chlorhexidine mouthwash?

[danielsg]

Dear all, I know it sounds stupid, but I have an issue with the chlorhexidine mouthwash prescribed by my dentist. After using the chlorhexidine mouthwash, and I suppose to rinse with water or just leave it? I googled it up, some say rinse it some say dont. Thanks!

 

[danielsg]

The description on the bottle says "Not to be taken/swallow". If I leave the remains in my mouth, i presumed I cannot drink anything right? Since I'll just swallow it.

 

[brit]

I've changed my mind. I've just seen a UK news story about an allergic reaction to mouthwash.

QUOTE:
'Dr Ewan said: “It is very unusual to be allergic to mouthwash and this severe reaction is very rare.

“If chlorhexidine goes into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth it can cause anaphylactic shock. “But this is very unusual with mouthwash because of the short time it is in the mouth. If, in this tragic case, the young woman’s death was caused by mouthwash, it is a very dramatic reaction.”

A spokesman for Sussex Community NHS Trust said: “Our first thoughts are for Sacha’s family and friends, and we send them our sympathies'.

 

[danielsg]

I see. In that case I better filled up my stomach before taking that rinse. Thanks for the tip!

 

[brit]

I see. In that case I better filled up my stomach before taking that rinse. Thanks for the tip!

Yeah that's what I did myself when I took it as it makes food taste weird anyway. On second thoughts I would rinse afterwards based on the above news story until a dentist can comment.

 

[danielsg]

Omg..what an article! I think when the mouthwash enters the mouth, during that 1-2 mins the chemical agent suppose to kill the bacteria in my mouth on the instant. Nevertheless, I better rinse with some water to get the extra chemical out, rather than taking them down my throat or have side-effects. Thanks for the article!

 

[fullmoon]

For what it's worth my bottle specifically says not to rinse after using it.

edit: I just checked and to be exact it says "To reduce medicinal taste, do not rinse with water immediately after use." So it sounds like it wouldn't hurt if you did, you just might get more of an aftertaste.

 

[olivacs]

I have been prescribed this mouthwash before and have been told to swish it in your mouth for 60 seconds and then spit out. You then should not eat or drink anything for 30-60 minutes. Hope this helps.

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hey
chlorhexidine is quite a strong material indeed. There are many kinds of bacteria that can not live when chlorhexidine is around.
I think that the case of death due to chlorhexidine sounds very unusual. It has its side effects but they are reversible and very much manageable. In case it is swallowed it effects the digestive system bacterial flora (the bacterias that inhibit the digestive track) but again it is reversible.
Regarding its use: I tell my patients to rinse it 20-30 seconds (then you have the most effect of it, 60 seconds sounds to long), then spit it out and no tot rinse/drink/eat for at least half an hour. This is my recommendation, it might change according the chlorhexidine percentage and the medical situation of the patient.

 

[blobfish9858]

Hello!
I was recently prescribed chlorhexidine. My question is after I have spit out the chlorhexidine for 30 seconds, can I swallow or spit out my saliva as well? This has been bothering me.
Thanks!

Hey
chlorhexidine is quite a strong material indeed. There are many kinds of bacteria that can not live when chlorhexidine is around.
I think that the case of death due to chlorhexidine sounds very unusual. It has its side effects but they are reversible and very much manageable. In case it is swallowed it effects the digestive system bacterial flora (the bacterias that inhibit the digestive track) but again it is reversible.
Regarding its use: I tell my patients to rinse it 20-30 seconds (then you have the most effect of it, 60 seconds sounds to long), then spit it out and no tot rinse/drink/eat for at least half an hour. This is my recommendation, it might change according the chlorhexidine percentage and the medical situation of the patient.

