[TPIN] antihistamines----impact on playing

[Mark Deaton]

being allergic, at a very low level, to pretty much every living thing,
plants, animals, grasses, weeds, etc, etc, I take antihistamines daily. 
It seems to me that one of the effects is that my lips are relatively dry,
and not very supple. Maybe I am blaming the pills for something that is not
caused by them, but wanted to find out from you folks that have more
experience.

what, if anything is the impact of antihistamines on the lips, and if there
is such an effect, what should one do to alleviate, best as possible, that
effect.

Travis

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Hi Travis,
I suffer from a relatively dry mouth, too, although it isn't induced by
allergies (that I know of).  What I'm about to say is going to be
controversial on this list, but it works for me, and it might work for you,
too.  I've learned that I can work around this problem, to a certain degree,
by not brushing my teeth before a performance and by drinking something
sugary or carbohydrate-based during a performance.  This keeps me salivating
more than I otherwise would.  I always try to keep hydrated, and you won't
find me on stage without a bottle of water, but you'll also find me with
something sugary, even if it's just a sugar-based mint or something like
that.  What's happening inside my horn?  Yeah... Probably not good, but it's
a crutch I need and it works for me.  The worst scenario?  Brush my teeth...
drink a cup of coffee... play a gig.  I'd be drier than the Sahara inside of
10 minutes.  Food for thought.

Mark Deaton