How many times a day do you put Gentian Violet in a babys mouth for thrush?

Using Gentian Violet



We believe that gentian violet (combined with “all purpose nipple ointment”, see Treatments for Sore Nipples and Sore Breasts handout #3b) is the best treatment of nipple soreness due to Candida albicans for the breastfeeding mother. This is because it usually works, and relief is rapid. It is messy, and will stain clothing (actually, it will usually wash out), but not skin. The baby's lips will turn purple, but the purple will disappear after a few days. Gentian violet is available without prescription but is not available at all pharmacies. Call around before going out to get it.



1) About 10 ml (two teaspoons) of gentian violet is more than enough for an entire treatment.



2) Many mothers prefer doing the treatment just before bed so that they can keep their nipples exposed and not worry about staining their clothing. The baby should be undressed to his diaper, and the mother should be uncovered from the waist up. Gentian violet is messy.



3) Dip a clean ear swab (Q-tip) into the gentian violet.



4) Put the purple end of the ear swab into the baby's mouth and let him suck on the swab for a few seconds. The gentian violet usually spreads around the mouth quickly. If it does not, paint the inside of the mouth to cover as much of the inside of the cheeks and tongue as possible.



5) Put the baby to the breast. In this way, both the baby's mouth and your nipple are treated.



6) If, at the end of the feeding, you have a baby with a purple mouth, and two purple nipples, there is nothing more to do. If only one nipple is purple, paint the other one with the ear swab and the gentian violet. In this way, the treatment is finished in one go.



7) Repeat the treatment each day for three or four days, up to a week (see handout Candida Protocol for how long to use gentian violet).



8) There is often some relief within hours of the first treatment, and the pain is usually gone or virtually gone by the third day. If it is not, it is unlikely that Candida was the problem, though it seems Candida albicans is starting to show some resistance to gentian violet, as it already has to other antifungal agents. Of course, there may be more than one cause of nipple pain, but after three days the contribution to your pain caused by Candida albicans should be gone. However, if your pain is virtually gone after three or four days, but not completely, you can use gentian violet a few more days if necessary.



9) All artificial nipples that the baby uses should be boiled daily during the treatment, or well covered with gentian violet. Consider stopping artificial nipples.



10) There is no need to treat just because the baby has thrush in his mouth. The reason to treat is the mother's and/or the baby's discomfort. Babies, however, do not commonly seem to be bothered by thrush.



11) Uncommonly, babies who are treated with gentian violet develop sores in the mouth that may cause them to reject the breast. If this occurs, or if the baby is irritable while nursing, stop the gentian violet immediately, and contact the clinic. The sores clear up within 24 hours and the baby returns to feeding.

How many times a day do you put Gentian Violet in a babys mouth for thrush?
It should say on the bottle.
Reply:Once a day IS fine, but feel free to do morning and evening to speed healing. I fought thrush for 3 months, and this did help, but unfortunately my nipple thrush had spread to my milk ducts and I needed systemic medication.



This is from the link I attached:



"Pat's Gentian Violet Treatment

Gentian Violet (G/V) is an effective treatment for yeast overgrowth. It is an outstanding complement to oral antifungal treatment as a part of a comprehensive yeast treatment plan. If the yeast problem is identified early, G/V can be effective as the sole treatment. It stains clothing, so dress baby and yourself in clothing that can be bleached or that you can discard. Soaking in rubbing alcohol will also remove stains from clothing, as well as cleaning surfaces such as counters or bathroom fixtures.



For treatment of nipples and baby’s oral thrush:



2 times a day--morning and night:



Dip a Q-tip into the G/V and paint the nipples and areola thoroughly. With the same Q-tip, which has a little gentian violet left in it, swab baby’s tongue about mid-way back. It is fine if baby sucks on tip. Do this only the first time you treat your nipples.



Feed baby, which will give him a treatment with G/V diluted with breastmilk. At first application, re-paint nipples after feeding if much of the G/V has been removed.



If, throughout the day, your nipples begin burning again, you can re-apply G/V sparingly to the area of irritation.



Use Gentian Violet on your nipples twice a day until baby’s mouth and your nipples are much improved. Then you apply it once a day for a couple of days, then apply it every other day. At any time that your nipples are no longer hurting, you can take a day off from the treatment. If the burning/pain returns, resume the treatment. If there is not a return of the irritation and baby is feeding well you can consider that you no longer need to treat with gentian violet."
Reply:Generally twice a day, once in the a.m. and once in the p.m. It doesn't hurt to give it to them more often, no more than 4 times a day, but if you want you can consult a pharmacist or physician and ask them.
Reply:I always used it once a day for 3 or 4 days and the thrush cleared right up. It usually was gone by the first day but treat for a couple of days to ensure it doesn't come right back. It also works great on yeast diaper rashes.