 

[npraoz]

In my experience, Peridex is the devil. It caused altered sense of taste. I only used it for three days, it’s been a week and I’m still recovering. Slowly gaining normal sense of taste back. I’ve been so anxious lately because of this horror that’s happened to me. I’m lucky I can taste because some people have LOST ALL TASTE. I hope you’re still not using this... I know side affects can be rare but please be warned...
I can taste all basic flavors, but for some reason I cant taste certain foods in all of its entirety yet. Which is scary to me? I don’t know how to explain this phenomenon. It’s like Peridex wiped out a part of my brain that distinguishes what flavor is which. My fries from Chick-fil-A just tasted salty, but usually I taste more than salty. My sweet tea from chick fil a today tasted a little ... well dull. And I know they put a crap ton of sugar in there.
This afternoon I bought dark chocolate and milk chocolate and I can taste the difference between those now. Am I going insane? Am I getting better? I don’t know for certain yet. A dentist told me it took his wife a full month to regain all taste back from using Peridex... Idk how people live with no taste because I’m struggling to comprehend what Peridex did to my tastebuds. I only hope the intensity of chick fil a food comes back...

 

[GravityWaves]

Dear all, I know it sounds stupid, but I have an issue with the chlorhexidine mouthwash prescribed by my dentist. After using the chlorhexidine mouthwash, and I suppose to rinse with water or just leave it? I googled it up, some say rinse it some say dont. Thanks!

I don't know when this was posted. But I had a tooth extracted 3 days ago and they prescribed this mouthwash for me too. You are Not supposed to rinse with water, just supposed to leave it to do its work. Also they told me don't drink or eat anything for 1/2 hr after using. (It will make anything taste awful anyway.) Also use just as prescribed, not more, as it can have some side effects. Not to add to your worries, but after googling it, I'm scared of the stuff, but they said for the short time - 1 week - it will be fine. Sorry if that complicated things. (It can stain teeth, which can be removed..) (Google it?)

 

[GravityWaves]

The description on the bottle says "Not to be taken/swallow". If I leave the remains in my mouth, i presumed I cannot drink anything right? Since I'll just swallow it.

I just got some; you're not supposed to eat or drink for 1/2 hour atter using. But I wouldn't worry about not getting a single drop in your system. You can swallow as needed, just don't swallow the mouthwash, as in, don't drink it, because some people actually might! But the reason not to consume stuff right after is to let the medicine do its work. It's not going to harm you to ingest a microgram or two (I mean, a tiny amount). Don't sweat that! But they want it to be effective, and eating or drinking - even water - will apparently interfere. Also it supposedly will taste awful.

 

[GravityWaves]

In my experience, Peridex is the devil. It caused altered sense of taste. I only used it for three days, it’s been a week and I’m still recovering. Slowly gaining normal sense of taste back. I’ve been so anxious lately because of this horror that’s happened to me. I’m lucky I can taste because some people have LOST ALL TASTE. I hope you’re still not using this... I know side affects can be rare but please be warned...
I can taste all basic flavors, but for some reason I cant taste certain foods in all of its entirety yet. Which is scary to me? I don’t know how to explain this phenomenon. It’s like Peridex wiped out a part of my brain that distinguishes what flavor is which. My fries from Chick-fil-A just tasted salty, but usually I taste more than salty. My sweet tea from chick fil a today tasted a little ... well dull. And I know they put a crap ton of sugar in there.
This afternoon I bought dark chocolate and milk chocolate and I can taste the difference between those now. Am I going insane? Am I getting better? I don’t know for certain yet. A dentist told me it took his wife a full month to regain all taste back from using Peridex... Idk how people live with no taste because I’m struggling to comprehend what Peridex did to my tastebuds. I only hope the intensity of chick fil a food comes back...

Thank you for posting that. I was prescribed chlorhexidine-gluconate a few days ago and now have learned of these side effects they didn't mention. I don't want to take it, maybe substitute something but I missed the surgeon's callback yesterday (they had my old phone number) and It's Saturday now. I hope your taste buds have recovered, I'd be very anxious and upset too if that happened to me. Mine is from a tooth extraction, but they say so little, it's like an assembly line!