Thrush - Minot AFB, ND

My doctor told me to put some on my finger and put it on the thrush spots in my baby's mouth, it was only a day or two and the spots were almost gone! the longer she was on the medication the better she got, and didn't seem to be in as much pain. Also watch for a yeast infection to come in the diaper area, they usually come with thrush, but you can get some antifungal cream over the counter(by the athletes foot cream)to get rid of that. I used clotrimazole cream.

Hi Jessicca,
Out of 5 kids only my last one had it. She had it when we left the hostital with her but no one said anything. A friend of mine said something to me about it and I started boiling her nipples and bottles and everything and it cleared up on it's own. This was the only child I had that I hadn't been doing that with because I read somewhere you didn't need to any more. But I still am and it hasn't come back. Good luck.

A tried and true method for thrush, is take liquid acidophlius and using a Q-tip and swabbing the inside of the childs mouth 2-3 times a day. Eliminate any sugars and stuff that will make yeast grow. Go to a health food store to find the acidophlius. It will be refrigerated. You can get it in different flavors. I used this method on my children and grand-children. It works!!

My son had thrush when he was little. It is the thrush that hurts. I nursed at the time and he had a nuk. He did not take his nuk because it hurt. That is the main thing for thrush it just plain hurts. So just keep him comfortable and try to keep him hydrated. Good luck and take care.

no, it will not hurt him. my husband is taking in right now because he is on chemotherapy and has a compromised immune system so he gets thrush often, when my children were babies they got it too. it won't hurt him to swallow it, the thing is the medicine has to touch each one of those spots. so it kind of needs to swish around in his mouth very hard to do with a baby! you probably should give it to him after he eats so that it stays in his mouth a while. it probably stings a little in the begining so that is why he cries,
that will get better as he heals I know it is hard but stick to it, it should get better fast a day or two, but keep giving the medicine to make sure it gets gone

J.,
Thrush can be a nasty one if it gets out of control. The Nystatin kills the yeast- which is what Thrush is. The only problem with Nystatin is that it is an oral suspension which is 50% sugar and yeast feeds on sugar. So, if his thrush does not get better, don't let the doctor keep him on it. It will just get worse. You'll then need to find something else.

For now, do the medicine! Don't let this get out of control! I can tell you a horror story about Thrush that my daughter had for nearly a year........oh brother!

P.,
mother of 4 (20, 18, 15, 13)

He doesn't like the taste. It doesn't hurt or burn, it's just a strong taste, especially for a newborn. I'm a nurse and I give it a lot. It works. I also had to give it to my infant when she had an oral yeast infection (thrush). I got a pretty nasty yeast infection on my breasts from her mouth where I thought my nipples were gonna fall off - :0 ! Don't worry, nystatin is pretty mild, will do a lot of good, but just tastes yucky to a baby.
Good luck.

It might sting him. Both my son and I had thrush and when I took it, it stung a bit! I used q-tips for my sons thrush and just dabbed it on his thrush whenever I changed his diaper. That medicine doesn't work through the blood like others so it doesn't have to be swallowed. Sorry I'm no help!

My son has had thrush twice. First time was when he came home from the NICU because of the antibiotics he was on and the second time we don't know what from (I probably missed one of his toys when I cleaned them after the first time). This second time, he was refusing to eat and would cry a lot because the thrush hurt. The medicine is pretty chalky and I know babies don't really like it, but it'll do it's job and everything will get cleaned up. Another mom suggested the gentian violet. A friend of mine uses that instead of Nystatin. You will have to deal with purple staining on things if you use it...including your babies mouth/fingers(if he sucks on them)/you (if breastfeeding)/etc. I've gone with the Nystatin because I didn't want to deal with getting anything stained purple! :)
Also, make sure you disinfect ALL his toys, pacifiers, bottles, nipples, anything he's had in his mouth or you may end up treating thrush again.
Congratulations on your little man!

