Topic: Minocycline or quinine people - black tongue and teeth?
tailz
Unregistered
posted
My tongue is black. I kind of think it's the minocycline, but I'm not sure. I started quinine powder around the same time. I get the heaviest metal taste though shortly after taking the mino.
My teeth look grey, too.
Anybody have this happen? Should I be concerned?
I've been taking charcoal at the midway point between doses - also eating cilantro.
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clairenotes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10392
posted
There was another member who discussed this a month or two back. I think she believed it was due to mold. You might want to try to rule this out, i.e., check your home, etc.
Also, do you have some chlorella handy? That might be useful in addition to the cilantro for the metals per Gigi's posts.
Claire
[ 04. August 2007, 07:56 PM: Message edited by: clairenotes ]
Posts: 1111 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2006
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GiGi
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 259
posted
My tongue was black when I was detoxing heavy metals and dental toxins. I was beside myself!!! It was explained to me by my physician: hypoglossus nerve in the tongue - some of the metals went up into the brain stem/brain using that route - some of them also come back down that way when detoxing. Result - black tongue.
I was not taking mino. But with any abx or natural detox, if there is die-off of microbials, the metals they are holding in their cell walls are also released and have to go somewhere. Also dental toxins show up in the tongue.
I used to take lots of mop-up agents to avoid redistribution of the metals into other body compartments. Think chlorella, etc. Lots of posts on that. Karach Oil Therapy helps (also called Oil Pulling). Do a search here.
I did not have the black teeth - because I lost all my teeth during Lyme. But I know some people who temporarily had darkened teeth. It disappeared over time.
Best to ask your doctor.
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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TerryK
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Member # 8552
posted
http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic646.htm Minocycline is a second-generation derivative of tetracycline. The ingestion of minocycline can lead to a green-gray or blue-gray intrinsic staining of teeth. Unlike with other tetracyclines, staining occurs during and after the complete formation and eruption of teeth (Patel, 1998). Minocycline is a poor chelator of calcium ions, but it is believed to bind to iron ions. This binding causes the formation of insoluble salts that are either exuded from gingival crevicular fluid to extrinsically stain the enamel or intrinsically incorporated into the secondary dentin (McKenna, 1999). Minocycline is prescribed for long-term acne therapy in adolescents and adults, although it is being replaced by medications such as clindamycin and isotretinoin that do not cause tooth discoloration.
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
Thanks! It probably is the mino causing it, because that's when the metal taste is strongest - shortly after taking this medication. I'm not too worried about my tooth color - I believe I can fix it over time.
With what it did to my gums, that's the least of my worries. I only have 3 fillings in my entire mouth, and 2 are white ones.
But I'm going to go with the metal theory, simply because I told a doctor that when I took an iron supplement for my extreme fatigue (before I knew I had Lyme), I darn near blew the toilet off, and my GI tract wasn't doing that great prior to this - it only made it worse.
I also have had to avoid high iron and high copper foods. I told my doc this, but I don't think it's registering.
Add to that the fact that I was on prescription iron following my hysterectomy due to severe (unexplained) post-op anemia - double dose at that.
And I've not been able to take ANY multi-vitamin whatsoever. I wasn't sure what it was that was in them that was making me sick - I just stopped them pretty quickly.
That's scary though. My metals went up my brain stem???
Will spirulina work as well as chlorella? Sometimes spirulina makes me feel sicker, but it contains iron. See, I'm not all that convinced that the metals coming out through my tongue are the 'bad' ones like mercury - it could simply be iron toxicity. I used to dye my hair like every 8 weeks. You don't think I have hair dye in my brain, do you?
If I do, it is Herbal Essences Medium Reddish Brown;) I so miss that color, too! They discontinued it.
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tailz
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posted
Could this mean I had infection in my teeth? - the actual bones?
My sister used to grab my face in my sleep because I would grind them so loudly at night when I was little.
I eventually had a mouth piece made for my bottom teeth, but I chipped a top tooth on the plastic, so I stopped wearing it. My bottom teeth especially are sawed down. Even my front teeth though are somewhat worn though.
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TerryK
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Member # 8552
posted
Minocycline discoloration can be permanent in some cases.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
I think I like my black tongue better than the white tongue I had.
One thing I CAN say - my teeth were feeling cruddy and I had beautiful teeth, but now that my tongue is black - nothing is growing on any of my teeth. I don't think I care if they are grey - my teeth feel sooo clean.
