Need Advice for Treating Thrush

Yeast always finds an escape route from the body, whether it be by mouth, vaginally, skin sores, etc. And just because you clear up the thrush, does not mean the yeast is gone. My daughter took an antibiotic at 1 day old (staph and strep), which lead to thrush and massive diaper rash and the eventual diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at age 10. (Conventional doctors know nothing about yeast!) A chiropractor /kinesiologist can clear this up, and with a tiny baby, it probably won't take you that many appointments to do it. And you live in Wichita! I recommend Dr. Kelley Arnold at 21st and Ridge Road, ###-###-####.

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Just a note on yeast--antibiotics won't help, they'd just make it worse. Cleaning toys/surfaces is good, but yes--you may need to treat yourself also! A yeast infection can live in your milk ducts and be reintroduced to the baby. Washing the outside of the breast/nipple might not be enough, but you can use the violet stuff on your skin as well as the baby's mouth.

Eat yogurt with active cultures EVERY DAY and look into diflucan for yourself, but it would be a larger and longer treatment for your milk supply than for a regular yeast infection. Ask your doctor--family practice or internist--about treating yourself too.

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Gentian Violet works great! My 8 month old used Nystatin for two weeks and showed little improvement. I only used the Gentian Violet for two days and the thrush was gone.

Did you use gentian violet? It is a bit messy (he'll have a purple clown-smile!), but it helped us.

Are you breast-feeding? You could have thrush and not even know it, passing it back to him. The GV is topical for you and only on the inside of his mouth. He does not swallow it. I don't remember the specifics of application, you could call your peds office and they should tell you over the phone.

Have you been told to wash your breasts before and after feedings they sell wipes that are sold right were all the feeding supplies are for babies bottles nipples breastfeeding supplies etc.And to let them air dry for a while after a bath and feedings this will help prevent yeast what causes Thrush growing on your breasts.Also use little Nystatin on your breasts after feedings just a little and let dry.Also you can go to your local Breastfeeding clinic and they will be able to assist you and may be able to work with your Dr and get a different medicine as for Natural remedies call the natural food store and see what they have to offer.Its a battle my son had it

Are you breast feeding? If so, you need to make sure that you are treating yourself. I would make sure that you resanitize everything again, just to be sure.

Oh yeah, the gentian violet...don't even need a RX for it...can get it over the counter...my day care provider told me about it...We only had to do it once and he never got it again! WHOO HOO! It is a dark dark purple so make sure you have him in nothing but diaper or old rags and swab his mouth with a Q-tip..he'll drool purple for a little while...maybe 15 minutes until he either spits out most of the purple or swallows it but then there won't be any more...his mouth will be purple for probably about a week but you won't see the thrush again!

BTW- make sure you either wipe down all his toys or throw them in the bathtub with a capful of Clorox...if he's been chewing on anything and goes back to it then the thrush will just keep coming back...that's why this stuff passes so easily through day cares...

By the way...the nystatin did nothing for my kiddo either! 3 times...YUCK! Most Dr.s don't know about the gentian violet so you might want to share with him/her! :)

You have lots of great responses here, but I want to add something else. Thrush can be VERY stubborn and takes lots of diligence to get rid of. If you are nursing, you will not only have to treat your nipples, but also wash towels and bras in hot water after every use. Better yet, stay home and let your breasts air dry without a bra, but then wash your t-shirt or whatever in hot water at the end of the day. It may take a few weeks to get rid of completely, and it has a sneaky way of popping back up, so diligence is the key to getting rid of it for good. Best wishes!

Editing to add: I once had a very stubborn case of thrush (it lasted 3 months!) and I had to take a 7 or 10-day course of diflucan (the one-day course didn't get rid of it). I continued to nurse and treated my son orally with nystatin at the same time. This combination was the only thing that eventually got rid of it. So, if it ends up being very stubborn, talk to your doctor about more aggressive treatment for you and a longer course of treatment for the baby. Gentian violet worked great when my daughter and I had a milder case though!

