Orange tongue - Ear, Nose & Throat

sumone2

Apr 10, 2010

To: Orange alien crud tongue victims who want to know anything that worked for somebody

It's a germ, and it's contagious.

I caught it from kissing my boyfriend, who has not only orange tongue problem, but also trouble with acid stomach. He eats prevacid like candy all day every day for at least two years. He also eats a lot of sugar, including chocolate, chewy candies, caramels and licorice, and drinks sugary iced tea, almost constantly all day every day. He even eats so much candy that he sometimes skips dinner because he's so full of chocolates or twizzlers. He has had dental and elective surgeries in the past few years. He has a weight problem but can't quit the sugar, and just keeps gaining and suffering more and more acid reflux, and night breathing problems getting worse all the time. He keeps either a glass of extra sweet tea or chocolate milk by his bed to sip on through the night. I think the sugar contributes to the problems.

I love sweets but have quit eating them regularly and instead drink a lot more water. I brush several times per day and use sweet clear bar soap, especially my tongue to get it clean each time. This helps reduce the germs and make it easier to conquer them. It also gets plaque off your teeth better and they stay clean longer between brushings.

I put a special type of colloidal silver, NOT the protein kind or ionic kind, the nano-particle size kind, into my water. This kind cannot make you turn blue because the particle size is too small to bind in the melanin. It is very effective on bacteria that doesn't belong in your body, while benign to the good bacteria (and your own cells), due to its effect on anaerobic metabolism (we and the good bugs are aerobic, we breathe oxygen).

It has been several weeks since I had any orange on my tongue, even when I ate my sister's birthday cake, didn't brush my teeth and fell asleep on her couch at the all-night girl movie sleepover. I don't know if I'm "cured" but it's a relief to see cleanish pink or just white in there like normal gross mouth instead of the alien crud.

I hope this helps someone out there.

JOTY99

Apr 15, 2010

To: Orange Tonguites

Hi All, I have read all 201 posts and it is pretty depressing. This is definitely a new strain of fungus/yeast that hasn't been fully recognized by the medical community. We are the pioneers, special aren't we ? My story is very similar. Had a root canal on March 10th, was still suffering with pain about 5 days later and was put on what seems to be the dangerous cocktail of antibiotics (Cephalexin) and steroids (Medrol dose pack). Towards the end of March I noticed the OT. I've been battling it with scraping, brushing, Listerine, etc sometimes the orange goes away but the underlying whitish(thick coating still remains).

I just started taking Clotrimazole 10MG Troche on Monday (prescribed by the dentist). It's a tablet you let dissolve on your tongue for 15 minutes about 5 times a day (every 5 hours). It seems to be working but too early to say.

My next plan of action if this does not work is to have the doc prescribe me fluconazole (Diflucan), and Nystatin (liquid oral anti fungal agent) and get more aggressive while eating yogurts with probioitcs.

I have a medical background, not a doctor but have been working in the pharma industry for 15 years, don't be afraid to approach your doctors and request this agents.

Keep hope alive, We are not animals !!!!

booOTboo

Apr 15, 2010

To: all the OT's out there

What is the deal with this thing? I've had it now about a month. I have always brushed my tongue at least once a day, but it started when I changed my tooth paste from good old fashioned colgate to some fancy 'orange aquafresh.' I've asked two different medical professionals, (shortly after it started) one said "oh the die from the tooth paste may be the culprit" the other said "it's just how the bacteria in my mouth is reacting to food." Well I'd like it to go back to the old regular PINK reaction thanks. grr.
I'm on synthroid, but I've been on that for years. I recently started using an antibiotic cream on my face but that also started before the orange tongue.
The interesting thing is that my husband (who does not prescribe to the routine brushing of the tongue) has a beautiful pink tongue even after a few teeth cleanings with the orange aqua-fresh. ( we did throw out the tooth paste shortly after the OT discovery)
This thing is starting to freak me out.
J

LaurennSophiee

Apr 18, 2010

To: Everyonee

hiyaa
i've had a broght orange tongue for about a week now and it did just appear from nowhere, i don't take and medication and i am diabetic but i have been for just over 12 years and nothing has changed, i dont eat much junk food or even 'orange' food, i have tried brushing my teeth and mouth with anti-bacterial wash and like alot of other people it will be fine overnight but as the next day wears on it goes orange again, i dont understand it and i'm really self concious of it (sorry cant spell) my breathe doesnt smell and its not really causing me discomfort or pain, but i do wake up needing a drink, anyoneee got any ideas ? :(

Yowie9644

Apr 29, 2010

To: The Orange Tongued Ones

Just another data point:

40 year old married woman, in suburban NSW, Australia. Somewhat overweight, diet OK but not great, take flixotide for asthma.

Got a minor cold that quickly turned into an aweful, hacking cough - left me sounding really hoarse if I could speak at all. Cough & voice are now getting better, but I was left with...

an orange tongue

(well, more preciesly, half a one. The tip of my tongue is clear, the back of my tongue is bright orange)

it doesn't hurt, just feels a bit dry and rough - exactly as oral thrush feels like to me. Thats what I thought it was as I get oral thrush alot (due to the flixotide).

Will be trying the salt water rinse / gargle tonight.

brianmuntz

May 01, 2010

To: all

I have the orange tongue as well. It started about 2 weeks ago. I was on a flight to the Netherlands a couple of days ago and I fell really ill. I started to vomit and diarrhea quite bad. I couldn't go on the connecting flight. My tongue has swollen and I have a very large canker sore on my tongue where its rubbing against my molars. Anyway, the vomiting and diarrhea was so bad I started to shake and felt very weak. I ended up in an ambulance and off to a VA hospital from the Dulles airport in Washington. At the hospital they tested the stool and vomit and did a CT scan. They said I had an infection in my GI system as showed signs of a white cell count in the samples. I was put on a antibiotic. I am starting to feel better, lost 10 LBS in 2 days and hoping this is a cure for it. Its awful and painful.

I ended up going back home to Toronto Canada. I am still waiting to see my family physician. From reading other posts and blogs, this seems to be contagious and my son who was with me also got very ill but surprisingly no Orange tongue yet. I have read many versions from thyroid to adrenal issues and then some. I will post again of the anti-biotics work or not for others that may have the same thing going on. On thing I can add is that I was under a lot of stress prior to the out break. The only new meds I am on recently was a very strong anti-inflammatory pill for chronic back pain and sciatic nerve pain, Abilify for my condition of Bipolar Type II. I have been taking a fair amount of Tylenol for pain management but can't see any connection to this crud tongue.

Post any other similarities to this condition as I think this may also be a new form of STD such as Thrush or Dry-mouth.

Take care, be well
A Canadian Orange tongued alien.... LOL

criscotwister

May 10, 2010

To: Orange-tongued brethren

I've never heard of a tongue turning orange (besides due to food dyes, obviously), but unfortunately I currently find the hue of my tongue a bit off.  Unlike a lot of people that have posted on this topic, I don't take any medications and haven't taken an antibiotic in years.  Therefore, those of you speculating that the cause is linked to antibiotic use are wrong (assuming there is the same underlying cause for all of us).

After reading many of the posts on here and considering my current situation, it is pretty apparent to me that the cause of orange tongue is a bacterial infection.  Those that took an antibiotic around the time you contracted this issue were obviously exposed to the bacteria during the procedure that warranted prescription of the antibiotic, but the prescribed antibiotic didn't do its job against the orange-causing bacteria.

As for those curious about my symptoms...  I recently contracted a very sore throat which came on with a 100 degree fever (and I felt great for weeks prior to getting sick).  The fever went away in two days, but one week later I'm still left with the sore throat, swollen tonsils, and a mysterious orange tongue.  I'm willing to bet that the underlying cause of my symptoms is due to a strain of strep or some similar bacteria.  I'll take a course of antibiotics to see if it gets rid of what I believe is an infection, and will post back if I have success with penicillin.  Regardless, I think we need to accept that this is a possibly antibiotic-resistant bacteria and treat it with a bit of respect in case it does have unpleasant side-effects that are unknown as of now.

Kirkyyy

May 23, 2010

To: OT owners

Just a quick note. Went to my dentist about this problem, and he gave me a script for a chlorhexidine rinse at about 0.12%. It's a bacteriacidal antiseptic, and it worked. I fill the cap, soak my brush and scrub the tongue front and back. No more orange! I've kept up with this routine for about one week now, and as of today the orange is gone. I also started a dose of doxycycline around the time I started the rinse. This might have helped, but due to the strong nature of the Chlorhex as damaging to both positive and negative bacteria, I think this rinse is the key.

Good luck with this one

criscotwister

May 26, 2010

To: Those trying to rid themselves of OT

FOLLOW UP TO MY MAY 10 POST:

I recently completed a 10 day course of penicillin VK (250 mg 4 times a day). I was going to post immediately after finishing the antibiotics because I had a good result... the orange started to fade after about 5 days on the meds and was pretty much gone after a week. To me, this is clear evidence that the culprit is a bacteria which is susceptible to penicillin. Here's the bad news... 5 days after stopping the antibiotics, my tongue is again starting to turn orange. Thus, penicillin did not completely kill off the bacteria (at least not in 10 days). Now I have an antibiotic resistant bacteria in my mouth!!! I guess my next course of action is to try to replace the bacteria with a better one. Lots and lots of yogurt for me over the next week or two... and after that I'll give colloidal silver a try. To be continued...

JOTY99

May 26, 2010

To: Those who have posted here

Please do a search on Drug Induced Hairy Tongue or Drug Induced Black Hairy Tongue. I wonder if some of us are suffering from a mild case of this ? My tongue is not just simply orange like after eating a Popsicle, there are noticeable changes with the texture (papillae) of the tongue more towards the center and the back.

Just something to think about as we all struggle along.

RyleesMama

Jun 02, 2010

To: Everyone with an orange tongue

I first got this just over 2 years ago. I don't take any medications or have any allergies. Since then it's come and gone and my husband got it from too. Just recently it's come back..with a vengence! Before it would be really orange by the end of the day. Then recently it flares up bright orange several times a day. And (for me atleast) I KNOW it has something to do with sugar. If I eat chocolate or something really sugary it flares up right after. Same with my husband. I do eat a lot of sweets and sugar.. Except for yesterday I had NO sugar at all! not 1 gram. I ate veggies and checked packages to make sure there wasn't even 1g in the things I ate. Then today I started off well without having sugar, but then I gave in to my chocolate cravings and had brownies. But I drank a bunch of water then went and brushed my tongue and teeth right afterwards. It hasn't been orange at all yesterday or today. Obviously I know I won't be eating like this forever, but i'm hoping if I can keep my tongue from turning orange the bacteria will die off. I'll let you all know how it goes.. My husband went to the dr. about it a couple weeks ago and they had a blood test done for diabetes and something else. We knew it wasn't that but went along with it anyway. They also swabbed his tongue with a cotton tipped applicator. The results came up "normal." The dr. said the next step would be to refer him to a specialist. Haven't done that yet though. It seems like no one really knows what's going on with it.. I used to work at a dental office and I told the dentist about it. He had never heard of it before. P.S. the chlorehexdine rinse isn't good to take for more than 5 days. And it can discolor your teeth but that should go away after you stop using it.

orangetonguedmonkey

Jun 08, 2010

To: Everyone with Orange tongue

OK so developed this orange tongue, have many of the same sympoms as everyone els, mostly sore throat lots of flem (phlegm) just got done with lots of antibiotics due to spider venom, and so far the cure is wors than visuals from pioson. Effects of orange tounge noone has mentioned is insamnia from the pressure it creats at bottem of throat just below esophogus y split for breathing. so last night i tried high concentrate lemon juice on it and it did not improve color to much, as in i cant scrape mine off, but the next morning i woke up with fluids in mouth but still orange much less though. this is seceptable to level 4+ acids, but thinking it has abality to hide in lungs, bronchi, voice box. Giving the reaccuring effenct ya see. avoid anti oxadents, it traps and uses this as a shield aganst ur bodies natural immune system. and yogurt helps as well its bio flora closly resembles out own balance and are not seceptable to the toxins mentioned in strep bacteria uses sword and shield to beat immune system. if u do not beleave in this just drink some warm leptons tea with anti oxadents see just how arange it is and everyone mentions tea with their symptons. not to much to do with sugar as in we only use splenda sweeteners here , and after a cup of tea i might as well be and an alien with the color effect it has from dull orangeish (drinking a cup or tea 115 mg antioxodents per cup) vibrant orange in seconds. going to Doc now will post when i cet back.

nieceoforangetongue

Jun 11, 2010

To: nieceoforangetongue

My aunt was admitted to the hospital yesterday. Among several other symptoms (dehydration, internal bleeding, diarrhea), she had an orange and black tongue. We had never heard of this, and it was quite sight to the paramedics. She has had a terrible GI problem for weeks. She was put on an antibiotic yesterday for it, but her condition rapidly deteriorated. She is hospitalized, getting a blood transfusion, IV fluids, blood work. I guess this was just a symptom of the GI issue. She is in awful shape though. Doctor said her blood work came back very bad - no details yet.

DaisyLee23

Jun 12, 2010

To: OT sufferers

i recently switched to a new whitening toothpaste - is it possible that this could be the problem? that is the only thing that has changed in my day-to-day habits.

orange_you_glad

Jun 13, 2010

To: OTers

Followup from several months ago: I started using antibiotics for an unrelated ailment and the OT has completely disappeared. Hoping it stays gone when I finish the medicine.

I had a dental cleaning a few months ago and asked my dentist if she had other patients with OT. She said, as a matter of fact I just saw a young woman from Florida who had it! She had no idea what it's all about.

JBean693

Jun 24, 2010

To: other Orange Tongue people

i cant believe i found this forum. for about a month, my tongue has felt strangely uncomfortable in my mouth, i thought it was mental (although i've had no prior mental health problems) because it just seemed weird like my tongue was too big for my mouth or something - maybe it was all in my mind. i went for my annual physical last week and mentioned it to my doc (i hadnt noticed tongue color yet) and she didnt find anything abnormal but because i'd had allergy syptoms (symptoms) (weird new-to-me sores on the inner lining of nose and when those went away, hives for two days, a week later, sudden sore throat, lost voice and cough that went away) she thought it was all allergies. Next day i came down with another sore throat and cough with phlegm and am now on antibiotics. my tongue has still felt swollen it keeps scraping my teeth and feels very dry today, i just was brushing my teeth and saw it was orange, no idea how many days it's been this color. I've been on the "Z" pack and i guess that's not clearing this up.

silverflyer

Jul 02, 2010

To: Got Orange Tongue

I have got Orange Tongue, I've just finished a course of antibiotics for a waterworks infection and then discovered my orange tongue.

I think it's caused by a bacteria but don't know which one, but I did notice while cleaning the showerhead, that it was brite orange inside and so was the interior of the flexible pipe.