I would blame it on my colloidal silver, but I barely took any.
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groovy2
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Member # 6304
posted
Hi tailz
My tongue is black and I am taking mino- I have been drinking grape juice so I have been thinking it may be the juice that has done it ????
Sure Looks bad --Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
Jay - I didn't drink any grape juice for a while, and it's still black.
And holy cow, last night I had sharp twingy, pinching pain around my left temple, up by where I wear my hair clip on the left side of my head - kind of where the temporal artery runs.
I almost felt like I was going to lose consciousness - especially when I would lay down.
I was afraid to go to sleep, so I stayed up late - when I did go to sleep, I woke up with a soaking wet pillow. I was sweating from that dent in the back of my skull. Yikes. This morning I took charcoal again.
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Vermont_Lymie
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Member # 9780
posted
Taking Vitamin C with mino (1 - 1.5 g/day) prevents discoloration of teeth!
Take a 500mg Vit C several times/day. Thought I posted earlier on this thread, must of gotten lost in the shuffle!
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
Thanks! I will try the C.
I'm wondering though - my symptoms seem to come back dosing only twice daily at 100mg mino - is that dose high enough and frequent enough?
I'm probably under 100 lbs and 5' 3 1/2".
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Vermont_Lymie
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Member # 9780
posted
Hi Tailz: I found that reference for you; yes, Vitamin C sounds important for folks on minocycline.
Your dosage is much higher than mine; 200mg/day is the highest that I have heard of for folks treated for neuro-lyme.
Here is that abstract:
J Esthet Dent. 1998;10(4):182-6
Title: Protection against minocycline pigment formation by ascorbic acid (vitamin C).Bowles WH.
Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M University System, Dallas, USA.
Minocycline, a member of the tetracycline family of antibiotics, is widely used in the treatment of acne. Its use has been associated with intrinsic staining of adult human teeth, bones, and soft tissues.
It causes blackening of the thyroid glands in both animals and humans.
It has been determined that the pigment is the product of an oxidation reaction.
Laboratory studies have shown that the pigment formation can be induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in the presence of air, and that an antioxidant, such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), can block its formation.
The present study was undertaken to determine whether the antioxidant vitamin C could prevent the pigmentation of tissues of laboratory rats given minocycline.
Based on other studies, one group of rats was given minocycline by stomach tube at a dose of 75 mg/kg/day, 5 days per week, for 6 weeks.
A second experimental group was given the same regimen of minocycline plus a supplement of ascorbic acid at a level of 0.1% of the diet.
A control group received no treatment at all; all rats were maintained on laboratory rats chow and water ad libitum. The rats were euthanized by carbon dioxide inhalation.
Nasomaxillary bones, including central incisors, and thyroid glands were removed and fixed with 10% buffered formalin. Bones and teeth showed no gross signs of staining and, therefore, were not processed further.
Thyroid glands were visibly darker in the minocycline group; specimens from all three groups were processed histologically.
Microscopic examination revealed extensive deposits of black pigment throughout the follicles of the minocycline group,
**whereas the group receiving both minocycline and vitamin C showed no sign of pigmentation and were indistinguishable from controls.**
It is suggested that patients on long-term minocycline medication be monitored for thyroid function.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
My thyroid is turning black, too? My doctor said my thyroid was running on 5 of 8 cylinders. He wanted to put me on Synthroid. I got it filled, but I never took it.
Actually, I had been complaining of my teeth feeling yucky and my tongue looking white, even immediately following brushing my teeth - which I have been doing probably 4 times a day, and my teeth were still collecting junk.
Now that I started the mino, my teeth feel clean again, but are staining from the mino.
Just wondering - would I have the same effect if I switched to doxy? And are there any bugs that mino kills that doxy won't, or vice versa?
By the way, still testing negative for candida. I am surprised, too.
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tailz
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posted
It doesn't brush off. I have tried scrubbing it, even used bentonite clay on my tongue - it doesn't come off. My toothbrush is turning iron-colored though.
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cootiegirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3216
posted
hi i'm on a pretty high dose of mino (300mg/day) and have not had this symptom (knocking on head for luck). i go for regular dental checkups and the dr has never noticed any discoloration on my teeth. don't know if i'm just lucky right now or if my time will come.....
Posts: 1728 | From New York State | Registered: Oct 2002
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