Nystatin is an anti-fungal. My daughter spent a month in the hospital when she was born and got thrush because of the antibiotics she was taking. Thrush can be a sign of a lowered immune system so keep your baby extra well guarded from germs. This medicine comes in both oral and cream forms. If you are breast feeding make sure to put some on your nipples so you don't pass the fungus back and forth. I found that the little medical sponge/swabs were the easiest way to give my daughter the oral treatment because it was not too over whelming.-You can probably ask for these when you go to the hospital or the Dr. next time. Also you are not supposed to let them eat anything for like 10 min after you give them the medication, because it won't do anything if you wash it away.
Also, be on the look out for spotty diaper rashes that live in the cracks-or rather, the places that stay damp- and don't seem to get better with normal diaper rash cream. Babies who get thrush in their mouth, usually get it on their butt. All in all don't worry too much about it. the medicine is slightly fruity, and not too bad to the taste. Follow your gut, but remember that 10 minutes of screaming can be worth it in the end.

My daughter was born 6 weeks early and developed thrush when she was released from the NICU. Just keep giving the meds. They cry because they are 2 1/2 mos old. He may not like the idea or feeling of the meds but it is not hurting him. What will hurt him and could cause futher discomfort is a greater infection or something associated with not dealing with the thrush.

If your son is only 2 1/2 mos old and you are afraid of his crying now when you give him meds, wait until he is a year, or two, or three. He'll be just fine.

Thrush could make his mouth sore, however have you tasted the Nystatin? I hear it is bad news and that may be part of why he is protesting. Keep up the treatment!!

My daughter had thrush at 4 months also and she would do the same thing so i asked my doctor and other moms about it and was assured it was not hurting her but that the taste was awful and that at 4 months she was not used to many other tastes so it was new and icky!! After a few days the screaming stopped and she did just fine and the thrush cleared up wonderfully.

My mom is a pediatric nurse and I asked her about the medicine. It does not hurt him it should actually be soothing. The crying is because your putting something in his mouth. If he swallows the medicine it will help with the diarrrhea if he doesn't get it down but just in the mouth it will still clear up the thrush. Good luck!

Hi J.! Both of my children had almost constant thrush as I tried to nurse both of them their first year (we never made it a full year with either one). We tried Nystatin a number of times, but it never really did anything for them. We were told to try "Gentian Violet" which you can get over the counter at most drug stores (Walmart, Walgreens, Target or look in your local pharmacy ~ they should know what it is). The only DOWN side to Gentian Violet is that it is a DEEP purple color, so it can STAIN lighter colors! It is to be applied to the inside of the mouth and tougue and should not cause them discomfort. They only thing is they'll probably drool and the color will probably stain (not on all things all the time), but just be aware of the possibilities. The purple fades away in a few days or so (sometimes earlier). It was about the only thing that really helped my kids in the long run. The only problem was it (thrush) would come back sometimes within a week, sometimes within a month or so. However, both of my kids were early birds (born 4-6 weeks premature), so I think that could have affected their immune systems which caused so much thrush (just guessing, though). Also be aware that thrush is a yeast infection (it is very painful in the mouth). It can reoccur VERY easily if nipples on bottles (or pacifiers) are not thoroughly sanitized between use. I had to do that for awhile once we switched to bottles. Anyway...hope that helps! Good luck! =)

It shouldn't hurt, it may just be his will against yours! Good news is that it shouldn't last long. It's usually caused by antibiotics, was he sick recently? You may look into THAT being the reason for the screaming...sore throat, ear pain maybe?

When a baby has thrush, anything in the mouth will hurt. That is why he/she is not eating. Just get as much as the nystatin in each of the 3/4 times a day, and soon the baby will feel like eating again, and won't scream for the medication.

Been there with three babies!

Hi J.,
We had thrush 7 times! So sorry you're dealing with it. My daughter loved the medicine, so I think it's sweet to taste. I'm not sure of anything else it does. The only thing that worked for us (after all those Nystatin type medicines) was for me to take probiotics. That helps to add good flora and bacteria to your system which eats up the bad stuff. I also heard Gentia Violet can work, it's an over the counter solution with the downside of turning things purple. Good luck in getting rid of thrush for good!

