Black tongue, anyone?

[Athene]

Yeah, I woke up this morning and my tongue was black.
I know this is caused by my massive antibiotic consumption for borreliosis/chlam pneumonia/mycoplasma/ehrlichia, and I know it is basically harmless, but it is revolting. And according to Wikipedia, the next step is that your tongue gets HAIRS on it as well.

I tried to brush it off with the toothbrush but it wasn't coming off that easily.
I read that it is caused by having practically no normal bacteria left in your mouth, so I made my husband snog me repeatedly (Yes he is HEROIC) to try to implant some decent bacteria in there, and this made my tongue change to green and then gradually it seemed to be getting more normal, but then he had to go out in the afternoon and it changed to black again.

Has anyone had this? (OR should I say, is anyone else willing to admit to having this?) Any suggestions? If not, then sympathy/pity/mockery would be acceptable instead!

 

[antherder]

Sounds icky. Your husband is definitely a keeper.

Have you heard of this stuff? It's supposed to put the good bacteria back in your mouth.

http://www.blisk12.com/what-is-blis-k12/

I can't actually reccommend it because I haven't tried the product, but the science behind it seems to make sense.

In the meantime, try not to scare any little children!

 

[August59]

I hope "snog" is a reference for slober swapping heavy tongue kissing? Atta boy!!!!

There is a product on the market in the US that goes by the name "Biotene" or "Biotene PBF". The "PBF" version has additional enzymes for biofilms. The purpose of the product is to replace natural enzymes that are lost due to dry mouth. It's available just about anywhere that has a toothpaste/mouthwash section.

This couldn't possibly be as much fun as "Snogging" though. Is it painful in any way?

 

[Stone]

Okay, this will be puzzling, as it is puzzling to me! I had a problem with the condition called hairy black tongue for over a year, or year and a half. It would sometimes go almost completely away only to return with a vengeance. Your tongue doesn't actually get hairs on it, it just builds up to the point that the tongue appears furry-like. Then it would sometimes shed off over the course of a day or two which is entirely disgusting. I sought help from numerous doctors and dentists, all of whom either didn't care in the slightest or didn't have any idea what to do about it. Then, a few days after a fairly routine gallbladder surgery, I acquired a systemic bacterial infection. I went septic. I was re-hospitalized and put on strong antibiotics for a week. The antibiotics made the sides of my mouth crack, my tongue "shed" all that black mess and was really sore for over a week with cracks, and I had a major yeast festival (nuff said about that). My tongue cleared up and the black has not returned. The yeast has all resolved and I have taken steps to replace the normal flora in my gut. I had been on antibiotics before for one thing or another but I never noticed a positive effect on the tongue. It wasn't until I was on the strong IV antibiotics for a week and then on strong oral antibiotics for another two weeks that this finally went away and stayed away. I posted about the black tongue on this forum before....I'll try to hunt up the link.

 

[Stone]

Yes, here's the link http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/showthread.php?5204-Tongue-Issues

I wasn't specific about black tongue, because it's so embarrassing, so the thread went off in the direction of geographic tongue and tongue issues in general. Tongue issues do indeed seem to be prevalent in PW ME/CFS. I would love to know if there is any correlation between tongue issues and MULV (or whatever it's called today) status

 

[citybug]

I don't know if it will help, but I chew on probiotics capsules, or empty into mouth. Also pepto bismol will give black tongue. I just read about this looking for dry ears, if anyone knows about that.

 

[Mya Symons]

I have also heard that certain antibiotics can cause a black tongue or growth on the tongue. If you are taking any antibiotics in the tetracycline family, they can also cause mold growth on the body if you get too much sun. My sister went tanning after taking these antibiotics and the result was not pretty.

 

[Athene]

Thank you for all your suggestions.
I will try to order the products you suggested, Antherder and August, they both look as if they might help. August, yes your definition of snogging is spot on ;-P
Meanwhile I think trying to hold ordinary probiotics in my mouth sounds like a good idea. Perhaps while snogging?!!

Stone, your story sounds really interesting. I wonder if this means that the antibiotics I am on have killed off certain bacteria and allowed some kind of black ones (?) to grow out of control. Something must make that black colour. And maybe the heavy antibiotics you took killed off the "black" bacteria, which allowed the normal balance to come back.
I am not keen on getting a tongue like a carpet. Did you find anything that could prevent the periodic shedding? Did vigorous brusing with the toothbrush help at all?

Mya, thanks for the reminder about the sun. The doctor warned me about that, as I am taking minocycline. He said Azithromycin will also make you sunburn very badly. Luckily the cool autumn weather is finally reaching Sicily at long last. We are in our Autumn T-shirts and mid season sandals, finally!

 

[*GG*]

Sounds icky. Your husband is definitely a keeper.

In the meantime, try not to scare any little children!

Hmm, yeah a black tongue might make a good accesory for a Halloween costume?! It's right around the corner, so perhaps you should keep that black tongues for a while longer. LOL

And yes, it sounds like you have a keeper of a spouse!

 

[Martlet]

I developed a black tongue while on some meds but can't remember what they were. I know we stopped at a local Walgreens to ask about it. The pharmacist said "Show me your tongue," and when I did, her face was a picture. She had no idea what caused it and suggested I called a doctor (it was Sunday) so I did. The doctor on the other end asked "Have you been eating licorice?" Like I wouldn't have thought of that, if that had been the cause! He told me to stop the meds, just in case, but when I got home, I did an internet search on the drug and it turned out that this was a fairly common and harmless side effect.

 

[Frank]

it reflects immunity i think, i have a geographical tongue. Does it get better somethimes and get worse at other times?
Don't try to be anxious about it...

 

[wciarci]

Oh Athene, you have been through so much! I don't know about black tongue but I would keep my husband snogging away anyway! ;-)
I hope it is just a reaction to the meds.
XXWendy

 

[Athene]

HA! Good idea about Halloween, ggingues! I could certainly scare the trick-or-treat kiddies out of their costumes!!!!

It seems a lot better today, it is just a bit greenish which is what it does on its way back to normality. I hope it isn't going to come and go, as Frank asked, but rather, just go and stay gone!

Martlet, did yours go back to normal when you stopped the meds or did you take something to make it go back to normal?

 

[Glynis Steele]

Hi Athene,

When my daughter had this, the dr said it was thrush, and Nystatin cleared it up.

HTH

Glynis

 

[wciarci]

Athene, I was listening to public radio today, an accupuncturist said that a dark tongue is a sign of circulation problems, just passing this along.

Wendy