[Painful palate and xerostomia after using paroxetine]

This article presents the case of a 58-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus type 2 who, for one and a half years, had been using paroxetine, a specific serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, to reduce a depression. She complained of xerostomia, dry eyes, and pain of the palate. In the middle of the hard palate a circumscribed, erythemous mucosal lesion was observed. This painful spot had developed, according to the woman, virtually immediately after she had begun to use the medication with paroxetine. The salivary flow rates were reduced when compared with well-known reference values. The diagnosis was hyposalivation. After substitution of paroxetine by lithium, the painful palate and xerogenic complaints disappeared. This case report suggests a causal relationship between, on the one hand, paroxetine and other serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and, on the other, atypical oral pain as well as hyposalivation.