Using Gentian Violet to Treat Thrush

Any woman who has ever had to nurse a baby while dealing with thrush knows that it can be extremely painful and extremely difficult to get rid of. Nystatin is often the first thing that doctors will prescribe to treat thrush, but the yeast that causes thrush has become resistant to Nystatin – not to mention that it’s quite possibly the stickiest substance on earth. This sticky liquid is supposed to be “swished around your baby’s mouth” (quoted from the prescription bottle). It’s too bad my baby can’t read! My pediatrician also recommended that I rub this same liquid on my nipples and let it dry. Let me just say that this is how I discovered just how sticky liquid Nystatin really is. The next time I tried to nurse my son, my bra was stuck to my nipples like I had used super glue. Ouch! In the end, the Nystatin didn’t work to clear up the thrush in my son’s mouth or on my nipples and we went through all that awful mess for nothing.

After searching for home remedies that might be less painful than the thrush itself, I found an article about Gentian Violet. Gentian Violet is available at many pharmacies, behind the counter. It’s quite inexpensive – I paid less than $2.00 for a bottle that had more than enough to last through the entire treatment and beyond. That was less than our co-pay for the prescription that didn’t work at all! The only downfall about using Gentian Violet is that it will turn everything it touches a bright purple – including your nipples and your baby’s mouth. The good news is that the purple only lasts for a few days and only remains bright purple for a few hours, so if you use it at night before going to bed, your baby’s mouth will be a faded purple color by morning.

When you are ready to apply the Gentian Violet, make sure to wear older clothing. This is another good reason to do it at night before going to bed because you can sleep in old clothes and won’t have to worry about staining your bras. The purple stains usually will wash out of clothing after a few washings, but wear something you don’t care much about just in case. If it’s warm enough, strip your baby down to his diaper when you apply the Gentian Violet so that you won’t have to worry about getting it out of his clothes at all. You can also rub some Vaseline on his lips to help keep the purple inside his mouth, but this doesn’t always work if your baby is very squirmy.

Dip a q-tip into the Gentian Violet – don’t soak it; get just enough to make it wet. Allow your baby to suck on the q-tip. This should be enough to spread the Gentian Violet around his mouth and tongue. If it’s not, you can rub his gums, tongue and roof of his mouth with the cotton swab. Then nurse him as you normally do, allowing him to switch sides when he has finished the first. When you are finished nursing him, check to see if both your nipples are purple – if they are not, apply more Gentian Violet to your nipples to make sure they are covered. I found that I felt more confident that there was enough on them if I went ahead and applied more.

Repeat this once each night for at least three days, but no more than six. If you don’t feel relief within a few days, stop treatment and see your doctor because you might be dealing with something more than thrush or you may need a stronger prescription, such as Diflucan, to get rid of the yeast completely. Most women, however, notice relief within a day and that alone is worth having purple nipples and a baby with a purple mouth for a few days.