10 May 2023 , 17:18
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A woman suffered a bizarre reaction to an antibiotic when the drug turned her tongue black and hairy, according to a medical journal.
The unnamed woman was suffering from rectal cancer and was given minocycline when she suddenly suffered side effects from chemotherapy.
But after taking the drug the woman, from Japan, developed black hairy tongue - a condition which is usually caused by poor oral hygiene, smoking and alcohol, according to Fukuoka University in southern Japan.
It can also happen because of antibiotics which change the level of bacteria in the mouth.
The report, which featured in the British Medical Journal, read: “On physical examination, diffuse grey hyperpigmentation was observed on her face, which had not previously been observed.
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The woman's tongue turned black and hairy as part of the reaction (BMJ)On examination of her oral cavity, a brownish-black patch with prominent hair-like filiform lingual papillae covered the dorsum of the tongue, which was painful.”
The patient also developed grey skin on her face but both that and the hairy tongue showed improvements within the next six weeks when she was switched on to different drugs.
Last year a woman was diagnosed with burning mouth syndrome, a rare disorder which caused her to have a hairy yellow tongue and bleeding skin.
Alyssa, a production assistant from Upstate New York, US, first started noticing a slight tingling sensation on the tip of her tongue in June 2019.
She brushed it off but soon the sensation began spreading across her entire mouth and became hard to ignore.
Within weeks, the 24-year-old recalls her tongue ‘burning’ and appearing bright red, with the feeling spreading to her gums and cheeks.
Alyssa also started experiencing dry mouth, sore teeth, peeling and bleeding skin, and a bizarre metallic taste in her mouth – leaving her feeling distressed.
It was first thought she had "burned" her tongue but after consulting a doctor, she was diagnosed with burning mouth syndrome.
Burning mouth syndrome is a rare condition which causes pain and discomfort on the mouth, lips and tongue, that's similar to a 'scalding' sensation.
An oral medicine specialist informed Alyssa that there was no cure, but prescribed compound clonazepam mouthwash, which is made specifically for burning mouth syndrome, and she was later prescribed Gabapentin by another doctor.
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Unfortunately she says the medication didn't work and she was left dealing with the painful symptoms on her own.
“I still remember the odd faces I received when I told people my tongue felt like it was on ,” Alyssa said. “The pain never let up and nothing brought relief – I couldn’t escape it, not even in my dreams.”