Burning tongue
Discussion
Have been dealing with this going on seven weeks now and it's driving me up the wall.
Burning sensation around my tongue, got to the stage where I have what are probably little blisters around the front of the tongue and maybe little cuts around the side of it from licking the teeth - I must do that anyway when healthy but now my tongue just feels ultrasensitive to it now, and is probably a little swollen where its irritated meaning I'm catching it on my teeth a lot more. Feels calmest in the morning but any kind of eating seems to kick up the burning feeling for the rest of the day, doesn't seem to respond any differently to different foods.
Have tried Daktarin which didn't do a lot; Bonjela which seemed to actually burn my tongue even more, left it really red, maybe I'd used too much; Anbesol which is a numbing liquid which tingled a bit and then no other effects; Listerine mouthwash which initially I thought calmed the symptoms but long-term has probably been too aggressive on my tongue; and prescribed Nystan which is a mouthrinse antibiotic in case it was caused by a fungal infection, but that did nothing either.
No cold/flu symptoms and a negative Covid test back when it started - there's a general metallic taste in my mouth but I haven't lost any sense of taste otherwise. Dentist on a random checkup could see nothing which concerned him.
Anyone recognise the symptoms, any ideas on how to treat it? GP appointments are a pain in the arse to get and I've already been once so if I can find something to treat it myself that would be great.
Burning sensation around my tongue, got to the stage where I have what are probably little blisters around the front of the tongue and maybe little cuts around the side of it from licking the teeth - I must do that anyway when healthy but now my tongue just feels ultrasensitive to it now, and is probably a little swollen where its irritated meaning I'm catching it on my teeth a lot more. Feels calmest in the morning but any kind of eating seems to kick up the burning feeling for the rest of the day, doesn't seem to respond any differently to different foods.
Have tried Daktarin which didn't do a lot; Bonjela which seemed to actually burn my tongue even more, left it really red, maybe I'd used too much; Anbesol which is a numbing liquid which tingled a bit and then no other effects; Listerine mouthwash which initially I thought calmed the symptoms but long-term has probably been too aggressive on my tongue; and prescribed Nystan which is a mouthrinse antibiotic in case it was caused by a fungal infection, but that did nothing either.
No cold/flu symptoms and a negative Covid test back when it started - there's a general metallic taste in my mouth but I haven't lost any sense of taste otherwise. Dentist on a random checkup could see nothing which concerned him.
Anyone recognise the symptoms, any ideas on how to treat it? GP appointments are a pain in the arse to get and I've already been once so if I can find something to treat it myself that would be great.
ZedLeg said:
That's what the Nystan was supposed to clear up but it didn't really have any effect. Can always go back to a GP for a second opinion, the first examination wasn't that great, they just thought I'd been rubbing it on my teeth.There's a condition called Burning Mouth Syndrome:
https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/burning-mout...
https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/burning-mout...
ScotHill said:
That's what the Nystan was supposed to clear up but it didn't really have any effect. Can always go back to a GP for a second opinion, the first examination wasn't that great, they just thought I'd been rubbing it on my teeth.
An antibiotic isn’t going to help a fungal infection. I’ve had oral thrush twice and it is absolutely awful. I’m not sure I would describe it as a burning sensation, but it could be.
Both times I took a single dose, oral anti fungal pill and it cleared up quickly.
Oral thrush is quite unusual and is commonly considered a warning sign of a HIV infection, so if you are at risk then perhaps get that checked too. Fortunately that wasn’t the case for me.
Um, Nystan is an antifungal antibiotic, that's why I was prescribed it.
It's common enough that the pharmacist will sell you an over the counter gel without too much questioning. From looking it up it's only really if it's in the throat that it can be an indicator of HIV - more generally it can be caused by a lowered immune system, which as I have two small children that aren't sleeping properly is more likely the case here.
It's common enough that the pharmacist will sell you an over the counter gel without too much questioning. From looking it up it's only really if it's in the throat that it can be an indicator of HIV - more generally it can be caused by a lowered immune system, which as I have two small children that aren't sleeping properly is more likely the case here.