Maybe this is where it comes from, I do remember getting water in my mouth while having a shower a few days ago and the next day I saw my orange tongue.

If anybody finds a cure please let me know.

Docknox

Jul 07, 2010

To: The tongue ponderers

Alright people,

I think I've cracked it! Most of these stories are very similar. There is continuity between them, my own story, and the histories of those who have contracted Oral Thrush. So in other words, I'm concluding that most of us have oral yeast infections. Now I know this sounds really tragic, gross, and like some sort of big deal, but fear not. I'll elaborate:

Thrush is also known as Oral Candidiasis. To simplify it, Candida are naturally occurring yeasts in the mouth. Thrush is just when your immune system is not able to control Candida activity and as a result it flourishes. This can be the result of antibiotic use (Which can kill the good bacteria that monitor the Candida), steroid use, sickness, or any other form of strain on the immune system.

The symptoms of this Candida overgrowth can range from colored coarse or spongy patches on the tongue or side of the mouth to the presence of lesions or soars (Cankers).

If you want to try and treat this without visiting the doctor, I would recommend using a hydrogen peroxide dilution of about 3% and washing your mouth out thoroughly (To kill any malignant bacteria and extra stores of the yeast). Supporting your immune system with supplemental vitamin C, echinacea, and a balanced diet with added sleep (To help your body recuperate and fight odd the yeast). And finally I would suggest taking probiotics to help replenish your body's store of natural yeast killers!

That said, thrush can develop and cause complications. It would be easiest and safest to consult your doctor who can also run tests. If they come out positive, he or she can prescribe anti fungal medication for you. If you're still on antibiotics, bring up the possibility of halting use with your doctor.

I would be curious if anyone has found a correlation between elevated levels of yeast in the mouth and between other parts of the body (Such as dandruff, which is just another overpopulation of yeast - except on the scalp)

So to reiterate, no worries. This is most likely just the increased activity of something that's already in your mouth anyway as a result of a depleted immune system!

Hope this was helpful,

Doc. Knox

inqdragon

Jul 10, 2010

To: the orange tongue-ites

I'm a 57 year old woman from Boston, MA. I noticed that I had an orange coating on my tongue about 40 days ago. I've been on a lot of antibiotics this year, because of my heart, which makes me prone to endocarditis. I've seen about six doctors and two dentists about this. Here is the typical series of reactions: (1) Wow! (2) That's orange all right! (3) I have no idea what that is. (4) Have you eaten any orange food lately? And then there's usually a little bit of nervous giggling.

One of the doctors, who is a specialist in Infectious Diseases, prescribed Clotramizole Troches, which are an anti-fungal, but that didn't help. My Primary Care Physician, who is totally stumped, and who tried to take a picture of it because "nobody is going to believe me about this," prescribed a different kind of anti-fungal, Fluconazole tablets. What's been happening consistently is that this thing seems to go in cycles, so it will look like it's fading for a couple of days, which makes me think that whatever I'm doing is working, and then it will come back. Here are other things I've been trying: taking probiotics, eating yogurt, using hydrogen peroxide as a rinse, using lemons and other citruses, using an antibacterial mouthwash, using apple cider vinegar, drinking lots of straight cranberry juice. It doesn't matter. The orange always comes back. And my mouth is really, really dry. I also have a kind of metallic taste in my mouth. It's driving me nuts! I'm wondering if I'll ever get rid of this.

My PCP also took a culture of the orange stuff last week, to see if it grows anything. She's determined to figure this out. She said she's going to do some sort of test on my esophagus if the anti-fungal doesn't work. It's not working.

bcul

Jul 21, 2010

I was curious as to how the hell I'd developed an orange tongue and lo and behold, the internet tells me I'm not alone.

I had surgery to remove tissue from my chest a week ago, took pain meds for a single day after and seem to have developed an orange tongue. No idea what I was given during the surgery but another poster mentioned they put anti-biotics in the IV, so I'll assume that happened as they didn't prescribe me anything afterwards. I'd also finished a 5 day course of anti-biotics 3 weeks before the surgery for a mild stomach bug - but I don't remeber seeing my tongue orange.

I generally eat well with a variety of foods and plenty of fruits and vegies and try to limit my sugar and caffine intake.

I'm relieved to see there were a few common causes that I fall under ie. surgery, anti-biotics. At least I have a starting point for a cure.

I have an appointment with my doctor next week so I'll be sure to mention it to him but in the mean time I'm going to up my yoghurt intake to see if it has any effect on what seems to be a bacterial buildup. I'll give it a week and post my findings back here.
Good luck all!

Erock8181

Jul 23, 2010

I have had orange tongue for almost a year and a half now. i've also had a change in bowel habits. Alternating between constipation, diarreah (diarrhea), thin stool, and always excessive gas and foul odor. I went to a GI dr. and he said just have more fiber and dont worry about it. This was months ago. A few days ago i went number 2 and saw a white worm in my stool about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. It was very disturbing to see that and i went back to the gi showed him a picture i tool of the worm and he said "wow u passed that? It is very rare to have just one worm, you must have eggs in u"

So he took a stool sample and im waiting on the results. Should get them by monday or tuesday. If i were u guys id look into this too. I usually dont examine my poop who knows how many worms i may have passed in the past yr and a half. This may b wats causing the foul odor almost like rotten eggs every single time i go, along with excessive gas and constipation, thin stool etc. Is this the cause of the orange tongue? who knows but i do shar alot of the common things as u guys such as surgery (wisdom teeth) and lots of antibiotics cuz i get frequent sinus infections.

anotherorangetongue

Jul 26, 2010

To: anotherorangetongue

Thank you for all the reports and comments. It sure is a mystery, isn't it?
I haven't taken any antibiotics or medicine and I consider myself an all-around healthy guy, but I just discovered my orange tongue about 3 weeks ago after a few days of abdominal pain/cramps (with a lot of embarrassing gas!). The pain and gas subsided after a day or two although I still have soft stool with a little blood (also embarrassing..). To Erock8181: Please update us soon because it sounds like we have the same symptoms.

Erock8181

Jul 28, 2010

Stool sample came back negative for parasites. I dunno if u can tell from just one sample but i know i saw a pretty worm so i dunno. My orange tongue actually has been fading, its more of a white coating now, very rarely orange anymore in the past few months

Fobia

Jul 30, 2010

To: anyone who cares

Hey all with orange tongue,
I looked in the mirror and notice my tongue was orange, I said to myself "WTF" is this. Thank god for internet, It gave me an idea of what happen.One day i was picking my nose on my personal time, lol, and i guess i gave myself an infection in my nose, so what do i do, I take a Q-tip and put some cvs antibiotic & pain relief maximum strength cream, and you know what it worked! my nose was better than ever, but now I have half of my tongue orange, the same side i put the antibiotic on. So what that tells me, I should have read the warning, where it said external use ONLY! I am almost 100% sure it's the antibiotic, I'm going tomorrow to see my Doctor and tell her "HELP ME PLEASE"! I'll keep everyone updated on my orange tongue. Good luck to all.

inqdragon

Jul 31, 2010

To: the Orange Tongue Peeps

The culture my PCP took of my orange tongue came back negative. I asked my PCP to read all the posts in this forum. Also, I've started compiling a list -- from reading the posts here -- of possible causes and possible cures. It seem to me, though, that I've tried all of the possible cures. And here I am, still Orange-Tongued. Tasting that metallic taste.

Has anybody considered seeing an acupuncturist?  I think that might be my next step.

Like some other psoters,, I have noticed a change in my stools.  More constipated.  And for the women here: have you noticed any associated vaginal odor, too?  There seems to be something going on there, also.  Speaking of odors, though, the orange tongue doesn't seem to smell, at all.  Which amazes me, since I've got that weird taste in my mouth all the time.

This really bites!!!!  It's really concerning to me to see all the posts from people who have been dealing with this for so long. Clearly, something is wrong.  Besides the actual symptoms, I hate feeling like there is something wrong with my body that nobody seems to be able to fix.

jtkspg

Aug 03, 2010

To: Org Tng

My Success Story.

OT came on November 2008.  I suffered for many months (7) as I tried many different meds per this forum.  Then in Apr 2009, my dermatologist prescribed me Doryx for my rosesea.

“Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic used against a wide variety of bacterial infections” - Healthsquare *******

My orange tongue went away rather quickly and it stayed gone.  I was on Doryx till March of 2010 so about 11 months.  Today is Aug 3rd, 2010 and I’m still thankfully orange tongue free.  Added bonus for me is that even though I have been off Doryx now for 4 months, my rosesea problem isn't nearly as bad as it was when I had orange tongue.

It is very clear to me that this orange tongue condition I had was some sort of bacterial imbalance that was very difficult to cure.  I was fortunate enough that it was unexpectedly cured by my dermatologist.

Jeff

thebesser

Aug 06, 2010

To: All Posters

I see that these posts are pretty recent so I hope some are still reading..... check out this pick of my tongue and please tell me if this is what you are also suffering from...

This "alien crud" isn't easily brushed off and even when scraping my tongue still remains most of the time.......is this the "orange tongue"?

(Several codes, not sure if this supports images sos also a link)
[IMG]http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp154/thebesser/ton.jpg[/IMG]

The direct URL:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp154/thebesser/ton.jpg

Thanks!

lemonparade

Aug 06, 2010

To: the besser

yes, I could post the same picture as yours!

I started out with what I thought was a bad cold or flu in early May 2010. I took Zicam and other homeopathic medicine. My throat still kept bothering me 7 weeks later. I went to the doctor, she did not see any infection of throat or ear, but put me on ZPAC antibiotic just in case. A few days later is when I noticed my tongue, like yours. Not sure what was the cause of my prolonged sore throat, so I'm on to see a specialist for thyroid in the next couple of weeks. I don't think the thyroid problem (if that's what I had, my throat feels fine now), is the cause of my orange tongue, I think it was the ZPAC antibiotic. I hope everyone still keeps posting and if they find out EXACTLY what this stuff is and how to get rid of it to PLEASE PLEASE POST HERE.

jtkspg

Aug 09, 2010

To: thebesser

Your pic image is what i had. Cured over 1 yr 5 months ago with help of DORYX.

xcskigirl

Aug 19, 2010

To: OT sufferers,

I've posted here before so if you look back to 2009 I've had OT.  My neighbor doc friend said he thought it might just be a harmless yeast infection like thrush but just orange and not white.  I got it after a bad sore throat and antibiotics.  My GP doc said he didn't know what it was but that I seemed to be doing fine and so not to worry.

Well last winter I had accompanying dry mouth and it seemed to be invading my nasal passages making them very dry as well.  In the morning I would wake up with a nose bleed because of dry patches in my nose that would break off.  When I saw the GP again he said to take a look at the research done by Mayo Clinic on sinus infections.  They have linked chronic sinus infections to a reaction to a fungal infection in the nasal passages.  They seem to feel that this is the cause of most chronic sinus infections, at least their research has pointed to this.  Soooo, if I am reading this right - yeast is actually a fungus, we have it on our tongues and while the fungus does not hurt us that much, our bodies REACTION to the fungus is what is making us have all the other symptoms.  It's like you are allergic to your fungus.

The fungus that causes athlete's foot, the one that causes toenail thickening, vaginitis, possibly even ringworm....they are all related.  Have you ever tried to get rid of the toenail fungus?  My sister had it and she took the prescription medication for it and it got rid of it for a little while but it came back eventually.

How does one get rid of a fungus among us?  Doryx?  Master Cleanse?  Diet change? Mayo Clinic has a new drug out.  You can check out this web site to read about the Mayo Clinic fungus study:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:BzlwoSvKgGwJ:scienceblog.com/cms/mayo_clinic_receives_patent_for_new_treatment_of_chronic_sinus_infection

Good Luck to All of Us!

eric75

Aug 21, 2010

To: eric

So I now have OT - I had a sore throat (not strep), was put on marys magic mouthwash and 5 days later OT.

So was it the odd throat infection that did it our marys magic mouthwash?

Who got OT after a sore throat and didnt take any antibiotics? I'm tryign to figure out if we had a new string of strep or a altering antibiotic that was harmful to the good bacteria in our mouths.

Reply please.

xcskigirl

Aug 23, 2010

To: OTers

Here's a thought: When I was sick, before I got OT, I used Zicam in my nose. It's got a Zinc base and after using it awhile I noticed that I had sort of lost my sense of smell. Zicam is supposed to clear up a cold faster. Anyone else use this stuff?

lemonparade

Aug 23, 2010

To: scskigirl and eric

I also used ZICAM in my nose and throat for what I thought was a cold/flu (may 2010). I never got a full on cold/flu, meaning other than feeling blah and my throat being sore, that was it for 3 weeks. After the 3rd week, I felt great, but my throat still hurt. After 4 more weeks of a sore throat is when I went to my dr. She prescibed the antibiotic, "Zpack" (it's a 6 dose packet taken for 5 days, rather than 20 pills over a 2 week period). After 2 days of the Zpack (arthriomycin I think), is when i got OT. I also got tested for strep, and it came back clear.

To ERIC, yes, I think if you read some of the posts, there are some who did not take antibiotics. But for most of us, I believe that the antibiotics were involved. Also, as far as "Marys magic mouthwash" are you POSITIVE it did not contain any antibiotic? I had not idea what this was, but when I googled, there are many that do contain tetracycline.

eric75

Aug 23, 2010

To: lemonparade

Oh, I'm sure there was antibiotics in the mary's mouthwash. But the main connection - we all had a sore throat that wasn't strep. I had a blister in the back of my throat.

Next question - did anyone around anybody that has OT have hand foot and mouth disease? Kids, family, anyone? My daughter had it, so I wonder if there is a connection to that.

Putting the pieces together to fix this. Looks like people have had success with Doryx (Doxycycline)? I just don't want to infect my children, tired of being cautious.

lemonparade

Aug 24, 2010

To: eric75

OK, I understand now. Maybe this will help. After it was clear that I had no infection to cause a sore throat, my dr sent me to see a head & neck, thyroid specialist. After looking down my throat, and asking me some questions to ensure I did not have cancer/thyroid issues, he told me it was most likely acid reflux. Apparently it's 'atypical', so I have no other symptoms for acid reflux. He explained that at night small particles from my stomach invaded my throat causing the soreness. So maybe it's some reaction with the antibiotics and acid reflux?

sumone2

Aug 25, 2010

To: Colloidal silver for orange tongue

Hi,

Mine is still gone, no sign of it at all, and I do eat sweets occasionally with no recurrence of orange at all. I have also been on synthroid for a few years, had strep throat every year of my childhood, get cold sores and fever blisters in my mouth when I'm coming down with the flu, and have seasonal and pet allergies. I'm allergic to penicillin and erythromycin. For those of you who messaged me asking about the kind of silver I use, it's at http://www.purestcolloids.com/mesosilver_price_list.php but another good one is also http://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1340/

I too suspect that the real orange tongue cause is a mutant strep bacteria that is basically benign, rather than a thrush or yeast, due to the visible difference in color intensity from the most orangey thrush I've ever seen, and the tendency of OT to present like strep throat often does, then hang around in there also like non-visible strep tends to do, in people who are carriers of it, once infected and recovered.

