Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Just some background on me: I'm a 36 year old female, slender, exercise regularly and eat healthy.

I first discovered I had bad breath in high school. It wasn't as bad then and I believe it got worse as I aged. My parents occasionally mentioned that I had bad breath but no one else would say anything. I finally was told by my boyfriend of a year(who rarely kissed me) that I had bad breath all the time. I had no idea until I began paying close attention. I realized that he was right. I would regularly lick the back of my hand and smell my saliva and it was not pleasant. I was so embarrassed and self conscious. I was determined to find a cure.

I began trying different things beginning with oral hygiene- brushing more, flossing, mints, gum, chewing mint, parsley, gargling with everything from vinegar to baking soda. None of it worked.

I soon ruled out that it was a hygiene problem so I went to an ear nose throat doctor. He said I had post nasal drip. I received several nasal sprays and added a neti pot saline cleaner to my daily habit and the post nasal drip began to disappear. My bad breath did not!

The conclusion was that it had to be digestive. I went on many different diets from gluten free, fat free, vegetarian, high fiber. Nothing seemed to matter. No matter what I ate, how often, or how much it still persisted. I even tried various antacids, Prilosec for 2 weeks, various Probiotics, yogurt, vitamin C. Still no relief.

Finally I went to a Gastroenterologist and told him my situation. He ran some tests(not pleasant) but found that I tested positive for H Pylori, a bacteria which about half the world has. It is widely know to be linked to halitosis. Sometimes it has no symptoms and people go years until they get a peptic ulcer or stomach cancer. A large portion of people in developing countries and in the U.S. have H Pylori. I have been on a 10 day treatment which includes 2 antibiotics, 1 nexium and pepto bismol 4 times a day. There are several "triple treatments" available for it. Anyway, I am at the end of day 3 of treatment and I haven't had bad breath in 2 days! In just the first day of treatment my years of halitosis disappeared! I urge you to go to a specialist to get to the root of your problem because it may be more than just your diet or brushing your teeth more. I can't believe so many years of embarrassment could have been erased by just seeing a doctor sooner. Wikipedia or Google- H. Pylori. Good luck!

that is great! I am very happy for you. So after the 10 days you are finished with the threatment?

Yes, treatments vary between 10-14 days of antibiotics. You cannot stop antibiotics early or you may risk getting worse. The doctor will retest me in one month to make sure that the H Pylori test is negative.

so, if you have had this almost your whole life, how come one time treatment of antibiotics will get rid of it?

It is not one antibiotic. It is two different antibiotics together 4 times a day, which I have never had. Plus Pepto Bismol 4 times a day, plus 2 Nexiums per day. Triple or quadruple therapies are what get rid of H Pylori. I have been on one antibiotic for a cold but never 2 combined with two other drugs. Without this combination, eradication is not successful.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/406945_4

http://www.life-enhancement.com/article ... asp?id=812

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicobacter_pylori

"But are you home free once you rid yourself of H. pylori? Maybe, maybe not. Because about half the world’s population is believed to be infected with this bacterium, and because it can be spread by human contact, chances of reinfection are high. Add to that the fact that food (particularly meat) and many communal water sources are often contaminated with H. pylori, and you really have to be on your guard. Once you’re reinfected, it’s back to square one. You’ve been there and done that, and you don’t want to have to do it again."

I hope that doesn't happen to you, spread by human contact? Again, I am happy for you. You can start your life over now. Big hug!

congratulations.....persistence paid off!

Of course you are never home free. You can anything if you are exposed to it. H Pylori is not a healthy bacteria to carry inside you for long periods as it causes peptic ulcers and stomach cancer in some people so I decided to get it treated.

Not trying to be negative.....But It has nothing to do with the pepto...your bb went away because of the antibiotics killing the bacteria in your ENTIRE body. It literally KILLS off all good and bad bacteria.
I read this curve a million times on many sites....Sgsin dont want to sound negative but please update again in this tread in a few weeks or so.

It actually DOES have something to do with the Pepto. Pepto Bismol(Bismuth) can act like an antibiotic and that is why it is added to the treatment to eradicate bacteria that the antibiotics have not.

A randomized, open-label Chinese trial including 160 patients with H. pylori infection and functional dyspepsia assessed whether adding bismuth potassium citrate to the standard twice-daily PPI-based triple therapy (omeprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin) and extending the treatment duration from 7 days to 14 days would improve treatment efficacy.[1] The success rate of the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy in the intention-to-treat analysis was 93.7% in the 14-day treatment arm versus 80.0% in the 7-day treatment arm (per-protocol analy sis; 97.4% and 82.0%, respectively).

My final thoughts on this forum...

My point in posting the particular solution to my issue was to show that there is a biological issue causing our bodies to have an abnormal reaction like chronic halitosis. A healthy adult should not have chronic bad breath. If after trying everything you cannot find a solution, you should see a professional and understand the root cause of your problem. Not everyone will have H Pylori but there is a definite cause for each of you.

Covering it up with oils, mints, vinegars and such is not a permanent solution because a healthy adult should not have to constantly clean, gargle, drink random potions simply to avoid having bad breath. A healthy adult should be able to eat most things and stay halitosis free on a regular basis. If they have chronic halitosis then there is a bigger issue and a specialist should be consulted.

I wish you all the best. Good luck.

ermmm guys, she's on DAY 3 of METRONIDAZOLE and pepto bismol.
The antibacterial properties of Pepto bismol alone has been enough to get rid of BB for some people while they've been taking it.

I agree. I took pepto-bismol for a week or so last christmas purely due to terrible indigestion after pigging out. My bb disappeared whilst I was taking it, but came back a week or so later (even though I was still taking the pepto).

Plus, alot of people here have found that their bb disappears whilst taking antibiotics, but it returns once the course is finished. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, but I'd wait until you finsh your treatment before celebrating that your bb has gone completely.

Of course, some people have found that their bb was down to h. pylori and it goes after treatment, fingers crossed you've found your cause

OMG!! So that was the test I was given a few months ago when I went to a local clinic!!! The Doctor there told me that my bb was possibly due to a "Stomach Bug" I guess he was using a simple term for a patient to understand. He actually wanted to smell my breath.....after he smelled it he seem to assume right off I need the "Stomach Bug" Blood Test.
They told me if the called me then I needed to come back....but nobody called me......I am going to go to the clinic to be on the safe side. HE prescribed me "Ranitidine" 150mg and Told me to take these with pepto bismol. I have this FULL bottle sitting here in front of me of the medication. that I refused to take because I didnt believe he knew what he was talking about that fast.....he literally smelled my breath and diagnosed me seconds later. This was in November 2010 and he asked me to return in December to follow up and he wanted to give me other meds......IM ABOUT TO SCHEDULE NOW!!! Im going to try these pill and the pepto 2x a day.

PLEASE READ THIS LINK >>>> http://health.yahoo.net/ahfscontent/bismuth-salts/2