Do you suffer with allergies at all, or have you changed anything recently? or have you been stressed? Do symptoms become less noticeable when you're eating?
I had a similar situation this year where my tongue and mouth became hypersensitive. I put it down to stress, and more in line with the "burning mouth syndrome". It basically went away on its own in the end, but like you I tried daktarin etc. I understand how annoying it is though, once you notice it, it becomes a psychological thing too.
From my experience with the Dr and Dentist it was difficult to put their finger on without a scan like an MRI, but they didn't seem worried either.
It took a while for it to go for me though, about 3-4 months becoming less and less noticeable over time, but eating more soothing things that are cold like yoghurts seemed to alleviate symptoms. I'd advise seeing a Dr just in case obviously.
I had a similar situation this year where my tongue and mouth became hypersensitive. I put it down to stress, and more in line with the "burning mouth syndrome". It basically went away on its own in the end, but like you I tried daktarin etc. I understand how annoying it is though, once you notice it, it becomes a psychological thing too.
From my experience with the Dr and Dentist it was difficult to put their finger on without a scan like an MRI, but they didn't seem worried either.
It took a while for it to go for me though, about 3-4 months becoming less and less noticeable over time, but eating more soothing things that are cold like yoghurts seemed to alleviate symptoms. I'd advise seeing a Dr just in case obviously.
r1ch said:
Do you suffer with allergies at all, or have you changed anything recently? or have you been stressed? Do symptoms become less noticeable when you're eating?
If anything the friction/contact of eating makes it worse, no matter what it is, even yogurt, although the dentist recommended sugar free gum and the saliva produced from that can ease things in the short term. But the eating thing maybe explains why it's best in the morning and gets progressively worse in the evenings. But yes we have a small baby who's not sleeping so that could be lowering my immune system making me more prone to things like this.ZedLeg said:
Thanks for pushing me back to this, spoke to the pharmacist who recommended trying Daktarin again but hinted that I maybe wasn't using enough of it, or not just to use it on the irritated area, so had a few big doses yesterday and it definitely seems to have calmed down a lot this morning. If it's still better after using it all day then it's likely on the way to being mended and I maybe just had a strong case of it that the previous medication didn't quite clear up.I have had oral thrush in the past - side effect of Asthma inhaler and not rinsing my mouth straight away.
Gargling with diluted TCP always sorts it out, although in the past I had a liquid on prescription that you painted on your tongue but that didn't work as fast as the TCP.
Give the pharmacist a try?
Gargling with diluted TCP always sorts it out, although in the past I had a liquid on prescription that you painted on your tongue but that didn't work as fast as the TCP.
Give the pharmacist a try?
ScotHill said:
Um, Nystan is an antifungal antibiotic, that's why I was prescribed it.
It's common enough that the pharmacist will sell you an over the counter gel without too much questioning. From looking it up it's only really if it's in the throat that it can be an indicator of HIV - more generally it can be caused by a lowered immune system, which as I have two small children that aren't sleeping properly is more likely the case here.
You didn't mention antifungal in your first post.It's common enough that the pharmacist will sell you an over the counter gel without too much questioning. From looking it up it's only really if it's in the throat that it can be an indicator of HIV - more generally it can be caused by a lowered immune system, which as I have two small children that aren't sleeping properly is more likely the case here.
Also just trying to help you out, I have no idea what your life is like.
gregs656 said:
You said an antibiotic mouthwash incase it was a fungal infection. Antibiotics and antifungals are different - bacteria and fungi. Antibiotics actually increase your chance of getting a fungal infection.
Ahh okay, some places state that Nystan is an antibiotic (including I'm sure either the first pharmacist or the GP!) but apparently it's not, it's an antifungal so probably has a similar effect to the gels. I think they go for the gels first because it's a targeted treatment, rather than the tablets which are absorbed across the body. It's much better tonight anyway so the gel in a bigger dose is working. Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff