I'm a 26 year old male with the following symptoms: Dry, sticky lips; thick, gluey saliva and constant need to clear my throat. I first noticed a change in the consistency of my saliva about two years ago but, at this time, it was infrequent and only evident in the evening. Over the past year it has got considerably worse, to the point where I am experiencing these symptoms 24/7. I have no visible symptoms in the mouth like raised lumps or white patches. However, I do get ulcers and on occasion my symptoms are accompanied by a burning sensation in the corners of my mouth. I have had blood tests for thyroid, diabetes etc which all came back negative. My doctor has suggested drinking plenty of fluids which I already do (2 litres of water daily) but this has not helped, other than to relieve my symptoms momentarily. I've had no other tests carried out and my doctor has no suggestions other than the thought that my symptoms may be due to over use of antibiotics. I have been using an antibiotic treatment (Benzamycin Gel) for cystic acne consistently for the past four years and also various courses of antibiotics for tooth infections. If this is the case, how does a person recover from antibiotic damage? and if it is ulikely, what other possible causes are there for my symptoms?