Antibiotics for Halitosis / Bad breath?
I’m 23 years old and have been suffering from chronic bad breath for probably 5 years or so now. The smell seems to be coming from the back of my throat – I think it’s the post-nasal drip that smells (yes, I have smelled it… yuck).
I’ve tried EVERYTHING for it… bad breath products/nasal sprays (BreathRX), mouthwashes, gums, tongue scraping, flossing, brushing, drinking lots of water and special teas, changing my diet… NOTHING works, at least not permanently.
Except, I was on antibiotics (Flagyl) for 10 days for a bacterial infection and for a whole 2 weeks after taking the antibiotics, my breath didn’t smell at all!!! Unfortunately, it came back 2 weeks later and I’m more frustrated than ever.
I’m thinking of going to the doctor in hopes that she’ll prescribe me antibiotics, but I doubt it will have any long-term effects since I’m probably not suffering from any kind of infection considering I’ve been suffering from bad breath for 5 years.
I’m at my wits end. I try my best to avoid breathing in anyone’s face — especially my boyfriend’s, haha. What the heck else can I do for this??? Has anyone been prescribed antibiotics for halitosis with long-term success?
Filed under: Bad Breath Halitosis
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Hi Jane D,
ask a medical question and you get 21 different opinions.
I have some say unfortunately 21 doctors in my family
It is advisable to stay away from antibiotics as much as possible,not only do they kill the "bad" bacteria in your body they also kill the good bacteria in your body leaving you open to further infections!
So to your original problem,Post Nasal Drip And Excess Mucus – It WILL Make Your Breath Worse!
Research has proven that the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath use the proteins found in post nasal drip as a food source!
If you suffer from excess mucus, sinus congestion and post nasal drip there are essentially only a few different routes that you can take:
1. Use medication and or drugs to dry up the sinuses and prevent mucus buildup – all the while being careful to avoid a dry mouth, a likely side-effect of virtually all antihistamines. Dry mouth is the most common initiator of bad breath because it mimics an anaerobic environment, perfect for the bacteria to pump out Volatile Sulfur Compounds. You should be careful about using any antihistamine frequently – many are habit forming!
2. Use TheraBreath Nasal Sinus Formula. By squeezing 3-4 drops into each nostril (and then lightly inhaling to move the potent formula through the sinuses) twice daily, most people can finally experience that fresh breath and taste feeling by eliminating the production of sulfur compounds created by the reaction of mucus and the anaerobic sulfur producing bacteria.
3. For chronic sinus problems, many patients will find relief by using the Hydropulse® (an amazingly effective Nasal-Sinus Irrigator, designed by an Ear Nose & Throat specialist) to flush the sinuses. (It works even better when you add just 2-3 drops of AktivOxigen serum into the trough before each use.)
4. Minimize the amount of post-nasal drip in your throat and sinuses, and eliminate the #1 side effect of excess mucus, bad breath, by using oxygenating oral care products, such as TheraBreath, TheraBreath PLUS, AktivOxigen, PerioTherapy, and TheraBrite. Medication and drugs may help prevent post-nasal drip, but at what cost?
There are dozens of different over-the counter nasal decongestants and antihistamines that you can use to help relieve congestion and dry up excess mucus. Some of them do what their manufacturers claim they can do, but most of them perform the job too well! They create an extremely dry mouth, which exacerbates bad breath. Even in cases where the dry mouth side effect is minimal, when you stop taking that medication, the problem often comes back even worse! This is because in some cases your body will actually develop a resistance to any antihistamines or nasal decongestants, especially nasal sprays (be careful, because many sprays are habit forming, but NOT TheraBreath formulas)!
I have a link for you here which will help you I hope
http://www.cure4-halitosis.com
Flagyl shouldn’t be taken repeatedly. It’s a very strong antibiotic and the side effects from long term use could be bad. If you think your problem is coming from your throat, you should see an ear, nose, throat specialist. You might have a tonsil problem.
Here is the answer to your question. Most bad breath is caused by bacteria on your tongue, especially on the back of your tongue. When you took the antibiotics the bacteria was killed and so you did not have bad breath. Now you are off antibiotics the bacteria is back in flull bloom. To cure bad breath you must remove the bacteria by cleaning your tongue. I use OraBrush tongue cleaner when I brush my teeth. Really works well because it keeps the bacteria level very los. Mints and gum just cover up bad breath for a short time, but they do not kill the bacteria. So try an OraBrush. It really worked for me since five months now.