When my children had thrush as babies, I gave them acidophilus powder in their mouths. You can mix it with breastmilk if you want. Thrush is a yeast imbalance, and acidophilus helps bring it back into balance. It takes longer than the nystatin, but if I recall correctly, nystatin is just killing the yeast. Hi thrush can pass to your breast if you are breastfeeding, so you may want to up your acidophilus as well.

Not sure if the meds hurt. But when my daughter had thrush we wanted to do a natural remidy. If you go a wild oats or whole foods you can buy grapefruit extract. Give him 2-3 drops in formula 2 times a day and the white spots go away within the first day. I would continute to give it to hime for at least a week. It's not painful and they dont even notice the taste in the bottle. Just an idea if you think that the meds might be painful. I tryed Nystatin before giving it to my daughter and it has a bitter taste so maybe be he is crying because it taste bad. I hope this helps!

Hi J.-
My daughter had thrush (basically an oral yeast infection) and she reacted badly to Nystatin, too. She didn't scream, but within 5 minutes of the medicine she would vomit. After 2 days of it my doctor recommended PLAIN yogurt. I bought a brand called Mountain High Yoghurt (all-natural!!) and put a small spoonful in her mouth. The idea is that the probiotic active cultures in the yogurt will get rid of the abnormal yeast growing and restore a normal balance of flora. So it's fine if he doesn't swallow much (if any) of it at first, as long as he'll mush it around in his mouth. Seemed like the cool yogurt may have soothed any discomfort the thrush was causing for her And my daughter made some great faces when we started this.
The yogurt cleared up her thrush within a week, and seemed to help her tummy with digestion, too. Since then I've given yogurt to all three of my kids from about 3 months of age. I introduced flavors around 6 months. Good luck!
-K.
p.s. I got a scrip for a nystatin cream in case of cross-contamination gave me thrush during breastfeeding. That way any medication left on my nipples would help her, too during breastfeeding. Never had to use it, though. . .

I am so sorry you have to deal with thrush- my son and I both had it several times. I hated given my son nystatin as well but I am a nurse and really understood that not treating it can be worse and after the first couple of episodes (my doc said that some people just get it more often that others) I switched to gentian violet(bought over the counter)and turns his mouth very purple- I used to also give him acidophilus (break open a capsule and after wetting my finger stuck and dipping it in the acidophilus putting it in his mouth). The combination seemed to do the trick. But remember you have to get treated as well if you are breast feeding or you can pass it back and forth- I would recommend acidophilus to you as well.
Out of curiosity - how are you giving him the nystatin- do you put it on a qtip and rub it all over his mouth?

Good Luck

J.,

The medicine is supposed to eliminate the colonies of thrush growing in his mouth. If you wash it down with a drink it will not be as effective. You might consider giving him some ibuprophin or tylenol about a half hour before you are due to give him the nystatin. Then if the nystatin is causing him discomfort he won't feel it as much. Also try to plan the administration of the nystatin sometime other than feeding time so the medicine can stay in his mouth as long as possible. Of course, you will not need to give the pain relievers as often as the nystatin. Be sure to be careful about the dose and how frequent to give the pain meds.

The half hour before will give the pain reliever time to get into his system and be working before you give him the nystatin.

His mouth is sensitive now but should get better quickly with the nystatin. The pain medicine might make it so he will eat better too. Baby ensure might be an option and/or pedialyte for babies. Maybe offer some water to help prevent dehydration. If you have any doubts or questions about all this call your doctor.

Did the doctor talk to you about ideas for preventing thrush in the future? Thrush is quite contagious. You can catch it from your baby or you might have actually have given it to him.

Sincerely, Grandma Tamara

The problem is the doctors give medicine to treat the symptons not the problem. The medicine you have is porbably an anti fungal because thrush, which begins as an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the stomach, will turn into a fungus in the mouth. Now, just treating the fungus might make the white spots go away, but it could easily come back because the root problem it still there. I went through this and the med. from my dr. didnt work at all. I had it for SOOO LONG. and it hurt. finally my holisitc doctor told me to go get probiotics. Get some for kids, and some for you. They are perfectly safe - its the same bacteria that naturally occurs in your system. Anyway, break open the capsule and give one to your son everyday. take one yourself on an empty stomach. it will go away! My daughters cleared up in TWO days and she hasnt had it since. probiotics are getting more widely available but i know for sure you can get them at harvest health or any other natural food store. also, my daughter loved taking the powder and i had no problems giving it to her because it doesnt have a strong taste.

