Dryness: Causes, Medications, and How to Manage It

When you feel dryness, a persistent lack of moisture in skin, mouth, eyes, or other tissues. Also known as xerosis, it's more than just discomfort—it's often a signal that something inside your body is out of balance. Many people ignore it, brushing it off as aging or weather, but dryness can be a direct side effect of common medications. Think about diuretics for high blood pressure, SSRIs for depression, or even antihistamines for allergies. These drugs don’t just treat the problem—they can dry you out in the process.

Hyponatremia, low sodium in the blood, is one hidden cause. It’s not rare with SSRIs, especially in older adults, and it often shows up as dry mouth, confusion, or fatigue. Then there’s constipation, slowed bowel movement, which can be tied to dryness in the gut lining. Medications like bisacodyl or even certain blood pressure pills can trigger this chain: less fluid → harder stool → more discomfort. And if you’re taking indapamide or hydrochlorothiazide, you’re losing water—not just through urine, but through your skin and mucous membranes too.

Dryness doesn’t happen in isolation. It connects to dehydration, electrolyte shifts, and even how your body handles salt and water. If you’re on long-term meds and notice your lips crack, your eyes sting, or your skin feels tight even after moisturizing, it’s not just luck—it’s pharmacology. The solution isn’t always more lotion. Sometimes it’s adjusting your dose, adding potassium, drinking more water at the right times, or switching to a different drug altogether.

Below, you’ll find real-world guides that show exactly how these links work. From how SSRIs mess with your sodium levels to how diuretics leave you parched, these posts give you the tools to spot the cause and fix it—without guessing.