While consuming cannabis has many benefits, some users report experiencing a quite common side-effect: dry mouth. Although dry mouth is by no means harmful and usually goes away within a few hours, it can become quite unpleasant. But why does cannabis make your mouth feel dry in the first place? Why do you keep feeling thirsty after consuming cannabis and what can you do about it? Stick around to find out all you need to know about dry mouth.

What Causes Dry Mouth?

While most people think that dry mouth is caused by smoking cannabis, this is not the case. Dry mouth and getting thirsty after consuming cannabis is caused mainly by the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in your product, no matter which consumption method you choose.

When you consume cannabis, cannabinoids like THC interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which allows them to produce various effects like a high, pain relief, anxiety reduction, increased appetite, and dry mouth. This is due to a decrease in salivation that occurs when cannabinoids reach the neurotransmitters methacholine and norepinephrine. These receptors change how the cells send signals on a molecular level, leading to a lowered saliva production.

The Role Of The Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

Like all bodily processes, the production of saliva must be balanced – too little and your mouth would dry out, making it difficult to speak or eat, too much and you would end up swallowing constantly or drool as you speak. The ECS helps to maintain this balance or biological homeostasis, preventing either extreme. It does this throughout the whole body, from the immune system and brain to skin and bones. 

The ECS produces and makes use of signalling molecules known as endocannabinoids to communicate between cells. Anandamide is specifically one of the endocannabinoids that also binds to CB1 receptors in the mouth. When it binds to these receptors, it leads to a reduction in other signalling molecules and a reduction in saliva production.

THC can be seen as an external version of anandamide since it binds to similar receptors in the body, like CB1 receptors. When we consume cannabis, we ingest large amounts of THC compared to the normal amount of anandamide that is regularly produced in the body. As all of these THC and CB1 receptor bindings start to exist in the mouth, you may start to experience feelings of dry mouth for a short period.

Saliva is mostly produced by the submandibular glands under the tongue, which is where THC finds receptors to bind to. Essentially, this causes the glands to ignore other messages your nervous system sends, pausing saliva production. 

How To Get Rid Of Dry Mouth

Since it is such a common phenomenon, many users have come up with their own tips and tricks to combat dry mouth over the years. Here are some things you can try to ease any feelings of dry mouth when using cannabis:

• Drink water: The first and most obvious solution for dry mouth is to drink some water. Staying hydrated before, during, and after your cannabis session will help mitigate the sensation of dry mouth and stimulate saliva production. Stay away from caffeinated beverages as these can lead to dehydration and will only worsen feelings of dry mouth.

• Chew gum or eat candy: Chewing gum and sucking on candy are two great ways to stimulate saliva production when you feel dry mouth looming. Sour and minty flavours are the best option as they naturally tend to increase saliva production much more than other flavours.

• Drink some cough medicine: It is unlikely that you will need to use this option as water and gum usually do the trick well enough, but if you have tried both of these methods and still feel like you cannot handle the dry mouth, take the lowest dose of over the counter cough medicine for some extra assistance. These medications help to relieve irritation in your mucus membranes and form a protective film that will moisturise your mouth and keep some of that moisture in.

Remember to stay patient and relax. Even if your mouth feels dry, you are not dehydrating and nothing harmful is happening to your body. 

Does The THC:CBD Ratio Affect Dry Mouth?

Cannabis contains a wide range of phytochemicals, most of which work in combination with one another. For example, cannabinoids like THC and CBD might work together to enhance each other’s effects or cancel out some of each other’s potential side effects. This is also why many users opt for full spectrum cannabis products over CBD-isolates.

Some evidence suggests that strains with equal CBD and THC levels might potentially help to reduce the occurrence of dry mouth. CBD is known to be a negative allosteric modulator of the CB1 receptor. Where THC binds to CB1 receptors and activates them, CBD modulates the way that THC interacts with these receptors.

This allows CBD to mitigate the effects of THC. It eases the intensity of a cannabis high and works to produce an overall more balanced and less overwhelming effect. The same mechanism might work to reduce the severity of dry mouth. If this sounds like a good option for you, opt for a strain with a 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD.

Cannabis has a lot of healing potential, and dry mouth is just one of the small things consumers need to deal with every so often to reap the many benefits. Since THC can halt the production of saliva, users may experience this side-effect regardless of their cannabis consumption method. 

To combat dry mouth, make sure to drink enough water throughout your cannabis session, try some gum or sour candy, or have a small amount of cough syrup. To minimise the occurrence of dry mouth, try going for a strain with a more balanced cannabinoid profile, like a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD. Dry mouth will usually go away within a few hours, so just remain calm, relax, and stay hydrated for the time being. Your mouth will return to normal and you can learn from your mistakes by hydrating regularly during your cannabis session.

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