Tongue Thrush

Erythromycin & Oral Thrush?

Hi not feeling so good so please excuse any mispellings and brief outline. I had serious ear/throat infection ,so bad it ruptured eardrum. I was given Penicillen course for 7 days. I finished that and felt like it was still infected but thought after effects of infection and medication. I eat lots of fresh fruits vegetables and tried to get back to normal but felt worse day by day and hazy vague and temperature so had to go back to GP. She told me infection still there and to make it worse the furry tongue is Oral Thrush caused by first course of Penicillin and she has now put me on Erythromycin for another 7 days and told me to take anti-fungal cream pasted onto tongue four times a day after meals. I cannot see how the two can work together when one causes the other but never mind after meals I really dont feel like eating much today and query how paste on tongue will help as I am on medication that causes yeast imbalance in first place. can anyone help please? Thanks everyone :) Have to say the answers are all so sincere and really great I am so low I almost shed tears at kindness for taking time to tell me or explain what to do. Your all amazing and each answer is pretty much best answer am going to get gentian violet today and also probiotics for friendly bacteria balance but will be quick shop as so ill, again thanks so much for your time and kindness, much appreciated I understand now better that I can treat both at same time. If ever a next time I will take probiotic with and keep some gentian violet handy as remedy in bathroom cabinet. Big Thanks off to have some water and plain toast to quell nausea side affect of medicine but inspired :)

Public Comments

1. Hey - sorry to hear you feel so bad! My kids have had thrush when they were babies. The best cure for it was called "Gentian Violet" it's an older remedy, but works the best of anything. It's really messy and will dye you purple, but it works so well! I had a pharmacist make it for me once! He swore by it! They used to be prescribed "Nystatin" but it didn't work as well for it. Call pharmacies in your area to see if anyone carries it. Also - a healthfood store might have some ideas for probiotics that could help you feel better faster. Feel better soon!!!
2. Go out and get some Gentian Violet to treat the oral thrush. Put 4 drops on a q-tip and rub it on your tongue. It should take 3-4 days to clear. It's OTC and I would recommend calling pharmacies first to make sure they carry it as some will not. I can attest that it works as I am using it right now on my 3 month old daughter for thrush. Make sure you're eating yogurt or taking probiotics to get your good flora back!
3. Poo old you, it's not much fun being crook, is it? Anyone can get crook, you know, even fit people who eat all the right foods and do all the right things.... The antibiotics don't kill just bad bugs - they kill all the bugs that are suseptable to it (not all bugs are killed by penicillin, for instance). In our mouth we have a number of bugs that normally live there, to keep us healthy. The thrush bug is one of them. The other bugs normally in our mouth stop the thrush bugs from taking over and vice versa.....when we are well. When you got sick, the penicillin killed off the controlling bugs and the thrush bugs multiplied to cause you this new problem. These thrush bugs also get a bit out of control in people who use inhalers to prevent asthma, are taking the pill, who smoke tobacco, who don't brush their teeth or have poor teeth anyway. So if any of those also apply, you were more likely to suffer this side effect of antibiotic treatment. What I hope you have is a little bottle of liquid with a dropper. The correct amount is 1 ml, measured in the dropper. Put it in your mouth over your tongue and push it to all the sore patches. Hold it in your mouth as long as you can, then let it trickle down the back of your throat. Do this 5 times a day til the bottle is empty - about 4-5 days. From you post I am worried that you have been given a tube of cream instead, That is used to treat thrush in skin folds (like armpits or between the toes) or genitals (vaginal thrush for example). If this is what you have ring the doctors clinic and get the oral suspension prescribed. The drops on your tongue and the erythromycin will be fine together -they have different jobs to do.