When I was breast feeding my son, we both got stuff to treat it, but I ended up quit feeding as it wasn't going away. I pumped what I could etc.... Eventually mine cleared up, once his medicine ran out, I took a break from it for a week or two, and it cleared up on it's own. I also made sure the nipples got sanitized after each use, and he never really took a binky so didn't have to worry about that. If your son uses a pacifier (binky) chage it every couple hours, and of course sanitize it with the nipples, wether you put them in boiling water, or through the diswasher. That helps. My friend had the same issues as I, and her son's lasted a bit longer, but she also quit him on the meds for a bit, and it went away on it's own... Good Luck!

My oldest had thrush a couple of times, and we finally realized the reason that he wasn't getting over it was because I wasn't cleaning the medicine dropper every time I touched his tongue with it. I had to wash it well in anti-bacterial cleaner each time I used it and before I put it back in the bottle. I was also nursing, and had to wipe myself with antibacterial wipes before and after each nursing session. I'm not sure if you're doing those things, but that helped us get rid of it with one more dose.

I didn't see if you said if you nurse of bottle feed, but something the doctors don't seem to stress as much anymore is sterilizing bottles & nipples in boiling water. (Pacifiers too) The bottles are a problem as they are no longer glass & the plstic will melt & deform in extremely hot water. Has the baby been on anitbiotics? That used to cause my son to get thrush.

gentian violet. Very purple and messy, but it works.

I know this is vague but I remember some purple stuff -- over the counter but you had to ask the pharmacist for it. Something with the word Violet in the title.

I remember my mother, back in 1968, treating my little brother's thrush with distilled water on a cotton ball. She let him suck the water out of the ball. It disappeared, so I don't know if that will help you. Seems too simple.

I have heard of the Genetian Violet before but have never used it. I do know that you need to be sure you aren't re-introducing the fungus to your child through toys, pacifiers, bottles...or even your own breast if you are nursing. The other Moms have suggested ways to get rid of the residues...the clorox (very little of it!!!) is a great idea...of course if you are nursing...you need to get treatment for yourself so you arent passing it back and forth.I would think that a single treatment of a typical anti-fungal would take care of it.
I work in a pharmacy as a clerk and I know that the Genetian Violet is kept behind the counter...and in some cases might have to be special ordered but you should have no problem finding it.
Good luck!!!

Is the baby taking antibiotics? Have you tried acidophillus drops, plain yogurt, and checking the sugar/fructose content of the formula?
Thrush is a yeast infection, so using probiotics (like acidophillus) can help. Plain yogurt can also help (you can apply it directly to the area. It encourages the growth of good bacteria to assist the body in fighting the bad.
Some people are sugar sensitive & can have yeast type reactions to sugars (candida).
I don't know enough about it to offer any treatments, but while you're on the computer, check out candida.
Hope this helps!
J.

I don't know of any natural remedies.. but, when my daughter was a baby, she got thrush. The doctor prescribed gentian violet. I had to paint her tongue with it. It stained badly and she had a purple mouth. But it worked. You might ask your doctor about it.

Go to www.hearbalhealer.com and research it this place has high quality products and on wednesdays they have a place where you can ask the naturapath questions. She gets alot of them so it might take a little bit for her to get bac`k to you.

Hi J..
I have 4 kids. 2 are married,1 graduating high school, the baby is in drivers ed! BUT... when they where babies, they all had a bout with thrush. The first thing that helped was a small amount of yogurt swished around in the mouth with my finger every hr. The second thing was, what ever went into baby's mouth,(pacifier,toy,nipple(yours or bottles)) got disinfected in dishwasher or with hot water and soap. Don't let any other person/baby share things that would go into the mouth.
The yogurt has what it takes to get rid of the thrush within a couple of days to a week.

Diflucan, my son had thrush for several months and multiple treatments without it going away. It was gone in two days after taking Diflucan.