Sjögren’s Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, and Medications That Help

When your eyes feel gritty and your mouth stays dry no matter how much you drink, it might not be just dehydration. It could be Sjögren’s Syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly targets moisture-producing glands. Also known as Sjögren’s disease, it often shows up alongside other autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. This isn’t just about discomfort—it’s about your body losing its ability to make tears, saliva, and sometimes even sweat.

Sjögren’s Syndrome doesn’t just hit your eyes and mouth. It can cause joint pain, fatigue, skin rashes, and even affect your lungs, kidneys, or nerves. Many people live with it for years before getting a diagnosis because symptoms creep in slowly. Doctors look for specific signs: persistent dryness, abnormal blood tests like anti-SSA/SSB antibodies, and sometimes a lip biopsy to check for immune cell clusters in salivary glands. It’s more common in women over 40, but it can strike anyone.

There’s no cure, but managing symptoms is possible. Dry eyes, a hallmark symptom caused by reduced tear production can be eased with prescription eye drops like cyclosporine or lifitegrast. For dry mouth, often linked to damaged salivary glands, medications like pilocarpine or cevimeline can help stimulate saliva flow. In more severe cases, doctors may turn to immunosuppressive therapy, treatments that calm overactive immune responses—drugs like hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, or even biologics used for rheumatoid arthritis. But these aren’t one-size-fits-all. What works for one person might do nothing for another.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of treatments. It’s real talk about what actually helps people with Sjögren’s Syndrome—how to avoid medication side effects, when to ask for a second opinion, and how other conditions like thyroid problems or fibromyalgia can complicate things. You’ll see how drug interactions, storage, and even timing your meals can make a difference. This isn’t theory. It’s what people are using every day to get through the dryness, the fatigue, and the frustration.