Thrush - Harrisburg,PA

My son and I fought thrush for 2 months. I did give him Gentian Violet. I was originally told to give it three days in a row, but then after the villonth of getting back, they said do it 5 days in a row max, on me and him. It is messy, I used a Q-tip and had old clothes on him so when he drooled, it wouldn't matter. I did notice however that the stains did come out of some clothes or atleast dulled down a lot. The only thing with gentian violet is you need to watch he doesn't get ulcers. Good Luck!

When my son had thrush, we tried Nystatin to no use - this was after some heavy antibiotics at only six months of age. Then I spoke with another pediatrician who said that the ointments simply beat it back but don't usually eliminate it. She said the best thing to do is nothing (in our case, my son wasn't bothered by it in any way, we just wanted to get rid of it). When it flares up enough, his body's natural immune system would fight it. That's exactly what happened, and I will never try another ointment again . . .

There are several natural things you can use. Grapefruit seed extract but this is incredibly sour but i will help. Genetian Violet, but be careful when you apply this to your breasts as it turns everything temporarily purple. Don't get it on you clothes.
You can also you a small wash cloth dipped in white vinegar and use it to wipe off the baby's tongue.
Nystatin really does nothing for thrush these days.
Get off all sugar for about two weeks.
You may have noticed that your baby has a lot of gas because of the thrush, this is due to the yeast that it thrives off of . YOu can get Bubble B Gone to help with this and it will also help his digestion.
You really want to get control of this immediately so you don't end up with mastitis. Thrush is one of the leading causes of this condition. If you do a search online for natural remedies for thrush you can probably find more ideas
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I totally understand. I was on antibiotics when I was in the hospital having my daughter and we ended up with thrush a month later. The dr prescribed Nystatin but I don't think it worked to well. What really knocked it down for me was going in a pool(I know it's the wrong time of year) The chlorine is what I can really attribute to starting to see it ending. I also took Candex or something like that that I got at a vitamin store. That helped also. The washing in vinegar suggestion is also good. Keep an eye on it a couple months later my husband got a yeast infection on his legs that we think came from the sheets even though they had been washed. I was told to cut back on the sweets but I couldn't give up the chocolate! It took at least a month and a half to clear up so don't give up hope.

Good luck it's a pain, literally.

Hi A.,

Contact your local La Leche League representative at:

www.llli.org.

Hope this helps. D.

My daughter and son both had thrush. After my experience with my daughter I didn't even take my son to the doctor - I just used this remedy instead. My daughter was the same way - I refilled that perscription a million times. My mom told me to try this tea and it worked! This tea can be used to treat many fungal infections (which is what thrush is). The tea is called Pau D' Arco. I made a cup a day - I put about 2oz in a bottle, and drank the rest myself. I will warn this tea is not very tasteful - I sweetened with sugar. It can be found in the grocery store, or a health store - like a GNC.

Are you sure you don't have thrush internally and are passing it back? I had thrush when I was nursing (my son never got it somehow), and I was told the creams were pretty much useless if you were infected. I had to take an oral antifungal for a week or 10 days. *You will have to see your own doctor for that prescription, though) Good luck!

Hi, A.!
I am sorry that you're going through this. Thrush is a royal pain in the *ss!

I second everything that Lisa W said.

In addition, watch your sugar content and wash with some white viniger.--It kills yeast (so wash your bras, nursing pads, etc... in it. You can put it in the rinse cycle, where you'd put fabric softener.)

Hope it clears up soon! If it doesn't clear up, then Diflucan (1-2 courses at least) will knock it out.

Good luck!

Google Gentian Violet and thrush. I know mothering.com has a good page on how to apply it. I haven't used it for oral thrush, but I have used it for yeast intections.

It may be old school and messy, but it is also natural and happens to work better than any of the harsh, man-made chemicals that we are willing to put in our children's bodies.

You can find it at your local pharmacy probably, but you'll have to ask them for it. If they don't have it, ask them to search the database to see if any other local stores carry it. In a pinch, you can order it online.

And avoid sugar as much as possible. Candida(yeast) thrives on sugar. Sugar and refined grains. If you still crave a sweet thing. Try Xylitol, found at your local natural foods store. The sweetener that they use in a lot of chewing gums. Xylitol promotes dental health and combats candida. Double whammy.

When I breastfed my daughter I had to be on antibiotics for mastitis. I took a probiotic (Culturelle Lactobacillus GG- Rite Aid has it) and I gave my daughter a probiotic especially for babies (Pharmax Neonate-find it online. She never got thrush and I never got it. Forget about the gentian violet and everything else. Yeast grows when you don't have beneficial bacteria, This works! a

Both of my kids had thrush and they were both prescribed gentin violet. It was amazing it worked almost right away. It isn't that messy it just turns their tongue purple. But the most important thing is it works. Tell your doctor thats what you want. And best of luck.

Hi A.,
Gentian violet does work well. I think the messiness is worth the benefit! I know I had to have a pharmacy order it in for me to stock at the clinic where I work. Good Luck!

I'm another one recommending gentian violet. I was breastfeeding and actually got thrush in my breasts (after antibodics for a sinus infection). It was incredibly painful to nurse. I applied some gentian violet to me and the quickness of the relief was amazing. When I nursed I would coat my son with lansinoh so that he didn't turn purple.

My doctor also gave me a Rx for Diflucan in case that didn't work but it did so I never needed the Rx.

Good luck!

I'm sorry I don't have much of an answer for you. My daughter had it as a baby, and it lasted forever! She too, was on nystatin for a month or more. I was told about the gentian violet by one doctor, and that it was messy and like you I was willing to try it, but I was told by the pharmacy that you couldn't find it anywhere anymore. She had it from the time she was two weeks old. Fortunately it didn't bother her feeding after the first round of treatment. Looking back on it now I can tell you that I'd almost forgotten what an ordeal that was until I saw your question today. I hope it all goes well for you!

Gentian violet is "old school" and way too messy to even consider. The next step would be Diflucan. It works wonders. Nystatin is useless. I have had many battles with thrush. I am a nurse and a mother of 3....all 3 have had issues with thrush as infants. Diflucan is your key to success. Good Luck.