Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Hey All,

Given recent post about reflux and allergies, I want to add a new insight on my bb experience.

I've posted this info before but I developed terrible bb while living in Florida in my late-20's. While there I also had very bad reflux, so I got a prescription for prevacid and the reflux was gone. In retrospect, I think the reflux could've been a precursor to bb. The problem is that I don't really remember the timeline about when reflux, subsequent treatment, and bb all happened. In vague memory, it all sort of went together I think. I do remember not seeking treatment for reflux for a while until it got really bad. Anyway, I think around the time I completed treatment for reflux, I got a new job in Texas. For 1.5 years or so, I had no bb symptoms. I thought it was because I moved to different climate/part of country. However, I really didn't care. I just loved having no bb. Then after the 1.5 year reprieve, the reflux and bb were back with a vengeance. This time around though, the reflux went away because I got a very less stressful job. I quit my job in part due to f-ing bb. Anyway, 7 years later now I don't have classic reflux symptoms but I do have gas, bloating, slow digestion, PND and terrible bb. So now I'm thinking the reflux treatment could've "cured" my bb temporarily. Do you think that's possible? Otherwise, I had a comment from a co-worker the other day that "somebody puked." I've never gotten specific feedback about my bb smell, but I assumed it's me (as we always do right). Anyway, if I have slow digestion caused by fucked up stomach and compounded by reflux, maybe that's my bb cause?? I think I'm going to try h pylori treatment and prevacid in the hopes that this is my problem.

PS I'm certain that my bb was there, then went away, then came back and continues, because I work in high customer and co-worker contact environment and way more-often-than-not have very bad reactions daily. Nobody talks to me face to face. Most put up barriers between their nose and me. Some offer gum. Some say unsolicited "I brush my teeth 3 times a day." List continues.

PSS However, on a positive note, lately I've been relatively confident because I'm in really great shape, exercise daily, and have a small group of friends that accept me. I'm also a really nice/intelligent guy so my co-workers tolerate my bb too. Still ****ing up my relationships though. But by some miracle, I've been dating a couple girls lately.

Hi Hank,
If you have ever read the Dr. Marshall/h.pylor story whereby he purposely infected himself with this bug, he instantly became quite ill with severe symptoms of gastritis and developed BB as a result of this. As soon as he wiped this infection out his BB promptly resolved too. Since then there have been many cases and clinical studies linking this bug and its perhaps still unknown far-reaching effects. I think anyone with BB absolutely needs to be certain they do not have this bug.

Reading your post, its always possible that the reflux and BB are just a coincidence, since your symptoms dont coincide with each other exactly. Are you absolutely certain you have ruled out all other obvious possibilities?

just skim read the post but I noticed you said you moved to texas and the BB went, Its really really odd because I live in the UK but i have been to texas three times for a month or so and all three times by BB almost vanished! must be the climate? I also get pretty bad acid reflux and PND and that mostly dissapeared over there too. Very weird!

Halitosisux ~ Yes, I plan to do the h pylori test regardless. But if it is h pylori, why would I have had bb for a while, then goes away, then back again? If I would've been infected with h pylori all along, seems like I would've had bb all along. So the only things that are correlated as far as I can tell, is that I seemed to have bb around the times I've had bad reflux, and the only relief I've had from bb was after reflux treatment which coincided with move to Texas. Since moving to Texas, bb returned after bad bout of reflux, but now that reflux is gone, still have the bb. That's why my theory is to get reflux treatment again, even though classic symptoms of reflux are gone, but perhaps can help with bb. Not great logic, but it's all I have right now. Your input is appreciated though.

Rich1988 ~ You are the only one who's said as I have that a change in climate changed bb (at least temporarily). Regardless of my analysis above, simply put, as far as I can remember, I moved to Texas, and "poof", bb was gone for 1.5 years. And now back again. Everything else being equal, doesn't this sound like an allergic response? That is, it took the body a while to adjust to new environment. That's why recent post from other member about relief after reflux treatment and allergy shots got me thinking again.

Hank

Hank wrote: I moved to Texas, and "poof", bb was gone for 1.5 years. And now back again. Everything else being equal, doesn't this sound like an allergic response?

Were you still living in Texas when your BB came back?

Archimonde - Yes. I've been in Texas about 9 years. First 1.5 years in Texas bb disappeared. For past 7.5 years, it's been back.

So once again, my theory is that around the time I moved from Florida to Texas, I completed acid reflux treatment. So at the time I guess I just thought the acid reflux was the cause of bb and the treatment worked. After the 1.5 years, if memory serves, the acid reflux returned and bb came back. But now reflux is gone (I think as I have no classic symptoms), but bb continues. Feel like I may be just grasping at straws here but it's my current theory.

Hank

Hi, Hank,

Anti-acid drugs can also inhibit H.Pylori. But H.Pylori can only be depressed but not eradicated without formal therapy. I learned this by my own experience, since to do a Urea breath test for H.Pylori you have to be ppi and bismuth free for at least 2 weeks otherwise you will get false negative.

Since I can't live without ppi my Urea breath test might be false negative.

Just my 2cents.

Best.

Hank,

24-Hour Esophageal pH Test is done in the USA and as far as I know it is the best way to determine whether u have reflux and whether it is acidic or not. It is possible to have reflux without the standard symptoms (chest pain, heartburn), but if the reflux reaches as far as the throat, there will be some indications, like globus sensation, white coating of the tongue, bb, etc.
I believe that my bb is due to reflux, but it is possible to be due to h.pylori as well. Right now I can`t tell for sure which one is the answer because I took a course of antibiotics for h.pylori eradication and medication for fast stomach emptying and have no or little reflux.
I`m also having no bad taste in the mouth and no white coating of the tongue, nor am I having any bad reactions. I dare not hope this will last....

Hank,
Its perplexing, but in silent reflux the effect of the acid (even just the acid vapours) on the mucous membranes of the throat and nasal cavity can cause certain symptoms which could allow BB to develop. Is the air in Texas better quality than where you normally live and your BB is worse? Maybe you have a certain amount of silent reflux and always on the "verge" of having BB, but as soon as you hit polluted and irritating environments the balance is tipped and the BB starts. ASD recently mentioned that fluoridation in water supplies has been linked with acid reflux, could this be a factor?
Ensure you do not have h.pylori.

Thank you to all who posted on this topic and provided insight, feedback.

I saw my doc yesterday and was pretty frank about my symptoms, although I mostly couched the problem as a digestive issue, without too much focus on bb. Doc prescribed ppi's for reflux and ordered blood tests and barium swallow and endoscopy. I'm so hoping we find a plausible/treatable cause for this shit. Anyway, I specifically asked him about h pylori and he said that that is one of things we'll be looking for. I'm hoping as one of you suggested that perhaps when I took ppi's in past, it inhibited h pylori which explained the temporary bb relief. But then bb came back because h pylori wasn't eradicated.

Thanks again...

Hank

Good point Hank,
There are quite a few ways of inhibiting h.pylori and if you think any breath improvements have ever coincided with any known h.pylori inhibitors you've taken its a good sign and worth researching any other ways you can try inhibiting it to see what happens to your BB. If i remember correctly pepto bismol is an antibacterial which will do this, and *might* be why it reduces BB for some people. I would guess there are even diets which will do this too, and herbal remedies etc. I cant imagine why a PPI would affect h.pylori because even with excessive amounts of acid they still thrive, so reducing it with PPI will only make even more favourable conditions. Maybe the BB is all relating to the acid and gastritis caused by HP in some far reaching way. Some people with HP infection have HP present inside their mouths and some dont - could this be the factor and why inhibiting it gets rid of your BB?

Halitosisux,

Good question about HP in mouth and stomach and effects on BB. My answer is "I dunno." But I guess that's why triple antibiotic therapy may work on HP and BB since the antibiotics work wherever the infection may be. Anyway, I'll keep ya all posted. PS If you remember, I ordered a couple antibiotics online, gave them a try with no results. This time, assuming HP is present, hopefully I'll use the triple therapy with ppi's. In this case, the ppi's probably boost the efficacy of the antibiotics against the HP.

Hank

Hi, yes you definitely need a PPI as part of antibiotic therapy to eradicate HP. Without PPI all you will do is weaken the HP temporarily during antibiotics which will then develop into HP antibiotic resistance, especially with metronidazole. The most important thing is a reliable diagnosis and then to follow established guidelines in eradication. Good luck