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Is It Normal To Have White Tongue When Using Bactrim?

Posted on Tue, 7 Oct 2014

Question: Hello. I have been taking Bactrim twice a day for 9 days now for a bacterial infection. My tongue is white. Not cottage-cheese looking, I cant scrape any of it off, it doesnt hurt or bleed or crack when I scrape, and my breath doesnt smell. Is this normal with antibiotics? I dont think it is thrush.

Answered by Dr. Praveen G (45 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Coating are not in favor of thrush

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to Healthcare Magic

The symptoms are not in favor of fungal oral thrush. In case of oral thrush the coating can be easily wiped off, burning sensation and foul smelling odor.

Your symptoms are nit suggestive of oral thrush and it looks like coating due to medicine. I would suggest you to do mouth gargle with chlorhexidine mouth wash and to take multivitamin capsule for atleast 15 days.

A photo of the white coating will be helpful.

Thank you.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Praveen G (46 hours later)

Here is a picture of the coating. Let me know if you need a clearer picture. I am having a severe reaction to the medication. My doctor advised me to stop taking the medication. Is this white tongue associated with the medicine? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Praveen G (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
It looks like drug associated

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome back

The picture doesn't look like a fungal oral thrush and it is more of drug associated. I would suggest you to stop all the medicine for time being as also advised by your doctor.

Take multivitamin tablet and do mouth gargle with mouth wash like chlorhexidine.
Thank you.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Ashwin Bhandari