The answer to your problem!!!!

[Bbc]

First of all, let me assure you that I know exactly what you're going through. I went through it for the last 20 years. Till 2 months ago.....so here's my story.

It started suddenly when I was 27. People started moving away, rubbing their nose, making sure they didn't sit next to me. I'm not going to reiterate what you already know; the embarrassment, the fright to talk in an elevator, not speaking when there's so much to say. In short, a pathetic life.

Tried everything possible...lived abroad for many years so had access to all the gimmicks I read on the net. Neti pots, ayurvedic tablets for sinus infection, Therabreath, Chinese medicine, Korean medicine, tongue scraping, tee tree honey from new Zealand homoeopathy....you name it, I've tried it. Years and years of scouring the Internet and looking for some miracle cure. Nothing worked.

Then one day I happened to read an article about GERD being a possible source of bad breath. Given that I had tried everything else, including checking for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, blocked eustacian tubes, post nasal drip, kidneystones - all of which I suffer from - I decided to treat my not so serious GERD. I have always suffered from acidity and have taken antacids on a regular basis, but now upped the ante and started taking Zinetac (another name for Zantac). I take 150 mg every night. And voila! the bad breath disappeared after about 3 weeks.

Simultaneously, I also started gargling with hydrogen peroxide mixed with water, every morning after cleaning my teeth. The last few days I was away on a vacation and was too lazy to buy the peroxide. And still my breath has remained fresh, so I'm putting this down to Zinetac.

So dear friends, if you've tried everything and nothing has worked, give /Zantac a shot. You may just find that the problem was your stomach (even if there are no obvious symptoms of GERD), and not your mouth. Keep at it for a few weeks even if the results don't show up immediately.

Something tells me that you'll find the answer, like I have. Good luck!

[MissPretty]

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely give it a try. How many milligrams are you using?

[dolittle]

First of all, let me assure you that I know exactly what you're going through. I went through it for the last 20 years. Till 2 months ago.....so here's my story.

It started suddenly when I was 27. People started moving away, rubbing their nose, making sure they didn't sit next to me. I'm not going to reiterate what you already know; the embarrassment, the fright to talk in an elevator, not speaking when there's so much to say. In short, a pathetic life.

Tried everything possible...lived abroad for many years so had access to all the gimmicks I read on the net. Neti pots, ayurvedic tablets for sinus infection, Therabreath, Chinese medicine, Korean medicine, tongue scraping, tee tree honey from new Zealand homoeopathy....you name it, I've tried it. Years and years of scouring the Internet and looking for some miracle cure. Nothing worked.

Then one day I happened to read an article about GERD being a possible source of bad breath. Given that I had tried everything else, including checking for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, blocked eustacian tubes, post nasal drip, kidneystones - all of which I suffer from - I decided to treat my not so serious GERD. I have always suffered from acidity and have taken antacids on a regular basis, but now upped the ante and started taking Zinetac (another name for Zantac). I take 150 mg every night. And voila! the bad breath disappeared after about 3 weeks.

Simultaneously, I also started gargling with hydrogen peroxide mixed with water, every morning after cleaning my teeth. The last few days I was away on a vacation and was too lazy to buy the peroxide. And still my breath has remained fresh, so I'm putting this down to Zinetac.

So dear friends, if you've tried everything and nothing has worked, give /Zantac a shot. You may just find that the problem was your stomach (even if there are no obvious symptoms of GERD), and not your mouth. Keep at it for a few weeks even if the results don't show up immediately.

Something tells me that you'll find the answer, like I have. Good luck!

Hi Bbc

Can I first say how I am really happy for you that you have managed to get your problem under control. From the bottom of my heart I am happy for you.

I feel the need to comment on several things you have mentioned in your post. Sorry I don't want to come across as a know-it-all, but I want people to take this info into account too.

Firstly Gastrointestinal causes (of which GERD/GORD is one) have been shown to account for less than 1% of halitosis cases. I have to stress that the vast majority of pts with GERD suffer NO HALITOSIS. It is a very rare cause. I am not saying that your GERD didn't cause your halitosis, you may have been one of those rare cases...but you also mention several new oral hygiene practises that you started at the same time as treating your GERD.

In contrast, Intraoral causes of halitosis account for 87% of cases.

Hydrogen peroxide mouthwash has been shown by some researchers to be effective in treating halitosis.

Electric toothbrushes are more effctive that manual toothbrushes but only for people who have reduced manual dexterity (e.g. arthritis patients) and those people who have never been shown how to brush effectively. For ordinary people, manual toothbrushes are just as effective if you use them well. Obviously it is impossible for me to describe this in words...it needs to be shown physically. Electric toothbrushes are overpriced and just another way of companies making money. A cheap toothbrush is just as good, and get hygienist/dentist to show you if you feel you need the instruction.

I have not heard any research about cleaning the back of the tongue with fingers rather than scraper. Scraping has been shown to be effective reducing halitosis. Scraper has also been shown to be almost as effective as using a toothbrush on the tongue, and less likely to cause gagging. I would recommend people use the brush on the tongue first, and see if that works (then you won't have to spend money on a scraper).

Absolutely floss once a day - also been shown to reduce halitosis.

I cannot help but think that your new oral hygiene interventions have had more to do with the reduction in halitosis than the medication. Take it if you have to for the GERD symptoms, it is a very safe drug. I would not reccommend that people take unecessary medication if they do not have GERD symptoms.

I do not think that for the vast majority of people, there is a simple magic pill cure ... it takes much effort: regular, thorough but gentle oral hygeine measures everyday is a more realistic management strategy for people with intraoral causes of halitosis (87% of cases). For other causes, it will probably still help to a variable ammount even though it is not addressing the root cause. Oral hygiene has other great benefits anyway: like never getting gum disease* or tooth decay* and keeping your natural teeth well into old age (not to mention saving you dental bills!)

I didnt want to cause an argument or sound patronizing to you or anything, like I said you could well be one of those rare cases where GERD causes halitosis, but we need to hessitate before promising people cures when their situation may be different from yours.

Really happy things are under control for you and thanks for sharing your success my friend


*BTW both of these are other intraoral causes of hailtosis too, as you probably know

[mostlylogical]

...........It started suddenly when I was 27..........

can you tell more about it's early stages ? how suddenly it was ? if you read my story i posted a few months ago, you can see it was also developed suddenly after loosing one of my molars. 17 years of perfect oral health (excluding fillings, everybody have them ) and next day (literally) was the first day of my pathetic life. that's why i was always thinking the lack of tooth causing the bb.,but as for my doctor, it may not be related to the tooth loss, even though the dramatic changes my body experiencing seem perfectly synchronized with the tooth loss in timeline.

why am i telling this ? cause i think i also have GERD problem, and thinking how suddenly it started for both of us, maybe it's kind of releated ?

[Music Lady]

I will also try it. I'd tried it before but had given up after 3 or 4 days when maybe it seems my situation was a little worse. But I've heard that in order for this problem to clear up it gets worse first. Hmmm - will post back if its helping at all after maybe 2 weeks...

[glamourgirl05]

Hey bbc, how long will u be taking these pills? Or is it something to depend on in order to be BB free?

[Bbc]

There have been a few responses to my post, and I thought a response would be in order.

Dolittle - Let me clarify that my GERD problem was likely the cause of my bb, as it appears to have disappeared since my taking Zinetac on a regular basis. My dental hygiene has been perfect all along, with regular visits to the dentist every 6 months, regular tongue cleaning (with a scraper initially) and flossing, no cavities, tonsils removed; which led me to reason that it was not an oral problem. I take your point that gastro problems account for few cases of bb, however, given that many posters in this forum appear to have tried numerous remedies (mostly oral related) and still haven't found success, the problem could lie elsewhere. Re the fingers, try it and you will see that it's easier to reach further back on the tongue.

Mlogical - I know for a fact that till the age of 27 there was no problem. Then onwards, I started noticing people step back when I talked. Went to docs and dentists to try and discern the cause of the bb. All, save one, said that there was no problem. One dentist agreed that there was a problem, and after a thorough check up and analysis, concluded that the problem was non-oral.

Misspretty - 150 mg every night.

Musiclady - it would be worth a try. I don't think Zinetac 150 mg for a month would do any damage to the system, but in the light of what dolittle mentioned, you may wish to check with your doctor. If it doesn't work in a month, your problem may not be stomach related and you would naturally stop taking it.

Glamourgirl - I intend taking it as long as my GERD symptoms continue. If they stop, hopefully the problem will be cured and there will be no need of Zinetac thereafter.