I think my ex-bf is a carrier and probably got it when he had some dental work done. Yuk, if he caught it at the dentist what must their hygiene protocols be missing? I have not been to any dentist in a very long time because I do not trust dentists very much. They lie about tooth enamel being able to remineralize and repair small cavities that are just beginning, or just don't know because ADA school didn't teach that part of dental science research, and didn't bother to look it up themselves. Most dentists actually do far less casual reading of dental research studies than you would hope. Many of them apparently also take too many shortcuts in cleanliness, judging by how many OT victims may have caught it at the dentist's.

I didn't mention before, but I also brush or gargle with hydrogen peroxide after brushing with baking soda and my clear glycerin soap. I am bad sometimes and go to bed without brushing out of sheer laziness, but usually I at least do a quick brush and rinse.

Also, I do take vitamins, including B-complex, 1000 mgs vit C, fish oil, and a good multivitamin. I include yogurt, olive oil, whole grain, and green vegetables in my regular diet. I eat Vegemite on toast because I like it, and fermented kimchi is a favorite food. I don't go nuts on sugar every day, even though I still love it. I switched to tea instead of coffee to reduce caffeine and boost my immune system. Maybe some of these help keep me resistant to germs generally.

Another thing that probably doesn't matter, is that due to the thyroid issue I avoid fluoride. No tap water, no toothpaste, nothing with fluoride. This keeps me from getting those waves of bone-burning exhaustion that are common with hypothyroidism. I am actually quite healthy despite the issues I happen to deal with.

I think the most relevant thing is the regular hygiene, the brushing with clear bar soap that kills bacteria, viruses, fungi, and most everything else, the baking soda is inhospitable to germs, and the H2O2 of course kills anybody left in there. The colloidal silver in my distilled drinking water may be keeping my system more resistant to bad microbes. The vitamin C and other nutrients from whole foods and supplements are surely helping. I make myself eat protein most days, like eggs, beans, peanut butter or fish, because if I just eat what I feel like, I eat mostly carbohydrates instead.

Truthfully I think I have killed off all of those germs and the OT will not come back unless I'm re-infected somehow. But, if it does, I will be letting you guys know. Thank you to everyone who shared their story on here. I hope mine helps someone too.

lemonparade

Aug 26, 2010

To: sumone2

Just ordered the silver. I'll post here after a couple of weeks to see if it works. I'm also off to see my dr again tomorrow to see what she thinks. Thanks!

eric75

Aug 30, 2010

Started Doxycycline - 4 days in no difference... Has anyone here actually been diagnosed with anything - I don't have acid reflux and the color seems worse after mouth wash.

inqdragon

Aug 31, 2010

For the past couple of months, my OT has been in a real cycle, where it gets better (and I think whatever I'm trying might actually be working) and then it has always come back, much to my despair, no more than four days later.

However, it's been gone for over a week now.  It's weird, because the only thing I can point to is that I had to put antibiotic drops in my eyes starting about ten days ago.  I got bacterial conjunctivitis in one eye from a contact lens, and the optometrist gave me Vigamox .5% eye drops to put in both eyes for seven days.  And I haven't seen the OT since then.  Is that possible, that eye drops could affect anything other than the eye? I wouldn't have thought so, but I'll ask my doctor.

About a month ago, I had made several appointments to see an acupuncturist for the OT, since  acupuncture and other Asian medicine really focuses on the tongue as a sign of health. (As a matter of fact, if you google "Orange Tongue", which I assume a lot of you have, acupuncture references will come up.)  I couldn't get an appointment until the end of August, so my first appointment was yesterday. I told him my main reason for being there, and he looked at my tongue very carefully and he said he saw no orange at all and that my tongue looked "beautiful."  Beautiful!  Wow!  After months and months of everybody freaking out when they saw it.  That was amazing to hear.

I'm going to keep my appointments with the acupuncturist, because I figure it couldn't hurt, and there are other things he can also treat me for.  I will keep everybody here posted about whether the OT is staying away. I will also let people know what my doctor says about the eye drops.

lemonparade

Sep 13, 2010

To: OT Community

I've been using the silver for about a week now. No significant change. Sometimes it doesn't seem as orange, but that's it.

eric75

Sep 13, 2010

Not thrush - just finished a full prescription of Diflucan (fluconazole). Nothing changed. Had a tongue culture today to se what it going on. I just want to make sure it is nothing serious.

inqdragon

Sep 13, 2010

To: Orange tongue-ites

Just wanted to let people know that the orange tongue still hasn't come back after a few weeks. It's heaven! I wrote my doctor and asked her if she thinks it's possible that antibiotic eye drops could have cured the problem. In the mean time, I'm keeping all my acupuncture appointments. The acupuncturist claims that he's seen orange tongue and has cured it.

lemonparade

Sep 28, 2010

To: Eric & Dragon

Hi Eric, did the culture find anything on your tongue??

inqdragon, glad to hear about your cure. did your dr say anything about the drops being the "cure"? Also, where exactly do the needles go to cure OT?

Thanks

inqdragon

Sep 29, 2010

To: lemonparade

Hi!
I haven't heard back from my doctor to get her reactions about the eye drops. I will give her a call today and keep everybody posted. The acupuncture needles go a lot of different places, and he's working on freeing up my circulation. He claims that he has helped cure two people with colored tongues -- one orange and the other some other funky colors.

eric75

Oct 05, 2010

To: lemonparade

still waiting on one more test, will let you know., I am seriously surprised no one in here has come up with a solid explanation on this annoying problem. We all had 1. a sore throat or 2. a strong antibiotic. yet no physician can diagnose us. Frustrating.

eric75

Oct 05, 2010

To: inqdragon

did you change your diet?

inqdragon

Oct 06, 2010

To: eric75

When I had the orange tongue for several months, and was trying EVERYTHING, I ate lots of yogurt and took lots of acidopholus. I tried various dietary supplements, too. But that didn't seem to do anything. I really think it was the antibiotic eye drops. I still haven't heard back from my PCP about this. And my orange tongue is still gone, too. Heavenly.

lemonparade

Oct 06, 2010

To: Eric

It is VERY frustrating. You're right, we all seem to have the same cause, sore throat and antibiotic, yet there is no diagnosis...my tongue is not as orange as it was. It's now kind of pale yellow, some days nothing at all. I've done quite a few of the recommendations on this board, silver, acidophilous, using certain mouthwashes, vitamins, more antibiotics...who knows if any of these helped or if it was a combination. Or none of these at all and its just fading away after time, the way my doctor said it would. Also, it looks like everyone else on this board has faded away as well...I'm assuming that their OT came and went, so they are no longer following.

lloyd70

Oct 08, 2010

To: lemonparade

I have had this for about a year now and have tried all of the non prescription "cures" that have worked for other people. My doctor says it is nothing to worry about. I have had geographic tongue for quite some time and he says it is another symptom of that. I would love to find a real cure.

NancyPie

Oct 09, 2010

To: Anyone who is reading

Does anyone have any suggestions for treating this in a baby? My sister's daughter, 17 months old, has an orange tongue first thing in the mornings, and she thinks she is having stomach problems as well, she cries a lot more than usual and isn't sleeping well. She hasn't yet gone to a doctor (I do not know if she's planning on it) but I just was as confused as she was about what could possibly be causing her tongue to be orange.

RyleesMama

Oct 11, 2010

To: everyone

So I wrote about my story June 2, 2010. I saw someone say that it's probably wearing off for people that's why they stop writing about it. Well..mine hasn't. In fact it's been real bad lately. I always come on here and check every now and then though to see what's new. This has been going on for about 2 1/2 years! Me and my husband can't stand it. I first got it after getting my wisdom teeth out. I don't remember if I took antibiotic or not..but I wasn't sick or anything. I also notice it happens after I eat and ESPECIALLY after eating chocolate (which is pretty frequent). I tried not eating sugar a few months ago, and that only lasted a day or two, but that day it was faint to none. It's like the drs. have no idea about it so of course since it's not harming you, you're ok. I brush my tongue several time a day and get a nasty taste in my mouth (well, on my tongue) and it feels heavy. Gross, but since we all have it..may as well say it. Anyway, if by some chance something happens to work i'll update.

jollyoli

Oct 26, 2010

To: OT victims

i had strep throat a month or two ago and took a prescribed dose penicillin. I got sick (sore throat, mucus, cough) a week or 2 ago and most of those symptoms subsided. now i have an orange tongue that ive had for about a week. at first i thought it was from orange juice. im hoping that if i ignore it and just brush my teeth more often it will go away! also my stomachs been acting up

jollyoli

Oct 26, 2010

ive also been using listerne whitening original

lemonparade

Oct 27, 2010

To: OT Group

Well, mine has finally gone away it seems like. From my last post, 10/8/10 is when I started to notice it was not as orange. It's been two weeks now and no OT! I wish I could tell you specifically what the "cure" was, but like my earlier posts states, I did nearly everything, anyone recommended on here.

cindy432

Nov 07, 2010

I came down with "orange tongue" about 2 weeks ago. I have been on nystatin for about 4 days. The color went from brown with orange cast to quite orange to paler orange to now normal with an orange cast. I am hoping to lose all the orange soon.

My symtoms (symptoms) were a quite sore throat about 3 weeks ago. Then about a week later I noticed the brownish orange tongue. I thought I had a stain from the chocolate candy I had been eating. The stain darkened for several days and then I went to the dr and went onto the nystatin treatment.

RyleesMama

Nov 11, 2010

To: cindy 432

what's 'the nystatin treatment?' i thought nystatin was a cream for things like diaper rash? atleast we got some from my baby's doctor when she had a really bad diaper rash but it's not something to be taken orally.

psp2

Nov 11, 2010

To: ALL WHO ARE ANNOYED WITH THIS

Hate to throw a wrench in here, but I haven't been on any antibiotics for several months (for sinus infection). OT showed up about a week ago. Had a little bit of a sore throat, but took nothing for it. On birth control pills and a diuretic and a BP pill. Wonder if this is somehow related to Candida overgrowth. Also wonder how many of us still have tonsils. I do. Like many of you, I brush, floss, rinse, scrape, chew gum. Nothing seems to touch it and agree about the metallic taste. It's awful!!

1429chad

Nov 13, 2010

To: RyleesMama

The nystatin treatment is a anti-fungal prescription that is given to you to take orally. You take it three times a day. You have to swish it back and forth in your mouth for a minute and then gargle it for another minute, after that you swallow it. It is pretty nasty. I still have OT.

cindy432

Nov 14, 2010

Day 10 of Nystatin oral anti-fungal treatment:

Tongue is much lighter orange, but definitely still there. Actually, I rather like the taste of the Nystatin. I take it 4 times a day. I rub a Q-tip soaked in the stuff on the tongue and then take a teaspoon of the liquid, swish it, try to gargle a bit and then let it sit on the tongue a bit before swallowing.

I have NOT been on antibiotics, did have a quite sore throat for 1/2 day a week or so before the OT, have decent oral health, no other pills, etc. Almost everyone has had a sore throat that complains of this situation.

1429chad

Nov 15, 2010

I have had yellow and orange tongue since August of 2009. I have been put on Doryx for a month and Bactrim for two weeks. Both did not work. I have done the Nystatin and still have it. I was put on Fluconazole for a week also. I have had bloodwork done and all test have come back negative or normal. I do take a blood pressure medication like some of you and I also take Prevacid. The doctor's now just tell me to not worry about it. I've seen three and the last one I saw says he sees it in people all the time

1429chad

Nov 15, 2010

To: inqdragon, lemonparade

Are you two still color free?

OTHATER

Nov 16, 2010

I'm so happy to have found this site. I too suffer form OT and hate it. I believe mine is from an asthma medication and because I take it everyday, I don't see an end in site.

lemonparade

Nov 17, 2010

To: 1429chad

Yes, it's November 17, and I'm still OT free. But I woke up with a sore throat yesterday...my throat hurts, but my tongue still looks OK for now.

By the way, I thought that the OT might have been due to some bacteria in my stomach, which would also be causing the acid reflux, just got back my test results, they're negative for any bacteria.

1429chad

Nov 17, 2010

To: lemonparade

Do you ever have swollen lymph nodes in your neck? This is something new that just started about 2 weeks ago.

lemonparade

Nov 17, 2010

To: 1429chad

No, no swollen glands. I've been to a head & neck specialist as well and they could only see that my throat seemed to be a little irritated and said it was due to acid reflux, hence the test for bacteria in my stomach.

Slate82

Dec 13, 2010

To: Fellow Orange tongue

I hate this. I havent taken an antibiotic. I was given nexium for some stomach discomfort i was having for months. My wife also made a batch of lactation cookies which contained brewers yeast. Those were the only changes to my oral intake. I dont know which, if any was the cause of my OT. It started shortly after. My main question is it transmittable? I havent noticed it on my wife or daughters. Ive stopped taking nexium and we havent had the cookies since. What sould i do?

inqdragon

Dec 14, 2010

To: orange tongued people

I am still orange-free. I had to take another major dose of antibiotics last week because I had a dental implant. I always need to get an IV of antibiotics before a dental procedure and then oral antibiotics afterwards, because of a heart murmur. I believe that the orange tongue was caused by the previous dental procedure, which was back in May. And as I've posted, I believe that was finally cleared up, after months and months, by some antibiotic eye drops I took for conjunctivitis. So this time, I insisted they use different antibiotics for the dental work. I haven't finished taking the oral antibiotics yet, and I'm hoping with all my might that I won't get a recurrence of orange tongue. I'll keep you posted.

RyleesMama

Dec 14, 2010

To: Slate82

It is transmittable..I gave it to my husband and now he suffers from it too. We've had it for almost 2 years. I got it soon after getting my wisdom teeth removed, I don't remember if I took any antibiotics or not..if so it wasn't much or for long. No diet changes. no drugs, it was like it came from no where. I wonder if maybe I got from something at the dentist office..? I also saw someone say the got it from someone else. It went away once for about 6 months then came back.

1429chad

Dec 17, 2010

To: All

I found a toothpaste that does a real good job at removing it for most of the day. It is Crest Pro Health Clinical Gum Protection. I use it morning and night and have noticed that it has almost cleared up. It is still there in the morning when I wake up though, just not as bad.

sundaymorningx

Dec 23, 2010

Hello!

I have also been experience the orange tongue! :( As well, I do have a metallic taste in my mouth.

I have had 2 bladder infections (one in October and one in November). After my second infection and course of antibiotics I noticed my tongue was orange. It is a vibrant orange with some white towards the back of my tongue. I was naive and just thought it would go away with time, but it has been a month since I stopped taking my antibiotics. I am able to brush my tongue and scrape away most of the orange, but it just comes back by the end of the day. I went to the doctor and was given Nystatin for a fungal infection of the tongue?? I just started taking it last night and have not noticed any improvement yet. I take 4mls once daily, swish, gargle and swallow. I am just so tired of this and want it to go away! At least it isn't painful. It's too bad we can't post pictures on this forum! Good luck to everyone!

