read the labels on all the foods you're buying and look for ingredients such as MSG, and other toxic additives that may induce a lip flare up. They are hidden not just in Chinese food, but in every day foods such as BBQ sauces, soups, salad dressings, certain types of chips, etc.
I don't know if this will help anyone!! I had lip and tongue swelling which happened several times over a 6 month period. The doctor prescribed Prednisone and Benedryl which always made it go down within a few hours, (though I think it might have gone down anyway).
Then I went to a chriropractor for an unrelated issue and mentioned the swelling to him. He said he could adjust my neck and it would go away. Something about communication between the brain and my face via the top of my spinal cord!! It seemed to work!
Then I went to a chriropractor for an unrelated issue and mentioned the swelling to him. He said he could adjust my neck and it would go away. Something about communication between the brain and my face via the top of my spinal cord!! It seemed to work!
hello - although my story is similar to many of yours, i will share it anyway.
a little over a week ago, i noticed that my lips were feeling strange. i thought they were getting chapped, even though it didn't feel like any chapped lips i've ever had. i should mention that i haven't had chapped lips in years - i am a believer in burt's bees lipbalm and use it daily! my lips did not look chapped either... a little irritated, at most. but they felt almost as if i had a really bad sunburn on my lips... very taut and sometimes hot. then came the tingling... sometimes it almost tickles, other times it almost hurts... like after you get a shot at the dentist and when your lips are waking up. the first thing i bought was blistex medicated ointment. it felt good that first night but whenever i tried to use it over the next few days it burned my lips. in the past week i have spent well over 50 dollars on lip balms and medicated ointments and vaseline... on a mad search to make it go away. Three days ago I woke up to swollen lips. I saw tiny little white bumps on my top lip and wondered if i was getting a cold sore. I have never had one, but during my research learned that many of my symptoms were consistant with those. so i bought some abreva, and applied it on my way to work. the tube said to apply 5 times daily. i used it throughout the day and by the evening, i didn't see the bumps anymore. the next day, i woke up to my lips even more swollen than the day before. my lips are very red as well. no bumps. today, my lips are still swollen and now have cracks on the left corner of my mouth. i don't know how it could possibly crack considering the amount of vaseline i slather on constantly. i noticed a few tiny red bumps near the top of my top lip. even though it doesn't look like any photo of a cold sore i've seen, i put a little abreva on it just in case. i also put some on the corner of my mouth where it hurts.
i am absolutely clueless and beyond frustrated. i have never had allergies to anything in my life, and i know they can develop at any time, but i can't imagine what it would be... i drink a lot of water, i don't drink milk, i am not on any medications (other than the occasional pain-killer).
i took a friend's generic allergy medication thsi afternoon and although my lips are still swollen, they look a little better than they did this morning.
also, my throat is a little bumpy (on the outside)... you cna't see it unless you look really closely, but i can feel it with my hands. it also itches if i touch it or think about it too much. i'm not sure if this is related though - my body reacts very strongly to stress so i wouldn't be surprised if this is an effect of me freaking out about my lips.
oh, also, i have been waking up in the night feeling like my lips were wet, and i figured it was just the vaseline, but after reading the older posts, i am now thinking that perhaps they have been oozing at night.
i'm so self-conscious and worried, i just don't know what to do. i feel like i should see my doctor, but i don't necessarily feel like he does his job very well. i know, i need to find a doctor i trust...
how are there so many of us with this same problem and no concrete answers? what is this?
a little over a week ago, i noticed that my lips were feeling strange. i thought they were getting chapped, even though it didn't feel like any chapped lips i've ever had. i should mention that i haven't had chapped lips in years - i am a believer in burt's bees lipbalm and use it daily! my lips did not look chapped either... a little irritated, at most. but they felt almost as if i had a really bad sunburn on my lips... very taut and sometimes hot. then came the tingling... sometimes it almost tickles, other times it almost hurts... like after you get a shot at the dentist and when your lips are waking up. the first thing i bought was blistex medicated ointment. it felt good that first night but whenever i tried to use it over the next few days it burned my lips. in the past week i have spent well over 50 dollars on lip balms and medicated ointments and vaseline... on a mad search to make it go away. Three days ago I woke up to swollen lips. I saw tiny little white bumps on my top lip and wondered if i was getting a cold sore. I have never had one, but during my research learned that many of my symptoms were consistant with those. so i bought some abreva, and applied it on my way to work. the tube said to apply 5 times daily. i used it throughout the day and by the evening, i didn't see the bumps anymore. the next day, i woke up to my lips even more swollen than the day before. my lips are very red as well. no bumps. today, my lips are still swollen and now have cracks on the left corner of my mouth. i don't know how it could possibly crack considering the amount of vaseline i slather on constantly. i noticed a few tiny red bumps near the top of my top lip. even though it doesn't look like any photo of a cold sore i've seen, i put a little abreva on it just in case. i also put some on the corner of my mouth where it hurts.
i am absolutely clueless and beyond frustrated. i have never had allergies to anything in my life, and i know they can develop at any time, but i can't imagine what it would be... i drink a lot of water, i don't drink milk, i am not on any medications (other than the occasional pain-killer).