In general - I'm not sure if the odor emanates from the stomach itself. If not, it may well be because of the accumulation of thick white gunk on the back of the tongue. However, this white coating could well be a result of stuff traveling back from the stomach. So in any case, the stomach could be the cause. There is plenty on the net to support the fact that GERD could cause bb. And that you may have GERD without knowing it or seeing the symptoms. Please also use your fingers to clean the back of your tongue.

I have taken the time to write this because I know the feeling of despair, and I hope all posters/readers in this forum find their individual solutions and become bb free. If you want any further info, please don't hesitate to ask.

[Bbc]

I'm determined to try and help others get over this debilitating problem. Please read this....... http://www.drkurtbarrett.com/serendipit ... -GERD.html

[perrymason]

I have PND, white coating on back of tongue, and nasal odor. The allergy/rhinitis symptoms I do indeed have.

I read that link you posted about Halitosis and GERD, bbc.

I really want to look into this, but what other symptoms would be prevalent? Any way at self diagnosis?

What would I say to my doctor if I wanted to look into this? I have tried EVERYTHING possible, and I'm now looking at other things.

[Bbc]

Hi Pervy

The most common symptoms of GERD are acidity/heartburn (burning in the chest), reflux (feeling that something is coming back to your throat from your stomach/oesophagus), repeated throat clearing (could be from pnd, but also caused by stuff climbing back up and irritating the throat), a lot of (and smelly) belching.

From what i have read, Post Nasal Drip results from thick mucous draining into the throat from the sinus cavities. And this adds to the white coating on the back of the throat. But I have also read that excess mucous is produced by the body to counteract problems of acidity in the system/stomach. Please also see the link in my last post.

Zinetac/Zantac is a very widely used, OTC drug. I had spoken to numerous gastroenterologists about the possibility of bb as a result of stomach related problems, and every single one said that was not possible. So I don't know what your doc will say. However, the fact that it's available OTC without a prescription would suggest that it shouldn't cause any harm unless misused. Try it - you may be positively surprised.

[Bbc]

To all those who have read/responded to my post, here is the article that made me believe that the stomach is the main cause of bad breath, even if indirectly by affecting the oral cavity. I am cured after decades, and have no reason to be on this forum other than to help all of you. So please read this article very carefully, and pay particular attention to the bit about GERD symptoms NOT always being present. And if you are going to give it a try, start with Zinetac/Zantac as it is safe. When you're cured, I'll be sending you my account number......only joking!!

http://www.grandtimes.com/GERD.html

[perrymason]

That article is very, VERY interesting.

I will definitely be trying this OTC medication. I found it interesting that they said GERD can run in families.

My mother suffers from severe GERD. She has had surgery to correct, and also takes presription medication. But she has no bad breath.

Hmm.....anyone with medical knowledge. Can GERD be genetic?

[perrymason]

Which OTC medication should I take? I couldn't care less for side effects, for I am quite a healthy individual, and am absolutely willing to try anything to fix this ****ing nuisance now.

There are many kinds for GERD.

Proton pump inhibitor? (prilosec, etc)
Acid reducer? (zantac)
Antacids?

[halitosisux]

Bbc, congratulation on making this breakthrough.

I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions and making a couple of points.

Were you ever tested/diagnosed for helicbacter pylori?

Have you ever tried other medications which reduce acid, such as a PPI? These are even more effective against GERD than Zantac, so this would be one way of discovering whether GERD itself is responsible for your BB or whether there's some other reason that Zantac has had the effect it has.

Zantac contains bismuth, which acts as a mild antibiotic and if you do have helicobacter pylori (which is quite a high probability if you suffer with the symptoms of gastritis) then it may be acting to suppress the helicobacter, resulting, for whatever the reason may turn out to be, in reducing your bad breath. Try some searches for pepto-bismol on this forum. Pepto-bismol contains Bismuth subsalicylate. Many people found that it greatly reduces their bad breath while they take it, but nobody is certain why and the effects usually wear off because it's possibly for no reason other than the antibacterial/antibiotic effect on the oral bacteria.

I hope you will appreciate that I'm not trying to discourage you, but only trying to discover and understand why this has had the effect it has on you, so that ultimately more people are likely to benefit.

[cambodian_girl]

I just bought a pack of 30 Zantac-150mg and took my 1st tablet.

I will report back in 30 days, or sooner if bb disappears.