As well, I only take a multivitamin, birth control, b12 and folic acid and didn't have any probems with the above pills in the past.

Please keep posting. I am so glad this forum is active and current. Merry Xmas!

1429chad

Dec 27, 2010

To: ALL

Well the toothpaste isn't working so well anymore. Anybody else have any better luck?

DoctorV

Dec 30, 2010

To: everyone

As a physician in urgent care I saw my first OT last night. I agree that this is a frustrating problem - I couldn't really help my patient much except to recommend that she stop taking the antibiotic she had been on for a long time, minocycline, which does have a listed side effect of "pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes." This patient also had a fainter orange area on the soft palate. 2 questions; 1) how many of you have other albeit fainter orange areas in the mouth on the roof, cheek wall, etc? and 2) many of you mention antibiotic use; how many of these involved minocycline, doxycycline, or others frome the tetracycline family?

Good luck to all.

mstriz

Jan 04, 2011

To: DoctorV

I have caught this orange tongue after having migraine headaches that lasted about 2 months and started in October. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection in November congestion in whole face and head, and given 10 days of anitbiotic Penicillin. In december I got relief from the head aches after seeing a chiropractor. I got a cold with sore throat, nasal congestion and drip, and coughing. The cold went away and left me with this orange tongue a week before Christmas. The OT started to go away but is still present and now January 3 my wife has it. I have tried listerine mouth wash and yogurt every day. Please let me know if any solution is known yet.

sundaymorningx

Jan 04, 2011

Follow up to my previous post ....

Took nystatin for over 10 days and noticed no difference. Going to see my dentist tmw and am going to see a dermatologist hopefully soon! I am just so sick of this bad taste in my mouth and the unsightly orange. I bought acidophilus and am going to start that today. As well, I have a bowl of yogurt every day and try to drink lots of water.

I just hope it's not contagious ... I'm trying to be so careful!

- trying to stay positive.

amronnilnoc

Jan 12, 2011

I've not been on any antibiotics in several months, nor has there been any change in the medications that I take. My eating habits, while, perhaps, not the healthiest, have not changed either. So imagine my surprise when my 4 year old nephew pointed out that my tongue was orange when we were catching snowflakes last Saturday. Trying to back track to what might have caused this, I drink diet iced tea and diet green tea, but I've been doing that for months and this OT is recent. I can't pin point any cause. I will be watching to see if any of you find cause or more importantly cure.

tammworth

Jan 13, 2011

To: all

like most, I noticed the OT a couple of days after wrapping up my antibiotic for tonsilitis. It's been off and on(mostly on) for a few weeks now. I have noticed that it certainly becomes more orange when eating sugar. Mine is always worse later in the day as opposed to the morning. I noticed gargling warm salt water is helpful(3 or 4 times a day).

After reading most of the posts on here, I myself am leaning toward the acupuncturist route(thanks inqdragon). I will post with updates after my appointment(s).

lemonparade

Jan 14, 2011

To: tammworth

My OT is still gone. I didn't go to an acupuncturist. I followed someone elses's 'remedy' and tried liquid silver (Collodial Silver). I don't know if that's what helped me or not, but you may want to give it a go since it's readily available at most vitamin/healthfood stores.I would just put in a few drops in my water. I didn't use it for more than 7 days and not very much of it either, apparently it has some side effects if taken too long or too much, there's lots of info on the stuff on the web. I don't know if this is what cured me or not, but it was the only thing I did differently than most folks on this board.

TQQCHY

Jan 19, 2011

To: Orange Tongued Ones

I have read a few of the post and see it is coming out of the tongue so it must be from our diet somehow. I am on a 21 day fast with my church and have notices that it is 98% gone and will be 100% gone soon. I have cut out meat, bread, posta, and candie.

kdetyuasz

Jan 21, 2011

To: orange tongue!

I just started azithromycin or zpak for sore throat that comes and goes for 8 weeks ,
and on day 3, I got orange tongue! Never had it before with any antiboitics. Hope it doesn't stay.

azdawg

Feb 05, 2011

To: Orange Tounge

Wow....amazing, google Orange Tounge and find this, I too having been noticing my tounge color is now orange, it is honestly freaking me out, and not sure what it is.........

MrsDonkeyKong

Feb 07, 2011

To: To other OT club members~

I joined the club about 40 days ago. I am sharing my story so we can all get a common thread. I noticed several posts that hit right on the spot and these were my suspicions before I finally decided to google OT. I always have some kind of problems so I just chalked it up to another issue to my lists of oh wells. While at traffic lights I look at my tongue in the mirror and probably scare the drivers next to me. My kids are aware of this issue and are my gauges. I have not changed anything myself either so it is a shock to me too. Here is a list of my daily behaviors to see if anyone can also relate. I am listing things that I believe are the triggers and symptoms related.

I had two weeks off of work due to Christmas Break in December. Lucky me I had a constant Migraine headache for the entire break, yoohoo! I also had my monthly extra heavy and lengthier. F.Y.I. I am almost 45 yrs. old. The last time I had a two week long migraine I had an MRI and found a large Aneurysm which thankfully was repaired three years ago now. Well, now my monthly is one week early. Has anyone elses been affected? I have been on Thyroid medicine for over 30 years and had to stop it temporarily for 6 months for lack of insurance. I still don't have insurance but have been taking some Levothyroxine again. I was told by my Dr. that I am anemic from blood loss monthly and low white blood cell count. I also have a Hernia that I have never gotten repaired since it happened 13 years ago. It is just to the left of my belly button and it is the size of an orange. I have been fortunate not to have any strangulation yet. I had gastric bypass done laproscopiclly 9 years ago. I have been having lousy sleeping when I can and pains in my back and neck. The stools are either pale tan or almost black, they can"t make up their minds. Constipation is present also. Recently after not having any vaginal odor like when I was young, I have a new smell. I read someone else noticed. I do perform oral on my husband of 16 years (who is uncircumcised). He has the same smell sometimes. I have a broken tooth that has been a thorn for 3 years now and keeps getting smaller. I just suffered a toothache for a week and now it is ok. No insurance remember. I too have been having more frequent gas episodes too. My OT is like two racing stripes down my tongue like you rode a matchbox car down my throat. It also has bumps towards the back. It is embarrassing and scary.

I am taking blame for it and contribute it to the sugary instant tea in a can that I drink all day and the sam"s cola that I drink 1-2 cans nightly. I also am addicted to candy, especially chocolate! I am totally addicted to SUGAR and have been since about 7 years old. Yes I am overweight. Is this a common thread? I have not had any antibiotics for a long time, no insurance again. Well, I have always been aware that sugars can increase the chances of yeast infection and that antibiotics can also kill our good bacteria. I had to stop cleaning up after wifely duties with antibacterial soaps cause it was causing yeast infection. I am ok if I switched to regular bar soap 2 years ago. It is cool when you understand things that happen and can cure yourself simply and cheaply. Sometimes it is so simple that it is hard to fathom. Well, I think it is the diet, although it has been the same for most of my life, something triggered it. A simple combo of things just happened to disagree with us. I just hope I am not contageous cause I don"t like to be responsible for someone else's misery. Good Luck to you all and I hope my honesty helped at least even one of you. Thanks for reading and considering my self-diagnose of just myself, it may not pertane to anyone else. I would just like to find the THREAD! Miss DEE

andykman

Feb 09, 2011

To: All Fellow OT Sufferers

I'm very glad to have found this forum and while its not a cure, its a comfort to know I'm not alone with this.

I discovered my tongue with yellow and then an orange coating 3 1/2 months ago, seemingly out of the blue.  From all the posts I see, many common issues such as recent surgeries, anti-biotic use, colds or sore throats.  I wasn't sick at all, just very overstressed  and had put on 10 pounds as a result, eating all manner of "comfort" food I could find, many loaded with sugar and my blood sugar level was diagnosed last month thru bloodwork at 6.0, up from 4.6 a year earlier.

A month after the orange appeared, I had a sinus infection and had my PCP prescribe Augmentin which while it took care of the infection, did nothing to help the OT.  A went to another Doc in our group and she was not sure what it was but prescribed Clotrimazole 10mg troches which helped a bit but never cured it either.  I stopped taking the antifungals and nothing changed.  So, I'm at a crossroads.  I'm convinced this is contagious and making sure I dont' share utensils or cups wiith anyone and it sure can put a damper on those intimate moments too!

I brush my tongue 2x day and use a homemade rinse of hydrogen peroxide,water and Listerine but brushing is the sure way to remove it at night..but as we know, it comes right back the next day.

From our posts, not sure if this is Bacterial or Fungal but I'm leaning toward Fungal as the lower part of the tongue is white and is progressively yellow and orange with a patch of yellow in the back of  the tongue which never leaves!   I also cannot believe that the medical community cannot diagnose this thing.  Is this a new bacterial resistant type of Strep which has been commented on here or a new type of Candidiasis?  Could it be environmental?

I've seen members use Doryx or Colloidal Silver with some success but for the most part nothing else seems to work.  I'll keep watching our posts, good luck!

semperorange

Feb 14, 2011

To: all

Welcome to the OT club to me..woohoo. Ive had it for about a month now. I brush with Colgate Peroxicare, gargle/rinse with 1/2 hydrogen peroxide 1/2 water, and then scrape all that off. I finish up with a lystrine rinse. tongue is a bit sore from all of that, but its gone pretty much all day. but of course comes back around 2pm ( i brush at around 630am) its a little noticeable around 5pm when i get home, i brush again, eat dinner, do the whole brush/peroxide/lysterine tongue scrape regimen after dinner, before bed again. wake up seems to be noticeably gone, but by noon of course its back again. I hope this goes away of its own accord. However im going to continue to follow an aggresive (aggressive) regimen and im going to continue to monitor this thing. Any help is good help, i told my doc and he just kinda shrugged and said interesting...figures military doc...

semperorange

Feb 14, 2011

To: all again

One thing i forgot to mention..how it happened. I was home in South Texas for Christmas. My daughter caught a pretty nast cold/flu. Of course daddy picked it up shortly there after (i got my flu shot late November about two weeks prior to this) My mom is nurse and gave me some tetracyclin (wrong med but shes mom so i took it for the next several days/week or so) i noticed my tongue was dark yellow/brown and brushed it off (literally and figuratively) thought it was food related. My OT came back again, and again, and again. Now here i am a month later, still with the orange tongue. I read online that it is probably candida (there was an online test that involved spitting in a glass of water first thing in the am to prove candida http://www.candidasupport.org/test_saliva.html ) it came out just like the test. So as stated above im gonna try the fluconazole and hope that it takes care of this.

sundaymorningx

Feb 20, 2011

Wow! So this has been going on for almost THREE months and I have just about had it with this thing! Tried nystatin for 2 weeks = failed. Tongue scraper does the trick, but the OT just comes back by the end of the day... I have posted a picture of my OT on my profile for anyone that wants to check it out and possibly relate to it.

I went to see a skin doctor and he basically shrugged it off and told me it was "hairy tongue" and it will work itself out in time. I really doubt it ... but I HOPE it does. I also DO NOT think it is hairy tongue or THRUSH, but he's a doctor ... doctor knows best afterall, right? I do find after eating sugar it tends to flare up ....

I bought gentian violet on Thursday and have applied it to my tongue before bed. It's so messy and it's hard to tell if there is any improvement because of the dye. I'm getting desperate here!

Anyway, please contact me if anyone has any suggestions or finds a cure! GOOD LUCK to all!

Damonsta88

Feb 23, 2011

To: AHHHHH!!!!!

OMG THIS IS CRAZY!!! i have hyad the exact same issue for about two weeks now... i woke up one day and my tongue was bright orange and i figured it was because ive had cheetos the night before so for about two weeks i kept blaming the fact that i have eaten something but this past night i slept over a friends house didnt eat a thing at all i went to bed at 130 am woke up @ 530 - 600 am and i had this light orange coat over my tongue this is crazy!!! it may have came from my girlfriend (valentines day she began to catcha cold and we have made out several times since that day) it doesnt bother me but i do want to know what it is!!!

sundaymorningx

Feb 23, 2011

Gentian violet didn't help the problem ... I started taking some grapefruit seed extract in my water once a day. It's supposed to be a "yeast buster." Everyone should post pics of their tongue! Mine are below.... beware they're scary!

here and here

semperorange

Feb 23, 2011

To: All

So i got my fluconazole in the mail yesterday, but have to wait because i didnt get enough, i only got the one pill as it turns out i need 12 of them. 1 per day. as soon as i get it i will report on the results. Im still doing the Arm and Hammer peroxide tootpaste, 1/2 water/1/2 hydrogen peroxide gargle and tongue scrape followed up by the purple lysterine (supposed to fight bacteria) so just like everyone else, it works fine till i eat, the slowly comes back. looks all healed up in the morning right away, but comes back by 6pm or so. i also received my Chlorhexidine Solution,( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040V1RES ) its Broad Spectrum antimicrobial activity gram positive and gram negative bacteria, fungi, yeasts, molds and viruses. Soothing and gentle to skin. Chlorhexidine 2%. Dilution rate 1 oz. to 2 oz. solution per gal. of clean water. im going to incorporate that as well. My wife tells me not to freak but i cant help it. I will keep you all posted.

melajane

Feb 25, 2011

I'm not sure this has anything to do with it, but I developed an orange tongue around the time my ex first starting performing oral sex on me (I am a girl, he was a guy). I noticed I had the orange tongue, then strangely so did he (I'm thinking maybe I transferred something to him, and then he transferred it to me when we kissed?). Anyway my tongue has long since returned to its natural hue, but maybe this is a yeast thing? Anyone else have these circumstances and just didn't think to mention it? I think that might be it because my diet was very healthy at the time, I exercised 6 days a week, and was on no medication except for a daily multivitamin. Strange thing isn't it, this orange tongue. Mine went away a few months later when we stopped doing oral as much.

a_lost_one

Mar 01, 2011

this is scary :( and so frusterating. it gives me a nasty taste in my mouth and down the back of my throat. i cant believe all the things dr's have and cant figure out what this is and how to fix it so worried :( I know we could have st is alot worse, but having something like this gingon and not having a clie whats causing it is creepy!

