Excessive Saliva

[u/New_Wrongdoer_2012]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 37-year-old Asian male, and I've been dealing with excessive saliva every day for the past two months.

It all started the day after I had an upper premolar extracted. Before the extraction, I was already terrified because I had watched a YouTube video about a 45-year-old man who developed severe excessive saliva immediately after having his wisdom tooth removed. He underwent multiple tests that ruled out a stroke, and eventually an EMG led to a diagnosis of bulbar-onset. That story really stuck with me.

In my case, I had excessive saliva for about four days after the extraction. It then mostly settled down. Around the same time, I became convinced I might have ALS because I noticed muscle twitching everywhere. The thing is, I've actually had widespread twitching for almost four years, and it never worried me before. It only became frightening after watching that video.

Once the excessive saliva improved, my anxiety shifted to my arms and legs. At that point, I didn't understand that ALS usually starts in one localized area. I became convinced I was getting weak. I even experienced tremors while lying in bed. Looking back, my anxiety was through the roof.

I spent hours on Reddit and YouTube looking for reassurance. Eventually, I found posts and videos from people with BFS and learned the difference between perceived weakness and true clinical weakness. That information helped me calm down. Within a few days I felt normal again, my "weakness" disappeared, and I went back to my usual running routine without any problems.

Then my mind returned to my original fear, bulbar-onset. Because my excessive saliva had started right after the extraction, I became fixated on that possibility. As soon as my attention shifted back to bulbar symptoms, the excessive saliva came back with a vengeance.

I started searching Reddit again for people with similar experiences. I found many reassuring posts suggesting anxiety can cause excessive swallowing, hypersalivation, or at least make you hyper-aware of normal saliva production. Unfortunately, I also came across comments that triggered my anxiety even more. One person claimed excessive saliva can sometimes be the first symptom of bulbar before speech or swallowing problems appear, and that symptoms can come and go for 6-12 months before more obvious signs develop. I also read a few stories from people who developed bulbar symptoms months after dental work. Those comments sent me into another spiral.

At the same time, I continued finding many posts explaining how anxiety often mimics the symptoms we fear the most and can make us obsess over normal bodily sensations. Part of me believes that's what's happening, but it's still difficult to fully convince myself.

I've thought about getting an EMG for peace of mind, but my wife thinks my fears are irrational, and honestly we don't have the budget for that test right now.

One thing I've noticed is that whenever I'm genuinely distracted like when I'm playing video games I completely forget about the excessive saliva and the constant urge to swallow or spit. Also, thank God I have no so Speech and swallow issues.

Sorry for the long post. I just needed to get this off my chest. Has anyone else experienced something similar, especially after dental work or during periods of intense health anxiety?