i took a friend's generic allergy medication thsi afternoon and although my lips are still swollen, they look a little better than they did this morning.
also, my throat is a little bumpy (on the outside)... you cna't see it unless you look really closely, but i can feel it with my hands. it also itches if i touch it or think about it too much. i'm not sure if this is related though - my body reacts very strongly to stress so i wouldn't be surprised if this is an effect of me freaking out about my lips.
oh, also, i have been waking up in the night feeling like my lips were wet, and i figured it was just the vaseline, but after reading the older posts, i am now thinking that perhaps they have been oozing at night.
i'm so self-conscious and worried, i just don't know what to do. i feel like i should see my doctor, but i don't necessarily feel like he does his job very well. i know, i need to find a doctor i trust...
how are there so many of us with this same problem and no concrete answers? what is this?
I woke up with swollen lips this morning,and 'bumps' 1 on each side i look a plonker.
BUT there are alot of things you should be careful with,such as tomato puree (what you get on pizza's)
every time iv had a 'pepperoni pizza' with too much puree on i wake up the next day with awful lips,which seem to dry out
and it also gives my coldsore's (only got rid of one the other week) !!!!
but now my lips are swollen :( ....
BUT there are alot of things you should be careful with,such as tomato puree (what you get on pizza's)
every time iv had a 'pepperoni pizza' with too much puree on i wake up the next day with awful lips,which seem to dry out
and it also gives my coldsore's (only got rid of one the other week) !!!!
but now my lips are swollen :( ....
I'm convinced that this is an allergic reaction to MSG. This started happening to me about a year ago. I woke up one morning with huge red lips, with the skin around my lips dry and reddish. Normally my upper lip is on the thin side, but it was as big as my bottom lip. After a few days, I finally broke down and went to my doctor. He couldn't figure it out. Over the past year, I have experienced it on several occasions and taken note of what I have eaten the day or two before it happens. It has consistently been MSG. Sometimes when it starts up, I'll be surprised, thinking, but I didn't eat MSG! Only to go back and find that what I ate did indeed contain MSG. It seems like I can have MSG on occasion with no huge reaction, but not for days in a row. For example, I bought a bag of Doritos three days ago, and had a handful for lunch and a handful for dinner with a sandwich for the last few days, and guess what? Yup, I'm sitting here typing this with clown lips. Ugh. I just looked at the bag and there it was in the ingredients. I just need to cut junk out of my diet and READ LABELS. It's hard to avoid, though, especially if you're eating out, so what I need to know is how to get through it quickly. I have tried icing my lips, but that doesn't really seem to work. Vaseline lip balm helps to make it feel better, but doesn't help with the swelling or redness - it just makes them shiny, so they're REALLY noticeable! Aside from the obvious - avoiding MSG - has anyone figured out a way to calm these suckers down?
Hi all, This solution totally cured my 6 week bout with cheilitis: prescription cortisone (Triamcinolone Acetonide ointment .5%.) Completely gone in a week.
I had all the symptoms described in this blog: swollen, painful, red, dry, peeling, fissured "clown" lips. The swelling migrated from my lower lip to the upper lip - looked like I was wearing wax lips! The border all around my lips formed red splotches and spread outside the natural lip lines. This migrated too, from sides of lips to center, etc. Lips felt stiff and it hurt to smile, and I was self-conscious to go out in public.
I tried all of the natural remedies offered on this and other websites from B vitamins and other supplements, lysine, extra niacin, anti-fungal ointment, blistex (helped moisturize), but nothing reversed the problem. I also gave up sugar, chocolate and tried other diet changes. Gave up wearing lipstick - didn't need to anyway because lips were so red! Nothing made the slightest bit of difference.
I had never had this before, age 65 - if it starts to reappear, will apply the cortisone ointment.
Hope this helps someone!
I had all the symptoms described in this blog: swollen, painful, red, dry, peeling, fissured "clown" lips. The swelling migrated from my lower lip to the upper lip - looked like I was wearing wax lips! The border all around my lips formed red splotches and spread outside the natural lip lines. This migrated too, from sides of lips to center, etc. Lips felt stiff and it hurt to smile, and I was self-conscious to go out in public.
I tried all of the natural remedies offered on this and other websites from B vitamins and other supplements, lysine, extra niacin, anti-fungal ointment, blistex (helped moisturize), but nothing reversed the problem. I also gave up sugar, chocolate and tried other diet changes. Gave up wearing lipstick - didn't need to anyway because lips were so red! Nothing made the slightest bit of difference.
I had never had this before, age 65 - if it starts to reappear, will apply the cortisone ointment.
Hope this helps someone!
ok I need help lol my lips are noticeably bigger and I have these bumps allover them they hurt and it looks like the corners of my mouth are kinda ripping and they are super sore and have bumps as well it started as dry lips then they split and I used chapstick to help them but they jus keep getting drier and more bumpy ti the point that I can feel the bumps when I rub my lips together and the bumps are becoming more noticeable and their allover my lips an the corners of my mouth ...... does any one know whT this could be!?