so i dont wanna get too personal but we are all trying to figure this out, so maybe a medecine in common? something in a medication if they changed it in anyway or something? i stay constipated due to other meds i take so all together this is what i take

oxycodone
xanax/klonopin (dr rotates them)
senn-s(the natural vegetable one)
womens one a day(just started this, dr said OT may be lack of vitamins, but no change)
singulair
claritin
flovent inhaler
pro-air inhaler (or ventalin, proventil..a rescue inhaler of some sort always)

toomuchOT

Mar 16, 2011

To: everyone

hi everyone, i too have orange tongue. I actually got this years ago when i was a kid and had braces, no one could really figure it out, i was sent to specialist after specialist and they eventually decided it was an allergy to the metal in the braces, and took them out. The OT went away shortly after. I've had it intermittently and usually it goes away with a nystatin rinse. this time seems to be different. I had my wisdom teeth removed last friday (the 11th) and was put on erythromycin to prevent infection. I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics and stopped them two days later. Since the surgery I've felt this coating on my tongue getting thicker and more painful. I now have a very thick, very orange coating on my tongue, my tonsils are swollen and there's some white sores on them, also my throat is very sore along with my entire mouth. I've been rinsing with salt water and hydrogen peroxide, but now the hydrogen peroxide hurts too much. Heck water itself hurts too much. The pain of this infection is worse then the pain from the surgery. I do feel it relates to sugar, as i felt it get worse after every time i ate ice cream. Unfortunately, since i still can't chew anything, its hard to find soft foods that don't have a bunch of sugar. The doctor has put me on mycelex which are little tablets that dissolve in the mouth, I just started today. The collodial silver sounds like a good idea, which i may try if these tablets don't work. I will post again in a few days.

lemonparade

Mar 16, 2011

To: toomuchot

Good luck to you. It's been months since I've had OT since I started with the silver. These days, I only put a few drops once or twice a month into my tea and so far so good. I got a sore throat a few months back and thought for sure I'd get the OT again, but nope, I didn't. If you do try the silver, let us know how it works.

a_lost_one

Mar 27, 2011

I FOUND THE CURE..WELL FOR ME ANYWAY AND I PRAY IT WORKS FOR YOU ALL TOO BECAUSE I KNOW THIS *****!!! :) so i tried everything just like you all did, still on the same meds...

oxycodone
xanax/klonopin (dr rotates them)
senn-s(the natural vegetable one)
womens one a day(just started this, dr said OT may be lack of vitamins, but no change)
singulair
claritin
flovent inhaler
pro-air inhaler (or ventalin, proventil..a rescue inhaler of some sort always)

and finally the Dr gave me 500 mg of Penecillin 4 times a day for 10 days and rinsed with HOT as you can stand SALTY water AS salty as you can stand. Just rinse your mouth out with it and gargle it 2-3 times a day (i sometimes did it 5 or 6 trying to beat this thing) and ALL GONE!!!! knock on wood, more important Pray to God it stays gone but yep tried everything just like you all and Penecillan and salty water was more sure, almost 3 weeks free now!! :)

eric75

Mar 31, 2011

To: lost one

Hello all,

I must say my orange tongue is not near as bad a it was. But I do have acid reflux and on nights that the reflux is bad the next morning my tongue is oranger than normal. I am no longer worried about it, doesn't seem to effect my day to day and it is not contagious.

Nor is it thrush or Black tongue. I am curious if penecillin is helping people resolve it, seems like many have had positive results with that.

I associate mine to either the no strep throat sore throat or the antibiotics reseting my good bacteria in my mouth.

I do love how we are all walking medical mysteries and doctors have no idea what it is from.

Crip1974

Apr 04, 2011

To: All

I have the same problem. It started with bowel troubles, constipation then diarrhea. I am still having issues there and my tongue is orange too.
the Dr. thought it might be a parasite so he is doing tests on my poop.
I have an appointment friday.I will let you know.

Wager

Apr 06, 2011

To: all

I thought I was the only one who had OT, it is driving me crazy!! and I don't know what to do about it! my mouth is so dry and the metal taste in my mouth is disgusting! Same reaction from docs, don't know what it is?
completely frustrating!!

1429chad

Apr 13, 2011

To: a_lost_one

What was it your doctor said you had? My doc won't prescribe 500 mg of Penecillin 4 times a day for 10 days for this without knowing what it is.

ctmckee

Apr 16, 2011

To: all

Not sure my problem was the same thing as reported here, For weeks I noticed that first thing in the morning, the left side of my tongue had a more-or-less oval iridescent orange coating (or slick), about the size of two nickels overlapping. It was easy to scrape or brush off, but it drove me nuts because I had no idea what it was (fungus? bacteria?). It never reappeared during the day.
I finally figured out that it was dye from the Advil I often take in the middle of the night. Unbelievable.

JoelSTeacher

Apr 25, 2011

To: Crip1974 and others

Hi all,

I have similar symptoms to Crip1974. My constipation issues began in January, along with a lot of tightness in my lower back, and they both persist today. I have been taking over-the-counter stool softeners off and on since then, and have been thinking that the tightness of my muscles was constricting bowel movement. Then a few days ago my tongue became orange, and there is whiteness in the back of my tongue. It looks like an infection, but I wonder if everything is related.

Just to note, I started gargling half and half with water and 3% peroxide in early January. I wonder if there is any correlation.

Crip1974, are you still having the same symptoms?

Thanks,

Joel

overtheorange

May 02, 2011

Sooo I also have OT, going on my second week now. It's the darkest at the end of the day, gone completely after brushing in the morning. The only thing I can think of that has changed, is that I had a teeth cleaning with xrays about three weeks ago, then started rinsing with non alcohol Listerine...a temporary crown and filling done one week ago...and no meds to speak of (other than the lidocaine shot and Motrin for pain.) I don't know if the dentist has anything to do with it, but it doesn't look good for her :/ I have been stressed like crazy since January 1st (I'm an accountant at a cpa firm) and I know stress can do a number on you...maybe this is part of the issue?
The big likeness I'm seeing with most of us, is that our bodies were in some way struggling when the OT showed up. Whether sickness, surgery, dental work, etc. Not sure what that means, but I thought I'd say it anyway!
I'm not trying anything to get rid of my OT, I'm going to ride it out for a while and see if it changes on it's own. There isn't a bad smell, only a metallic taste a few times a day...so I can handle it.

johnny4503

May 02, 2011

To: all

there may be other causes of orange tongue but mine definitely came after a round of antibiotics after wisdom tooth removed.....thanks to this forum I didnt freak out and I got anti fungal meds and pro-biotics...this did not actually help so I stopped, but after about a month it went away and tongue is back to normal.......thanks again forum

Wessal

May 03, 2011

To: Orange Tongue researchers

My daugter and I HAD orange tongue. I don't know if it is contagious, but she had THEN I got it. It could be that we through off the balance of bacteria, yeasts, etc in our bodies somehow, that's why there's no way to say if it is contagious.

Anyhow, after reading MANY posts online and going to the dentist, who had NO IDEA what we had, I decided to try yogurt. I had myself and my daughter taking 1 tbs of yogurt as soon as we woke up and right before we slept. My theory, based on being a woman and hearing about how to control yeast infections and after all the internet reading, was that if there was some type of imbalance yogurt should help.

IT DID !!! we have only been taking it for 3 days and NO MORE ORANGE.

tyronesdhenderson

May 03, 2011

To: ty

Ive had an orange tongue after i had an ear infection. Which is fluid and bacteria build behind the ear drum. Ive been noticing alot of people having the same problem seeing as i have had it for about 3 years and i am 19 now. I had another recent ear infection and they prescribed me something that fights bacteria and it disappeared. I find that the best home remedy i got from a dentist was gargle with hydrogen peroxide and brush your tongue. It works pretty well and takes it away almost completely but there is always a slight orangish color that exist

laur824

May 04, 2011

I developed OT after finishing a Z-Pack antibodics for strep throat. I was intially treated fro thrush with the Clotrimazole 10mg troches 5x a day. That course of action did NOT work. The orange would temporarily go away after rinsing with hydrogen peroxide and scrubbing my tongue with a tooth brush soaked in antibacterial mouthwash, but it would return, if not the same day a day or two later. Per this forum I asked my doctor about doxycycline. I was perscribed DOXYCYCLINE 100mg cap 2x a day for 7 days along with NYSTATIN 100,000units/ml swish and swallow 5ml 3x a day for 7 days. IT WORKED I NO LONGER HAVE ORANGE TONGUE!!!!
The condition seems like an imbalance of flora in the mouth after an illness and especially after antibodic use. My doctors course of treatment basically treated for both bacteria and fungus overgrowth in the mouth.
THANK YOU FOR THE POSTS THAT LEAD TO THIS CURE FOR ME BECAUSE IT IS A FRUSTRATING AND NERVE RACKING PROBLEM NOT TO KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE OR HOW TO TREAT IT. EVEN THOUGH I DON'T OFFICIALLY KNOW THE CAUSE AT LEAST THERE IS A CURE. I HOPE THIS HELPS AND WORKS FOR OTHERS!

laur824

May 09, 2011

The chlorhexidine gluconate .12% oral rinse is the way to go! After posting this I developed an inflamation (inflammation) on my left lower gum area and also some small tinge of ot started to reamerge after i stopped all treatment and rinsing with hyrogen peroxide. The dentist i went to said that i may have irritated my gums with the use of the peroxide and to stop rinsing with it. and he perscribed the oral rinse to get rid of the inflamation (inflammation) my previous treatment and peroxide use may have caused. My tongue is actually pink again instead of pale pink or white or orange. And the wounds on my gum are healing quickly with the aid of this stuff! I use it after breakfast and before bed.

orangetongue

May 21, 2011

To: Orange tongue cure

Hi. My tongue started out white and brown a few months ago. It turned orange 2 months ago, 24/7's. I tried Diflucan, yogurt, acidophilus, prescription Magic Mouthwash. Nothing worked. My doctor then prescribed Chlorhexidine Gluconate 0.12% oral rinse (tastes like Scope) and within a couple days, my tongue was almost back to normal. I still use it a few times ago, but my tongue doesn't sting anymore, not nearly as orange, and doesn't taste so sour. Doctor said anything could cause it...antibiotic use, using whitening toothpaste, having an infection, etc, whatever could disrupt your good yeast in your mouth.

ash7891

Jun 01, 2011

To: Orange tongue problem

Hi,

I noticed this about 3 weeks ago in me
I had a really bad cold, started coughing up phlem runny nose sore throat, I was sick of coughing during the night so I went to the doctor who gave me antibiotics.
Didn't fix anything so I went to my normal GP he said it was viral and to take a nasel spray called rhinocort aqueous, it cleared it up a little but not much. about 2 - 3 weeks after this I noticed a small patch of my toungue was yellow, i brushed it and it came back again bigger.
I also noticed the back of my tougue was white and a little furry-ish and bumpy, and I mean bumps that I don't remember being there before.
I freaked out brushed it off.
Thought it was oral thrush, spoke to a pharmacist who gave me a gel to put on my tongue. :(
it did nothing! I went back to get more and another pharmacist said Oral thrush is extremely painful you can hardly breathe and adults who get it are usually HIV positive, or have VERY low immune systems, not something that antibiotics would do.
I noticed that it only flares up when I have sugar or a lot of wheaty stuff so I think it may be some sort of mild yeast thing?
My throat though has gotten really sore again and I think I am getting a cold or something because I have terrible headaches and feel achie
I am going to start taking acidophilus and keep hydrated!
I'm seeing my GP on Saturday so I will let you know if he tells me something that will help!

jmmurph87

Jun 01, 2011

To: The Orange Villan

Hello all

I have been suffering from orange tongue for about 6 months now, some weeks are better than others and I think im getting better but then it will just flare right back up. I think I got it about a month after being very sick with bilateral ear infections/sinus infection/bronchitis. I was on two different antibiotics to clear it up and a month later i was left with the OT. Like most of you, sugar really gets it going. Also coffee or beer. Ive been to a primary care doc, and an ENT twice now. At first we thought it was the typical thrush and I tried the clotrimazole troch and that didnt work. I tried diflucan for 14 days and it got a little better but then came right back. Ive also tried nystatin, with again, a little relief and then it comes right back. Im being referred to an oral surgeon but I probably wont go because nobody really knows what this thing is. Has anyboyd tried oil of oregano??
http://curingherbs.com/wild_oregano_oil.htm

I started it today.

Also are you guys changing your toothbrushes or toothpaste?? Im thinking about getting disposable ones while I am trying to treat this or boiling the brush before i brush, we could just be recontaminating ourselves since this bug seems to be contagious.

penguin1234

Jun 05, 2011

I noticed this started after I got my Orabrush tongue brush. I had been using aquafresh toothpaste (the orange kind) and I was brushing my tongue with it so I thought it was that. I changed toothpastes but I still have it.

I'm healthy, I don't eat much fats, sugars, etc. I get my healthy fats, vitamins, etc (I'm a workout freak). So I don't think my diet would have to do with this.

Things that have changed around the time I noticed this:
1. New tongue brush
2. Started using sinus rinse (netipot)
3. Dentist appt around this time. But it was nothing major, and I don't remember having anything put into my mouth.

No extra vitamins, change in diet, etc. So i'm guessing one of these has contributed to this.

-I do remember dropping my retainer on the floor (outside. yeah gross) but cleaning it before using it. Maybe this?

penguin1234

Jun 05, 2011

Also I want to note: I changed my toothpaste to whitening toothpaste. I'm not sure if this came around the time i was using the orange or whitening toothpaste.

1429chad

Jun 16, 2011

To: all

Just checking in. I still have it. It comes and goes. Someday's orange and then someday's yellow. ENT thinks it's GERD related. All other doctor's can't figure it out.

andykman

Jun 19, 2011

To: all

I'm still going thru the symptoms...I can brush off the orange/brown/yellow each night and morning but nothing else has changed. I've had this for 8 months now. I'm encouraged by laur824's success with Chlorhexidine. I'm seeing the Dentist in 2 weeks and I'll see what he says, other than that I'm at a loss to cure this. I've been on a good probiotic for 4months that promised to cure yeast overgrowth but it hasn't done a thing for the yellow/brown/orange tongue.

ginagirl2727

Jun 20, 2011

To All:

About 2 months ago, while in my yard, I my hand was pierced by a palm thorn. It resulted in an ER visit, where they put me on a 2 hour IV drip of antibiotics and then oral antibiotics for the entire following week. Two weeks later, I came down with the coating of my tongue and the worst taste ever in my mouth. Also had stomach discomfort, painful gas and bloating, nauseousness, and nothing I ate tasted good. Am now suffering for 2 months. I have been researching on the net like crazy and I think I found a connection that applies to me. Last week I went to the Dentist for this nightmare, and he replaced an old crown I had for many years. That entire day and night, for the first time, the horrible taste in my mouth went away. BUT - the next day it came back with a vengeance. I personally think the remedy was my not eating at all the previous day due to the dental work. Once I resumed my normal diet. which include carbs, it reappeared. I think my problem is definitely candida overgrowth from the antibiotics I had taken. I do indulge in carbs and believe I will have to adjust my diet to try to starve the harmful candida that thrives on sugar and starch intake. I have already seen that when I indulged in sugar, the condition did worsen. If I can succeed, through lack of carbs, in having this problem subside for more than the 1 day I went to the dentist, I think that would be very informative. I have read so much about candida overgrowth and it is amazing the various symptoms it can cause. And many doctors are not knowledgeable about it. It seems even if they give prescription drugs to treat it, it may not work because the diet is not being included in the overall treatment. Over the next few days, I will be super strict and see how that works for me. I will definitely post my results, one way or the other. At the very least, I could afford to lose a few pounds by eliminating carbs.

jmmurph87

Jun 29, 2011

I started using the chlorhexidine rinse like others suggested. It has been two days and my tongue has felt better than ever. I dont feel like i have something that doesnt belong to my body in my mouth anymore. I had forgotten what a normal tongue felt like. Its been 6 months since i ate all day and didnt see any form of orange or taste that sour taste or feel that layer of whatever it is...To put the rinse to a test I even had a butterfinger and then mcdonalds. NO ORANGE...I know its only been two days but i feel so excited I had to share!! Before i could brush the orange off,but the white stuff in the back was never really gone...its gone right now!!