I don't think it hurts him. My daughter had thrush at about 3 months (and since I was nursing, so did I! Talk about painful!). I didn't get a prescription, I used Gentian Violet. It worked pretty well, except is bright purple! Everything her mouth touched turned purple! But it worked. And then I just used an anti-fungal on myself. We got over it in less than a week. Babies just don't really appreciate things being shoved in their mouth. I think that's why he's crying. I'm sure it tastes really bad too. You could try the gentian violet. Just use a cotton swap to apply and use bibs! But he should be over it soon. I'm sure it's just a miserable feeling in general for the poor kid. :) Hang in there.

Thrush can sometimes be painful period. My sis in law's son had it once so bad that it hurt him to drink water. Just keep giving it to him if you want it to go away. My sis in law finally had to take him into the ER because he was in so much pain. Try giving him some Tylenol also. Might help!

Thrush is yeast, so think of what we, as women, feel like when putting medicine "down there" after wiping time and again. His mouth is sore, and even eating is interrupted now, but don't stop the medicine. This stuff can be hard to get rid of, so don't miss a dose. You want you beautiful baby back to himself asap! I have 3 children now ages 5, 10, 15 and they all have had it.

Do you have to hold his mouth closed or anything and force the liquid to stay in his mouth? I would think it might be related more so to being uncomfortable - plus, if his mouth feels anything like what yours would feel like with a sore throat or when you have a wound in your mouth...then yeah it hurts but you have to be realistic about getting rid of the thrush.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T083100.asp

I love nystatin it is a great medicine. it is used to treat yeast infections in the body. it is safe enough that a pregnant woman can take it without harm to the baby. Usually this medicine clears up this infection in days. Babies tend to not like the taste but it is a great medicine.

Nystatin only works if it stays in their mouth, what I was told is to put half on one side of their mouth and half on another, do it after they eat because you need to wait at least an hour to feed them after applied. Usually if your baby has thrush and you nurse, you will need to treat yourself as well, or it will keep coming back. The thrush can be irritating to their mouth, but the medicine should not be. There are other medicines your doctor can recommend, so if you feel it's not doing the job right, call them back!

I have heard of several instances where after all medicines were tried, Thrush cleared up by giving the baby water in a bottle to drink several times a day. Try that too!

Thrush
From: Heather C Date: Sun. Sep. 23, 2007 a post on mamasource.com, http://www.mamasource.com/request/12195047711518490625

Here was a post that gave a lot of great information of an alternative treatment that works a little quicker than nystatin.

It was a lot of advice regarding the use of gentian violet. Find yourself some and paint your thrush troubles away. My pediatritian recommended it years ago and I will always turn to it first. It is an otc available at walgreens or rite aid. I hope this is helpful.

A.

Oh my babies had thrush too. My Dr said that the medicince doesn't hurt them. But you know why i think they cry is because when they are that young everything they get in their mouth (nursing or bottle feeding) is warm and medicine is not warm. My 10 month olg hates anything cold in her mouth. I think that's why they cry.

BTW, my dr recommended using an herb called gentian violet. She said that is goes away WAY quicker than using prescription nystatin. And it went away from us in a day and a half, which is way better than the possible 2 weeks of the scrip.

It's OTC, no scrip required, and it's only like 5 bucks for the bottle. I also just used it last week on my 10 mo's diaper rach that was persistant and possible a yeast infection. went away in a day.

But be careful! It dies ANYTHING it touches - permamantly. I'm so glad the dr warned me about that.

good luck with your little one
M.

If i remember right, it is the thrush itself that hurts, not the medicine!! I have never heard of the gentian violet thing, but sounds interesting, however, i would check w/ a doc. first!!! Ok, that is all I know!! My babies never had it personally, just daycare kids I watched!!!!!