I will keep you all posted but i highly recommend getting this rinse!!!

f0r33ha

Jul 05, 2011

To: All

I think it's amazing that I'm not the only one who has to deal with this annoying thing!

I would just like to point out that I DIDN'T get a sore throat... I actually had a middle ear infection! Which caused a temporary ptosis in my right eye. I went to a cheap strip center doctor, and he gave me predisone and some antibiotics (forgot what kind :( !), which made my eye better, and let the swelling go down so my ear could drain out. But I think that my orange tounge was present a week or so prior to the whole ptosis & ear infection thing. I wrote it off as being caused by eating mango icecream. Obviously I was wrong. Also something interesting to point out-- I have a problem with angular chelitis; the corner of my mouth/lip is constantly cutting open, and also the entire lip area is always dry, itchy, and peely. These symptoms also go up into my cheek sometimes and becomes rashlike. ANNDDD I have noticed, when I eat things like yogurt, there is a significant improvement (with both the chelitis and OT). Indicating that it is infact a bacterial problem.

other than that-- there isn't much to say. My symptoms are the same as everyone else's. There definitely a flair when I eat sweet things

I guess I need to get a hold of that chlorhexidine rinse!

andykman

Jul 07, 2011

To: All

Wanted to give you feedback after I began using Chlorhexidine. I am seeing a reduction in the brown/yellow/orange but it hasn't gone away. Been rinsing for 3 days now, 2x/day. It is encouraging to see a positive change though, after 9 months of this. I'll keep you informed.

PlantGrower

Jul 14, 2011

To: All

So sick of this OT. Some how got this around 1st of May, after home remedies didn't work broken down to see the Doc who said "Never seen that before, interesting, well should clear up in a few weeks." "get yourself a tongue scrapper, use month wash we'll put you on nystatin rinse. Week goes by and nothing, see a different Doc and this time try clotrimazole lozenges after anther week nothing. Go back to same Doc and this time I get 875mg of Amoxicillin and within 3 days gone. No more orange tongue, no bad taste, no thick coating, back to normal. Then 10 days later OT is back!
Off and seen 2 different Ears, Nose and Throat Docs, best they can come up with, its not cancer, looks to be a form of hairy tongue, you should brush your tongue, use month wash and give it time. I'm thinking I just paid these knuckleheads a co-pay and this is the best they can come up with. Obviously they are totally lost and don't have a clue. My 2 Doc I seen suggested to see a Dermatologist but stupid me cancelled that appointment when the Amoxicillin cleared it up. Now it's a 5 week wait.
Someone please shed some light on this.

lemonparade

Jul 15, 2011

To: PlantGrower

it took a month or so for me using Collodial Silver, but I haven't had OT since and it went it away back in October 2010. I started taking a few drops in mid August and i think by October it was gone. Still gone, I'm VERY HAPPY to say.

andykman

Jul 23, 2011

To: All

Further update after using the Chlorhexidine Rinse for 3 weeks now...I still get the orange/brown coating but my tongue itself doesn't feel as "thick". I may investigate the Collodial Silver treatment that lemonparade tried next. Like all of you, I just cannot believe that this thing won't just go away. I even tried Probiotics from the candida support website along with oxygen drops, etc. but it had no effect. Its' just unimaginable isn't it? I've also tried cutting down on sugars, switched to natural brown sugar and eating more yogurt. If this is an out of control yeast overgrowth due to stress which is entirely possible there has to be more people out there who have this but haven't found our site. Good luck all.

jh1pet

Aug 03, 2011

To: those looking for characteristics we have in common

i'm 18- whtie female. i live in baton rouge, la. i have had "chronic" sinus issues since 2010-meaning i've had about 6-7 sinus infections and 2 horrid ear infections. i also had about 3 UTIs (which i assumed were just a side effect from my immune system taking a beating with the SIs). Summer of 2010 i was diagnosed with erythema nodosum-bumps all over my shins that i thought were "tumors". my "official" cause for the erythema nodosum was contributed to extreme stress.

the last dental work i had done was summer of 2006 or 2007 i believe. i recently developed yet another full blown sinus infection. (green mucus w/ some blood-sorry if that's too much info). i had THE WORST taste in my mouth for no reason about 4 days ago (as the SI was setting in). i tried everything, and it wouldn't go away. i finally gargled salt water and that helped. however, now i have this OT problem (going on day 3). my tongue and the back of my throat feel very coated-i can never really "clear" my throat. i just started my antibiodics for the sinus infection today after my dr appointment. i've been on birthcontrol for over a year now, and i have been on an array of antibiodics for the past year. i have been eating more ice cream the past 4 days and lotssss of cough drops-bc of the sore throat

i'm going to cut out the sweets and see if this helps. i will probably be back at the dr sometime within the next month if the sinus infection doesn't completely heal as i haven't been 100% healthy in about 6 months. if this happens i will be referred to an ENT. at any rate i will FOR SURE mention this if it doesn't go away.

andykman

Aug 04, 2011

To: jh1pet

Sounds like you've described what many of us here have. If you've read the posts, common themes seem to be URI's, sore throats and the like with lots of antibiotic use. The OT and such is simply a "yeast overgrowth" I would say. There is more and more of this developing in our population. You can google it and take your pick of many sites. Basically, we need to kill the yeast as it feeds on sugars. If you can do that, it may take care of the OT. I've been fighting mine for 10 months now. Hang in there!
Andykman

HisValentine

Aug 08, 2011

To: All

After reading this I got to Thinking...our my tongue orange? It randomly gets a painful "film" and ulcers on the inside of my mouth. I'm thinking, again, that it's my vitamins. I used to take 1 a day for women, fetched it up a few times, trying out the alive brand.
Things that make you go hmmmm.

jh1pet

Aug 11, 2011

To: all

andykman-thanks for the support!! i did google the OT and this was one of the first posts that came up that was helpful! thank goodness for that!!

to all: i promised an update so here it is. i did cut down on sweets and sugary drinks/sodas. i also continued take my antibiodics (perscribed for my sinus infection). i am happy to report that both my sinus infection and my OT are gone. i still have a few days left on antibiodics, and hopefully, after i finish them, my OT will stay GONE!! i did eat some chocolate earlier today (every girl's weakness lol), and i'm hoping this will not have any effect on my progress. i'll be sure to post back soon at any rate!! good luck to all in curing this!

Callie222

Aug 13, 2011

To: All

Just found this site and wanted to share my experience with OT. I have had it for about a year now and it definatley started with a cold and sore throat. I have the same yucky metallic tatse in my mouth and I wake up every morning with a dry sore throat. I went to the doctor and he looked at my throat and said it's probably from acid reflux, which I don't have any symptoms of acid reflux. I don't eat a lot of sugar but I am fond of my cold coffee drinks. I did notice a few months ago that everything got worse within a few hours of drinking a cold sugary coffee. So I started an experiment. I would stop drinking them for about a week and everything would get better. Then I would start drinking them again and all my symptoms would come back. Both bacteria and fungus thrive on sugar so my guess is that we all have some bacterial or fungal infection that is very hard to get rid of. I think it has the ability to hide way down low in the throat or even the lungs since I have had soreness in both areas when it is at it's worse. Getting rid of sugar out of my diet seems to supress it but it comes back once I reintroduce it into my diet. I'm tending to lean towards the yeast idea. I saw a lot of people mention they took no antibiotics but did take birth control pills. I did read that birth control pills can cause the yeast in our mouths to overpopulate as well as coricosteriods, antibiotics, smoking, pregnancy and dentures. I read that when the yeast travels down into the esophagus it gives a feeling of food being stuck in the throat or chest area and difficulty swallowing. I have both those feelings when the OT and metallic taste are at their worst. If it is yeast, some things that are supposed to help, raw garlic, colloidial silver, oil of oregano, probiotics and I've also read edible clay will absorb the fungus and pass through your body washing it out. Never heard of it though. The problem with all of these things though is that if you don't get rid of the sugar along with treating it, it will just come back. I think you have to go through a sugar detox a long with treatment. Also, Yeast can become resistant to antifungals so they will not always work. Probiotics are good but the ones you buy in the store do not have the ability to culture in your body so you will have to keep taking them regularly until the problem is gone. I hope this helps. I was doing okay after taking sugar out of my diet but the problem has returned since I got pregnant which makes me suspect yeast hiding out in my body even more. Good luck to everyone!

PlantGrower

Aug 22, 2011

To: All

Well it's been a month now since last post and since then I've seen my small town local dentist. He said to try Biotene mouthwash and tooth paste; this is supposed to help re-balance/produce saliva. The other mouthwashes, antibiotics, etc are just too harsh to allow your system to reestablish its balance. Since I’ve been using this, the OT is almost gone. I get a little at night, but that can be brushed right off. The gel seemed to impact the OT the most when applied at night. I don’t have the taste anymore, no coating, no dry mouth feeling, and barely can see the OT.

pablosantos

Aug 22, 2011

To: All

Hello

Thought I would share my experience with Orange Tongue - which has certainly been hanging around for the past two years, at least.

Some time ago, I noticed that my stomach was gurgling, feeling bloated, gassy and had recently been diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis (the doctor suggested anti dandruff shampoo), along with a very dry mouth.  I did a bit of research into Candida and decided to adopt the Candida diet, did it for three months, with very little success, the only improvement appeared to be is an improvement in my nasal passages, whilst on the diet noticed that i had an orange coated tongue, but not how it was supposed to look, it wasn't like cottage cheese and didn't hurt if I removed it, it just came off quite happily.I do remember some years previously having a bad throat infection with cottage cheese around it, which I was given antibiotics for, which seemed to clear it up.

I did more research into Candida and found out about the spit test and a product called threelac, you can look both up on the internet, but not sure about either - but that's my opionion.  Spent a fair bit money on threelac, whilst it did settle my stomach, the "spit test" never really changed and the coating on the tongue remained constant.  I gave up again after several months and decided just to settle with the tongue being orange and my stomach not being perfect and dry skin on my face...

Earlier this year, whilst in the garden i started to itch, went to the doctors and said it was an allergy, never had that sort of reaction before in the garden.  Showed him the tongue whilst i was there, said "you've just got a dry mouth, do you breath through your mouth?" he answered that question himself "oh, I can see you always have your mouth shut" - he suggested bicarbonate of soda on a toothbrush - thanks very much!!

Did more research into the overall symptoms - it could possibly be a lack of stomach acid / food sitting in the stomach stagnates causing gas etc- there are a couple of methods that the internet suggest for treating low stomach acid, so decided to give it a go - the stomach problems are improving and the dose that I take is reducing slowly - the tongue, well not as bad, not sure if it'll cure it, but my stomach is improving, so I shall see how it goes.

No theories just thought I would share, hopefully between us all we can come up with a plan...

303rider

Aug 30, 2011

To: All

I'm 27 and live in Colorado, I was headed to Mexico but had a sinus infection so the doctor gave me a Z-pack which is three pills of really strong antibiotics. Felt better the day we flew out and was good the whole trip, but the third day down there my GF said why is your tongue orange? of course I have no idea and thought it was all the fruity drinks and ****** food at the resort. After reading all of these I have to say I'm a little scared because I have had it for three weeks and have experienced all of these problems of scrapping it off to find it back the next day. I also believe that if I eat any sugar it coats the whole tongue and gets worse. I also two years ago was told that I contacted a skin fungus from taking antibiotics for a sinus infection and have spots the appear on my skin that go away if I but head and shoulders shampoo on them. I have had them ever since and they come back every summer it seams. I have a history of sinus issues and seem to being complicating things every time I take those stupid pills. Unfortunately they are the only thing that seems to cure my sinus infections which get really bad. I am on a mission to kill this OT. Help

xcskigirl

Aug 30, 2011

To: All,

I first noticed the orange tongue over two years ago I think. The color is gone but in its place other things have happened. My tongue and nasal passages have become totally dried out and this has proceeded to my eyes which are now very dry too. I went to an ENT specialist here a week ago and he is going to have me tested for Sjogren's Syndrome. This condition is an autoimmune one in which your moisture producing ability, think tears, saliva, mucous is compromised. It might sound like something you can live with but to a greater or lesser degree it will influence your stomach acid and ability to digest and the function of kidneys, liver etc. etc. Not so good. I posted, or thought I did, awhile back about the research at Mayo clinic regarding fungus in the sinus cavities. There is good research out there but be careful of your sources. Yeast is a Fungus. From what I have read autoimmune responses can occur in response to the toxins produced by yeast. Sjogren's is an autoimmune response. Hmmmm. Still don't know how to get rid of what might be originally a yeast problem.

jb1215

Sep 09, 2011

Wow do I have some similarities here.
i had strep about 2-3 months ago and took antibiotics for it. Then i had a sore throat last week again, and started rinsing my mouth thoroughly with a hydrogen peroxide mouthwash...well, that seems to have been a bad idea...4 days ago i noticed my tongue was orange at the back...man it is so gross...I also have really bad diarrhea and stomach cramps...
it's not thrush (i am a dr), thrush is typically patchy, white, bleeds when scraped off, and has associated pain.
i suspect its a bacterial overgrowth, caused by some sort of disruption of the bacteria on the tongue. In my case perhaps from overuse of the peroxide. in other cases maybe from oral antibiotics.
Anyway, my own GP is convinced I'm nuts, as are my physician friends...
really in the grand scheme of things this isn't such a bad thing....could have much worse problems!

jb1215

Sep 10, 2011

3 activia probiotic yogurts and my orange tongue is GONE!

srbrown1x

Sep 16, 2011

I have been dealing with this since November 2010.  I have been to general practitioners, Ear/Nose/Throat specialists, Viral specialists, etc..  Today I went to a family nurse practitioner who once helped my wife with allergies.

After listening to the symptoms (started with a bad cough, lots of phlegm, and then a yellow tongue), and what I had previously tested for such as Valley Fever, Whooping cough, STD's, etc., pneumonia, lyme disease, and the other testing for cardiovascular and chest xrays, she asked about my medical history going back almost 25 years.

She took two tongue swabs to check for fungus (I'll have the results in a week) and ordered a pin ***** blood test (it works like a home pregnancy test) for Heliobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) that popped positive almost immediately and in less than five minutes we were positive that I have an H. Pylori bacterial infection (the bacteria that causes peptic ulcers).  I have a prescription of a drug cocktail that I'll be on for two weeks and then possibly a different regimen.  My days of a cup of coffee over homework are gone for a while too, I have to avoid acidic drinks so it's water and milk for me now.

Here is my history:  I got a whooping cough booster after my daughter was born last year.  I got my teeth cleaned about the same time.  My regular doctor treated me for a cold sans drugs (my choice) after a cardiopulmonary (blow in the tube) test as he never heard my stomach gurgle when I breathed.  A general nurse practitioner at another office that I went to in frustration as a walk in ordered x-rays and several blood tests thinking that I could have been given a live whooping cough culture when I was vaccinated.  The viral doctor treated me for acid reflux after hearing the gurgle (without checking for anything else upon telling me that it wasn't a black thrush fungus).  The E.N.T. asked me to call him back in a week and to which he never responded back to my messages.  Everybody else just shrugged their shoulders blaming it on food coloring although I'd fast for a couple of days and scrub the heck out of tongue and changed diets several times.

By the way, the FNP says that the bacteria is contagious and can easily be transmitted orally including contaminated materials at a teeth cleaning...  Will I be cured?  The We'll see but at least I can give you all some more leads and I'll post the results of the fungus swabs.

srbrown1x

Sep 18, 2011

Follow-up to the post on 9/16/11....

The prescription is a "PREVPAC" which has prevacid (30 mg), Biaxin (500 mg), and Amoxicillin (500 mg). I have to take this twice a day for two weeks and then a follow-up.

Started it this morning.

alstare2000

Sep 24, 2011

Hi all I had this problem for over 2 months now. It was really bad when it started. I had no flue or wasn't sick although taking Tramacet (pain killer) for about 2 years as needed. Although my tongue now is more like light yellow I can't get rid of this. Went to see my family doc gave me some anti fungal medicine that didn't really help. So I red this post and started drinking probiotic yogurt to try it out and from orange my tongue got better looking so now it's usually yellowish. Hopefully someone finds something that would work I don't feel like going from doctor to doctor and trying different type of pills.
By the looks it won't go away by itself.

pragmatic

Sep 24, 2011

There is so much bullsh.it on the web and this forum, it's no wonder why we as a community of OT sufferers cannot solve this problem.

1.  OT is serious.  MD's recommending that "we shouldn't worry about it" or that "it is a normal yeast overgrowth" say that because they don't have OT.

2.  OT is not caused by acid reflux, stress, eating sweets, improper diet, bad hygiene, whitening toothpaste, or orange colored foods.  These things may make the condition worse, but they are not the cause.

3.  OT is not cured by yogurt, salt water, mouth wash, peroxide, chinese tea, tongue scrapper, or praying to god. These things may improve the condition, but they will not cure it.

4.  OT can go dormant and return.  Before you post a success on this forum/web, please try to be sure that you are cured.

5.  OT is contagious: mother/child, boyfriend/girlfriend, dentist/patient. When caught it's victims get a sore throat for 3-5 days and orange tongue follows.

6.  OT is not a fungus.  There maybe some confused Thrush sufferers who wondered on this forum and then cured themselves with anti-fungal meds, but they do not have OT.

7.  OT is either bacteria or a virus. It seems to be resistant to Z-Pac, Penicillin, Amoxicillin, and other common antibiotics.  However, like all bugs it can be killed....

....PLEASE STOP POSTING NONSENSE AND LET"S WORK TOGETHER TO FIND WHAT KILLS IT!

jb1215

Sep 27, 2011

Ive had no orange tongue for a couple weeks now.
i gargle with hot very salty water twice a day -- morning and night. For 60 seconds.
I then brush my teeth, and use a tongue scraper at the back to scrape anything thats there, though usually theres nothing
The orange tongue is likely just a bacterial overgrowth caused by some sort of perturbation of the natural commensal flora of the oropharynx. it is NOT serious, and not some sort of mutated bug, nor is it contagious. The salt water will lyse the bacteria and allows your natural flora to recover.
Antibiotics notoriously disturb this balance, but other conditions such as peroxide mouthwash etc can also disrupt the balance.
Try the hot salty water twice or three times a day for 60 seconds.
I am an MD PhD. Two doctorates.

jb1215

Sep 27, 2011

and to those thatve notice sugar makes it worse, its because these are glycolytic bacteria that love sugar...

OTisGone

Sep 27, 2011

I have good news!!

I had orange tongue for months, after a sore throat and having taken antibiotics and antimalarials at the same time.

One day I came down with a sinus infection or something and I had to take Levaquin (500mg) for 5 days. By the 4th day, the orange tongue started to fade away and after the 5th day it was gone. It was gone for maybe 1 or 2 more days, which was blissful freedom for my tongue, as I had become accustomed to the uncomfortable orange layer for so long. After those 2 days it came back.

Another 2 months later, desperate for a solution to this orange tongue, I convinced myself that if the orange tongue had disappeared for a couple days after the end of a 5-day course of 500mg Levaquin, maybe I just needed to take it longer and get it completely out of my system.

I took 500mg Levaquin for 10 days this time. GONE.

I HAVEN'T HAD ORANGE TONGUE FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS, after having had it for nearly half a year.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR IF THIS IS RIGHT FOR YOU. Levaquin, 500mg, for 10 days. For me, 5 days was too short and it came back. 10 days did the trick.

srbrown1x

Sep 27, 2011

Follow-up for my September 16 and 18 postings about Prevpac prescription for ulcer causing bacteria.

OT symptoms were gone on day three. No color and no tingling as if I'd ate a peppermint (which might be from brushing the heck out of it). Tongue is pink and looks good!

First time in over a year that I breathed without gurgling and didn't have drainage.

I follow up with the doctor's office on 9/30/11 which will likely be with another blood test for bacteria, results of the swabs of my tongue on 9/16, and possibly some other testing.

I'm not sure if I'm cured but, dang, I feel better and my tongue doesn't resemble a pumpkin. I wish that I had listened to my wife's advice earlier about going to her allergist as I had nothing to lose than a co-pay. Even if she hadn't found anything in the blood test and swabs, she did something other than listen to my breathing, look at my tongue, and insult my intelligence with their lack understanding or empathy.

idontwantaname

Sep 30, 2011

I had an orange tongue for at least the last six months. I was in the same situation as most of you. I had a bad cough was prescribed antibiotics ( I personally never took any antibiotics before this was my first time) a month or two after that I noticed my orange tongue. I changed my eating habits but it was still there. I tried every mouth wash, tooth paste, and home remedy. It turned out that it was the soy milk I was drinking. I found out because I basically starved myself for two days to see if it was the food I was eating. It went away. At the time i was on a diet so I was not eating a variety of foods so I just went back on each of the different foods I was eating until i figured out it was the soy milk. I noticed when I was eating yogurt I would see a slight tinge of orange too so it could be a common ingredient found in both but I can drink regular milk and everything is fine. Hope this helps some of you. The doctor told me that the antibiotics probably took away my "flora" (is the word i think he used. I am going to research it) which allowed whatever it was to turn my tongue orange.

idontwantaname

Sep 30, 2011

I had an orange tongue for at least the last six months. I was in the same situation as most of you. I had a bad cough was prescribed antibiotics ( I personally never took any antibiotics before this was my first time) a month or two after that I noticed my orange tongue. I changed my eating habits but it was still there. I tried every mouth wash, tooth paste, and home remedy. It turned out that it was the soy milk I was drinking. I found out because I basically starved myself for two days to see if it was the food I was eating. It went away. At the time i was on a diet so I was not eating a variety of foods so I just went back on each of the different foods I was eating until i figured out it was the soy milk. I noticed when I was eating yogurt I would see a slight tinge of orange too so it could be a common ingredient found in both but I can drink regular milk and everything is fine. Hope this helps some of you. The doctor told me that the antibiotics probably took away my "flora" (is the word i think he used. I am going to research it) which allowed whatever it was to turn my tongue orange.

idontwantaname

Sep 30, 2011

I had an orange tongue for at least the last six months. I was in the same situation as most of you. I had a bad cough was prescribed antibiotics ( I personally never took any antibiotics before this was my first time) a month or two after that I noticed my orange tongue. I changed my eating habits but it was still there. I tried every mouth wash, tooth paste, and home remedy. It turned out that it was the soy milk I was drinking. I found out because I basically starved myself for two days to see if it was the food I was eating. It went away. At the time i was on a diet so I was not eating a variety of foods so I just went back on each of the different foods I was eating until i figured out it was the soy milk. I noticed when I was eating yogurt I would see a slight tinge of orange too so it could be a common ingredient found in both but I can drink regular milk and everything is fine. Hope this helps some of you. The doctor told me that the antibiotics probably took away my "flora" (is the word i think he used. I am going to research it) which allowed whatever it was to turn my tongue orange.

peleliuvet

Oct 03, 2011

YOU DON'T NEED ANTIBIOTICS.. Had it for almost a year. CURED IT WITH OREGANO EXTRACT (liquid). Google it. It's anti viral, anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti parasitic..etc etc. I happen to be taking it as a dietary supplement whenever my immune system felt weakened, or I sensed a virus coming on the stuff not only kept me from getting sick, but eliminated whatever was causing my O.T. issues. I purchased mine from Whole Foods, however any health food store should carry it.

So glad that is over with

TongueColor

Oct 06, 2011

This orange tongue is most likely attributable to an overabundance of certain bacteria in our mouths that feed on sugars which is why it flares up when sweets or carbs are eaten. For some though it is just a different shade of yellow tongue which can be related to Candida. There are things you can do to heal it naturally such as grape seed extract and probiotics to keep it in check. I had it for almost 9 months before my research led me to believe that for me it was an acid intake problem.

srbrown1x

Oct 06, 2011

Follow-up for 9/16, 9/18, and 9/27 postings.

I finished the Prevpac prescription for the H. Pylori bacteria.  I'm now on a 40 mg Omeprazole for two months.  Still no orange tongue and feel much better!

Swab cultures taken on 9/16 haven't found any fungus or bacteria growing yet according to early lab results.  That means that, at least in my case, it is not an overabundance of bacteria in my mouth.

I'll provide a stool sample to the lab on Monday to look for H. Pylori remnants.  I guess the finger poke bloodtest just shows antibodies?

I hate taking drugs, including aspirin, but after a year of this stuff and constantly worrying about it's affects on my long term health and whether my wife and kids could catch it, I'm through with the guesses and suggestions, I want it gone.  I spent a lot of time looking for the cause, and a cure, for my symptoms, and I still don't know if I've found either but at least I'm being actively treated rather than appeased and I'm feeling a lot better physically, mentally, and spirtually.

In my case, it wasn't sugar, it wasn't thrush, it wasn't std's, it wasn't acid reflux, and it sure wasn't food residue.  If grape seeds, salt water, silver colloids, probiotics, or any other stuff worked for you, great, but that tells me that you either caught it early or had something different.

I have provided a description of my symptoms, my diagnoses, and my treatments on this web page for others in good faith and without trying to diagnose someone else.  I hope that it is useful or at least inspires someone to talk to their doctor about another possibility rather than torture themselves in a never ending search.

guywithot

Oct 11, 2011

To: everyone

After reading everyones comments i can connect with the following.
1. I got off antibiotics for an infeciton in my mouth
2. My wisdom teeth are coming in i have not had them out yet
3. ive been eating more sugar
4. i have heartburn all the time and was on omeprozol notsure if i have acid reflux or not.
5. Just went to the dentist.

Im pretty sure its mostly to do with the antibiotics. some of you may not know that the things yuor usuing contain antibiotics. Which may cause you to rule that out.

im 22 years old male from washington state

Guywithotcured

Oct 18, 2011

To: everyone

Hi this is guywithot i figured it out!
i cured my ot i tried the salt with hot water thing that kinda helped but didn cure it. it was so solty i threw up i did that twice and the water was veyr hot. But what i think cured it was detoxing my body. All i did wsa not eat for 1 day and drank alot fo water and 3 cups of greeen tea with no sugar or nothing added. The next day it was gone and has not come back after i started eating again. Hopefully this helps people.

Shababy49

Oct 23, 2011

I have had an irate tongue since may 2011....not happy!! I have been all over the internet trying to figure it out. I am 36years old female and have autoimmune issues (sjrogrens, ulcerative colitis, sponhdyloarthritis, crossover of lupus with fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis in my back). I am on hydrocodone 10/500 and butrans patch 20mcg. No antibiotics or cold when it turned orange but did have some fillings fixed in my mouth and a dental cleaning prior to the ot. Nystatin did not work and my GP did not believe it was thrush and said nothing to worry about even tho she had never heard about an orange tongue caused by fungus. My gastro guy said possibly from my ulcerative colitis but nothing to worry about....Uh I just wanna be able to stick my tongue out and not feel peeps are gonna get grossed out cuz I try not to show my tongue to anyone as it is embarrassing! ! I am very active ....I bartend and work in an autism room. I am right now trying peroxide brushed onto my tongue and spit out and repeat. I just started doing this last night and it seems jefferson hoping for the best!! Too early to say if its workings. I don't believe it is a fungus but could be bacterial. I quit smoking in february and use a vaporizer ;-) one of those new fake cigs which uses flavored drops but I had been using those for 4 months with no issues so don't think that's it. Any advice would be awesome....there's a lot of info on this thread and I've been trying to weed thru it all.

Shababy49

Oct 23, 2011

Sorry or the typos...I post from my phone and it likes to change my Texting without consulting with me first;-)

Shababy49

Oct 23, 2011

To: all

tonguecolor.com is a good site

Kellyco

Oct 24, 2011

To: Jb1215

Thank you jb1215 for being the voice of reason here. I got ot after using a whitening mouthwash for a couple weeks. I truly believe that it can be caused by a number of things but is ultimately the result of an imbalance in the naturally occurring organisms in the mouth.

I used an oral probiotic, gargled with warm salt water, brushed my teeth with plain baking soda and tried to avoid foods that seemed to make my mouth taste or feel worse. As a side note, at one point my tongue actually turned a bright turquoise color rather than the orange but I continued with my natural regimen. (And there are lots of postings on other sites by people who are wondering how to get rid of their GREEN tongue as well!)

After about a week it started to clear up and after not quite 2 weeks seems to be pretty much gone. I think people who are trying all sorts of drugs and chemicals to rid themselves of this may just be making it last longer.

seahag83

Oct 26, 2011

To: all

back in mid Sept. had diverticulitis and was put on some strong antibiotics and noticed then my tongue felt like it had hair on it then ended up in the hospital for it and was on even stronger antibiotics and this made the funk just that much worse. So after reading this forum I changed my toothpaste to a baking soda/peroxide paste, 2 x a day i rinse my mouth with peroxide and red cider vinegar and also brush my tongue with lemon juice and the toothpaste when I am brushing my teeth. Also during the day I rinse several times with warm salt water. After doing this for 2 days my tongue looks alot better, not smooth like it was but the funk is going away. I have also added an oral probiotic.

steeoo

Nov 12, 2011

To: to all

think ive had this that long i dont know how long, been the guts of 4 years on and off, been on antibitics alot over the last few years to try and treat h plyori... had the worst 4 years of my life with all of the above. ive read every single post on here for the last 5 hours so glad im not alone. my doctor wanted to recoment me to see the cpn if this next course of anti biotics dont wipe it out. thank you all so much for posting and i really do wish each and every one of you all the best with this.. the foul taste is the worst in the world. like youve been licking a chalked black board clean haha but we,ll all get there in the end i hope good luck and taske care and i will be back to let you know how i got on =)

srbrown1x

Nov 12, 2011

Follow-up of 9/16, 9/18, 9/27, and 10/6.

The tongue swabs came back a few weeks ago. No fungus or bacteria in the orange coating were detected or grew anything in the cultures.

I haven't had orange tongue since starting the treatment for H. Pylori in mid-September. My gurgling and phlegm is gone too.

Regards

michael299

Nov 14, 2011

To: all

From March until the end of September I was fighting in Afghanistan. In late September I was injured and sent back to the US for surgeries and medical care. I noticed it a few days afterwards.

I never had this problem before so I don't think its some kind of disease I picked up overseas. My guess is that its cause by some kind of medication that I had to take.

I can brush most of the orange off my tongue but it's always back by the next day. I've tried rinsing my mouth with hydrogen peroxide and it seems to help a little.

centrum591

Nov 15, 2011

Very interested to find this forum, and dismayed that no one has found a definitive answer for what causes this. I'm a guy, 27, and my story is like a lot of people's on here:
- my wisdom teeth were pushing through my gums. The area around them got very infected and inflamed so I went to the dentist, who put me on a 7 day regimen of amoxicillin. Literally one day after I finished my regimen, I awoke with an almost neon-orange tongue. I've since gone on a regimen of scraping it off, brushing my tongue, and gargling with salt water, which has managed to subdue it a little. It's now more dull beige/brown than bright orange, but it's still refuses to go away. I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow just to make sure it's not thrush, but looking at pictures online and comparing my story it seems like it is much more likely to be this mysterious orange tongue. I'll report back if, god willing, the doc prescribes something that manages to finally get rid of it.

1PillCure

Nov 22, 2011

To: All

Thanks to everyone who's posted here, quite a number of remedies that have worked for some amongst us. I had OT for about 14 months and tried most of the home cures with occasional temporary relief. Like most, I appear to have developed OT after a round of antibiotics and/or indication of Candida Yeast infection/exposure. In my case I had been on a low level Tetracycline prescription for decades to help control adult acne. I'm going to summarize this forums repetitive cures and then one of my own.

1.   Collodial silver water, Probiotics, salt or chlorhexidrine rinses, grape seed extract, oregano liquid and several others appear to have helped some but definitely not all who tried them. I've stayed on Probiotics for the other health advantages I've experienced in my digestive functions.

2.    Removing sugar from diet and/or total fast appears to have a positive effect, in some case the fasting for more than 2 days appears to effect a cure as some have reported that OT did not come back. This would indicate that OT is a bacteria that specifically feeds on sugars and glucose.

3.    PREVPAC which includes Amoxicillin, Biaxin and Prevacid has worked for quite a few but not all who've tried it. I believe that it is the Amoxicillin that works, especially for those who haven't had OT for an extended time.

4.    Doxicycline appears to be an effective antibiotic that cures most OT sufferers who've tried it. I am going to ask my dentist for a prescription just in case my self prescribed cure doesn't stick.

5.    I came across three capsules of my old Tetracycline prescription in my travel case one morning two weeks ago. Not enough to try to cure my OT by normal ingestion for 10-14 days but desperate men attempt desperate solutions. I pierced a capsule with a needle and sprinkled a small amount directly on my tongue. I then spread it all over my tongue and left on while showering and then some, about ten minutes. It formed a whitish crud  which I brushed off and then rinsed with regular mouth wash. That evening I couldn't really see any orange (normally end of day my OT was whole tongue and very prominent!) so I decided to repeat the Tetracycline sprinkle after supper. Kept it on for 15 minutes and then brushed the white crud off. I did this for 2 more days with that single pill (only takes a small amount!) and my ORANGE TONGUE is still gone!

I am not a doctor but if I was I would prescribe this as a cure to everyone with OT!!!  (NOTE: NOT IF YOU HAVE LIFE THREATENING PENICILLIN ALLERGY!). It doesn't expose anyone to enough antibiotic to disrupt the other good bacteria in your system and it directly attacks the problem on your tongue.

I will post again once a week for the next month or two. If anyone else tries this please post, thanks.

1PillCure

Nov 30, 2011

Still OT free!

bri513

Dec 19, 2011

I notice that most of the posts are from quite a while ago. How many of you figured out how to cure your tongue discoloration issue? I have had it for 3 months and can't figure out why it keeps coming and going. It was gone for about 2 days and i was pretty excited, then wham, its right back. Any answers? Asked my gastro doc and he smiled and said, "thats a new one." Ya, that's awesome...

OTmama

Dec 27, 2011

To: orange tongues lol

I have been dealing with this orange tounge thing for a couple months now, and I first thought it was caused by smoking, but I am no longer under that assumption anymore after reading these posts, which it sad and scary, has any docter or lab discovered what this AUCTALLY is?? I have had a sore throat now for over 3 weeks and just got done taking antibiotics for a broncitis infection, azithromyicin, the z pack. However it did not make my sore throat better or my orange tounge, I don't know if these two are related, the sore throat and orange tongue, but it's starting to freak me out.my ears are stuffy and the docter told me my tubes were retracting from such a bad infection, but the meds didnt reall help out alot. I don;t know what to do, I lose health insurance in a week and am really at a dead end. :(

foreignerabroad

Dec 28, 2011

To: sumone2

I tried this with Doxicycline and it seems to have worked. I crushed up a pill and spread the powder on my tongues affected areas. 2nd day and clean healthy looking tongue. I feel better too. I'll do one more dose tonight for good measure.
it tasted foul and it made me drool like a dog and keeping your tongue out without swallowing is hard, but it's worth it to get this stuff out of my mouth and feel normal again.

inqdragon

Dec 28, 2011

I am still OT free after over a year. I thought people would be interested in something that happened at my annual PCP appointment yesterday.

My doctor showed me something she had cut out from a magazine a few months ago to show me. The magazine was called "Consultant" (dated September 2011) and she had cut out a portion of a picture quiz about diagnoses. The first page showed a picture of somebody with an orange tongue. The text read as follows: "Case 3: This discoloration on the tongue of a 26-year old woman has been present for about a week. She is otherwise asymptomatic. Several weeks earlier, she had been treated for a urinary tract infection, but the medication had been discontinued before the discoloration occurred. Is this a drug reaction?" The second page had this answer: "Case 3: Hairy Tongue. The diagnosis was hairy tongue, and the patient was assured that the condition was benign. She was instructed to brush the area regularly with a soft toothbrush. The discoloration cleared 3 weeks after it had appeared. This condition is the result of hyperplasia of the filiform papillae. It can be a consequence of topical of systemic antibiotics, but in some persons, no cause can be established. Pigmentation within the area of hyperplasia is attributed to the activities of pigment-producing microorganisms."

So that's the first time I've heard that title: "Hairy tongue." I'm glad that a diagnosis magazine is including this. I think the answer isn't completely accurate, though, because it implies that the condition will go away easily, which doesn't match the experience of most of the people here. But I wanted to let people know about this.

srbrown1x

Dec 29, 2011

To: sumone2

Thanks for the post. My doctor tried treating me for hairy tongue without success. In fact, the cultures that I had done of the orange stuff came back negative for the bacteria that causes hairy tongue and black tongue.

I ended up being treated for H. Pylori (sp?) the bacteria that causes ulcers and haven't had any symptoms now for months.

I think this phenomonen is a symptom of more than one health issue and this would explain why some people cure themselves with home remedies, some cure it through antibiotics, and others go uncured after trying everything they find in this site.

raceegr

Jan 01, 2012

To: sumone2

I have had this orange tongue for about 3 months now. I finally went to an oral surgeon and had it biopsied. It ended up being a bacteria called actinomyces. What's weird is that this is a bacteria that naturally exist in our mouth. Treatment to get rid of this is usually penicillin for 6-12 months! The oral surgeon has referred me to another Dr. which I see next week. I will post an update after I see him.

foreignerabroad

Jan 04, 2012

To: foreignerabroad

ok the doxycycline kicked it off my tongue but it came back a few days later. This is getting me down now. At least I can kick it out for a few days I guess but I'm not comfortable with an alien organism making my mouth its home and repainting the interior to its taste.

raceegr

Jan 05, 2012

To: foreignerabroad

It comes back because the bacteria (Actinomyces) that cause it is a very slow growing bacteria and requires antibiotic treatment for several months. I think the majority of people catch this after getting dental work done. It seems that dental work causes trauma to the tongue allowing the bacteria to take hold and turn our tongues orange.

ericstrom

Jan 07, 2012

I had the problem of an orange tounge last winter. I started using a tea tree oil toothpaste (in this case from Dessert Essence). After that tube was used up, I switched to a toothpaste with Neem from a different company. Somewhere in there my tounge turned back to a more normal color. I think both of these are supposed to have anti-bacteria/fungus properties.

pragmatic

Jan 07, 2012

To: raceegr

Dear raceegr,

I 100% agree. I've had OT for 1 year and I contracted it 2 days after a teeth cleaning. You mention a regiment of antibiotics for an extended period of time - could you provide more details?

raceegr

Jan 08, 2012

To: pragmatic

Pragmatic,
From my research it seems the bacteria that causes this orange tongue naturally exists in our mouth. It is called Actinomyces. Having dental work done seems to cause some kind of localized tissue damage which predisposes us to this bacteria. The bacteria requires antibiotic treatment for several months because it grows slowly. Most antibiotics work by inhibiting some component of cell growth. Cells that are not growing cannot be destroyed by the antibiotic. Therefore, you must take the antibiotic for an extended period of time to ensure all the bacteria has been exposed to the antibiotic. I hope that makes sense. I would recommend you see an oral surgeon an explain the situation to them. They might want to take a tissue sample and have it biopsied. I do not think any over the counter treatment mentioned here will permanently get rid of it.

andykman

Jan 12, 2012

To: all

I'm very encouraged to see what raceegr has discovered concerning the OT. I've suffered this for over a year now and tried just about all the OTC remedies mentioned here, from yeast killing probiotics to chlorhexidine mouthrinse. I even tried Milkthistle which cleanses the Liver but as we know these have no effect.

I'm also very puzzled why the medical community cannot diagnose this. I think it comes down to something that most practitioners don't see on a regular basis. I even tried my ENT and Dermatologist and they had no clue. My Dentist has no idea either but I am scheduled for a visit in 4 weeks and will come bearing lots of information about Actinomyces. I developed Periodontial Disease 14 years ago and go 4 times a year for cleanings so I'm sure that kicked it off.

enstarza

Jan 19, 2012

To: orange tongue

my son, age three, has had an orange tongue for three days. it seems to vary in intensity. last week, he had diarrhea after we both ate an off meal in mexico. his diarrhea lasted 5 days. during this time, we gave him probiotics and grapefruit seed extract. in my research thus far, what is ringing a bell is the idea of acidity or ph. certain bacteria can only exist within a certain ph range, which explains why some folks who hsve poor pral hygiene, and eat lots of sugar do not get cavities. the ph of their mouth, naturally, which is to say their stomach, gut, body is more alkaline, not acidic. an alkaline ph does not support the carie causing bacteria... all this to say, for many, i believe it is an issue of one's ph being too acidic. my son was eating many starches (acidic) and was generally off balance in his gut. i have always felt him, like me, to on the acid spectrum of natural ph level.

we are going with baking soda. making an alkaline water with it, tho thus far simply dipping his little finger in and eating it, rubbing on tongue, too.

i appreciated the site:
http://www.tonguecolor.com/Ph.html

as we see their may be many elements at play here, yet the basicness of a ph balanced body, or even an alkaline leaning ph, is important for everyone.

sugar, flour, meat, cheese...all acidic foods on the spectrum.
it is difficult to make big changes in diet and stick to them...
the idea of adding alkaline water, or even baking soda, is simple.

i am no expert, still discovering much, but i felt to emphasize the ph component.

stress=acid

antibiotics in general also probably throw off one's ph, but i honestly do not know. they do indeed wreak havoc on the beneficial microbes and healthy flora. i am very happy to say, my son has never received antibiotic medication.

i hope my young son does not have an orange tongue for years.
i will keep you posted.

cheers.

csaggie2000

Jan 19, 2012

To: Whom it may Concern

I've had the same OT issue, lots of antibiotics and acid reflux...

Reducing the amount of Tea in my diet has helped, however, never went completely away.

However, eating some homeade venison jerky makes it go away for 10-12 hours, so I ate it for a few days straight, several times a day and it has gone away for a few days now.

I'm not sure if it's the salt content or the garlic (natural antibiotic?) but seems to be working... will repost later.

randomositty

Jan 27, 2012

Guys.. I'm not trying to advertise or anything, but I been using OraMD for a good year or so, That stuff is amazing.. regular toothpaste is pretty evil, -almost any brand ..specially if it includes Fluoride-.. Any who, I just hope you guys do research on OraMD and try it out.. I really hope it helps =), -personally I think its a tad too expensive, So I just make it buying the 3 ingredients it has from amazon and combining them(more expensive but I get more in the end)..same thing..even better-, =D.. It really helps tons of mouth problems...

andykman

Feb 09, 2012

To: raceegr

I've been suffering from this malady for over a year and was encouraged to see that an Oral Surgeon may have diagnosed it. I was wondering if the diagnosis was correct and if you've started the antibiotics yet and if so, which one? I scheduled an appointment with an Oral Surgeon today and can't wait to have him check this out. Good Luck!
Andykman

raceegr

Feb 12, 2012

To: andykman

Hi andykman,
So far it looks like the diagnosis was correct. I was put on 1000 mg of Penicillin VK 4 times a day for 6 months. The orange was completely gone in about 2 weeks. He told me I need to stay on it for 6 months though as it is a very slowly reproducing strain of bacteria. I have been on the antibiotics about 2 months this far and not only is the orange tongue gone, the metallic taste I was getting is gone as well. I would recommend telling the oral surgeon your seeing to explicitly check the tissue sample for actinomyces. Good luck, and make sure you let us know what you find out.