The taste of bitterness in the mouth bothers many people, especially with age, when a person already develops several chronic diseases. In most cases, this symptom accompanies chronic diseases of the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. It is worth paying very close attention to this unpleasant sensation if a person begins to constantly be bothered by bitterness in the mouth. The reason should first of all be sought in pathological changes in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract - from the oral cavity to the intestines, since other causes of the appearance of a bitter taste in the mouth are usually short-term, occurring after taking any medications or fatty, smoked foods. We will talk about what can cause bitterness in the mouth and the reasons for its appearance in this article.
When and how often does bitterness occur in the mouth?
From when bitterness appears in the mouth, we can guess what causes this symptom:
Bitterness in the mouth in the morning - the reason most likely lies in problems with the liver and gall bladder.
Bitterness in the mouth during physical activity - if it is also accompanied by heaviness in the right side, it may be a sign of liver disease.
Bitterness appears after any meal - diseases of the stomach, duodenum, gall bladder, and some liver pathologies.
Bitterness in the mouth only after eating too heavy, fatty foods, after overeating - diseases of the gallbladder, bile ducts, liver.
Constant bitterness in the mouth - a possible cause is cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, endocrine or mental illness.
Short-term bitterness in the mouth - during a stressful situation or the use of medications that affect the liver and gastrointestinal tract.
Bitterness in the mouth appears the next day after eating pine nuts from China and lasts for several more days —
These are rancid, low-quality, processed nuts that are supplied to Russia from China; their consumption is simply dangerous to health.
Will folk recipes help with bitterness in the mouth?
Traditional medicine offers many remedies for bitterness in the mouth. Whether to use them or not is up to you. When choosing methods for treating persistent bitterness in the mouth, it is worth taking into account the patient’s severity and diagnostic results. It is important to understand why bitterness appears in the mouth and what disease it is a symptom of. Only in this case it is possible to select therapeutic drugs and prophylactic agents.
Traditional medicine suggests fighting bitterness in the mouth with the help of herbs, infusions of rose hips, and viburnum. Instead of tea and coffee, it is recommended to drink infusions of chamomile, flax seeds, and calendula a few minutes before meals, which have an anti-inflammatory effect on the intestinal mucosa, soothe, and relieve irritation from the digestive tract.
For acute or chronic gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux, it is recommended to use enveloping agents in the form of flax seeds, which create a protective film on the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and reduce the secretion of hydrochloric acid. It is enough to pour a few tablespoons of boiling water and let it brew for 10-20 minutes. Strain the resulting mixture and drink the clear liquid throughout the day, preferably in the morning on an empty stomach.
Diseases whose symptom is bitterness in the mouth
First of all, the cause of bitterness in the mouth should be sought in dysfunction of the gallbladder, since bitterness is a classic symptom of the release of bile into the esophagus. To determine why this happens, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study of the liver, biliary tract, duodenum, and stomach:
In diseases of the biliary tract and liver, bitterness in the mouth is a very clear symptom.
The liver performs many important functions in the body, one of which is the production of bile, which reaches the gallbladder through the bile ducts, accumulates there, and when required, enters the duodenum. Due to various disorders of the liver, the presence of stones in the gall bladder, and impaired motility of the biliary tract, bile stagnation occurs. The overfilled gallbladder then abruptly throws out bile, and from a sharp contraction of the stomach and duodenum, bile enters both the esophagus and the oral cavity, which causes bitterness in the mouth.
Cholecystitis
when the gallbladder becomes inflamed, an unpleasant bitter taste also appears in the mouth. In addition, with acute cholecystitis, a person is bothered by pain in the right hypochondrium, vomiting bile, dry mouth, increased body temperature, and jaundice of the skin. Sometimes the patient may be bothered by dyspepsia - diarrhea or constipation, a thick yellow coating on the tongue, insomnia, increased irritability, a metallic taste in the mouth.
Liver diseases
Any malfunction of the liver can affect the production of bile and disruption of its movement in the body. Often, increased load on the liver does not show any symptoms. And the absence of pain in the liver area, the absence of its enlargement, a normal, non-icteric skin color does not yet indicate that the liver is not overloaded and is coping with its functions. Because only if it increases, pain receptors give signals and a person begins to feel it.
Bitterness in the mouth for diseases of the stomach and intestines is only of secondary importance
Most diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can be accompanied by a violation of the outflow of bile, since everything in the body is interconnected. Therefore, with diseases of the stomach - gastritis, ulcers, with diseases of the duodenum - duodenitis, with inflammation of the large or small intestine, with pancreatitis, bitterness in the mouth may also be one of the many symptoms. FGS helps to identify a specific disease and determines in what direction treatment should be carried out.
Why does my mouth taste bitter?
The feeling that there is bitterness in the mouth may come briefly or last a long time until appropriate measures are taken to eliminate it. An unpleasant symptom is accompanied by heartburn, nausea, and sometimes stomach belching or an unpleasant odor. The culprit for the appearance of bitterness may be an age-related change in taste perception: in older people, the symptom of a bitter taste in the mouth is very common.
In most cases, the symptom is the beginning of diseases of the oral cavity, pathology of the digestive system, sometimes bitterness appears in the acute stage. After an examination at a medical facility, the doctor will be able to give recommendations on how to treat bitterness in the mouth. To discover the true cause of the discomfort that appears, you need to understand under what conditions it appears.
In the morning
Morning bitterness in the mouth is caused by insufficiently good functioning of the liver or gall bladder, which depend on each other’s work and are interconnected. Those people who have problems with the health of these organs need to start treating them. It is strictly forbidden to eat fatty foods in the evening, which are difficult to process at night. In a horizontal position, bile flows from the gallbladder back into the stomach and esophagus. Bitterness is felt especially actively if the sleeping person prefers to lie on his left side - hence the feeling of bitter taste in the morning.
After meal
If there is a systematic appearance of plaque on the tongue, which has a yellow, white appearance and an unpleasant odor, in the morning or after eating, you should definitely be examined by a gastroenterologist. If bitterness appears immediately after eating such food and if it is not eliminated with the help of medications, it can last for several hours, which has a painful effect on well-being. Increased acidity of stomach juice is always accompanied by a bitter taste on the tongue and throat, especially if it is partially released into the lower part of the esophagus after eating.
Patients who have problems with the stomach, intestinal tract, pancreas, or liver are contraindicated in consuming the following products, which can lead to heartburn and a bitter taste:
spicy food with the addition of spices in large quantities;
pickles, preserved with vinegar;
adding salt in excess of the norm when preparing dishes;
fried foods, smoked foods;
alcohol;
fatty foods (lard, large amounts of butter, vegetable oil).
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During pregnancy
Bitterness and heartburn during the months of pregnancy appear both in the first trimester and in the last. In the first weeks of bearing a baby, many mothers experience toxicosis. Nausea and vomiting are accompanied by a feeling of bitter taste in the mouth. With a natural change in hormonal levels during the restructuring of the female body, the level of hemoglobin in the blood often decreases, which becomes an additional cause of bitterness in the oral cavity.
When the second half of pregnancy occurs, during the growth of the uterus, an upward shift in the location of the gallbladder is observed. As a result, the outflow of bile is disrupted, stagnation occurs, and then the pregnant woman begins to feel bitterness in the morning or after even a small meal. Acidic, fatty foods that inhibit the optimal functioning of the gallbladder and liver can cause taste discomfort.
Bitterness in the mouth, not associated with diseases of the digestive system
Bitterness in the mouth occurs due to diseases of the oral cavity. With any inflammatory process in the mouth: dystrophic diseases of the gums, inflammation of the periodontal tissues, with poorly selected metal or plastic crowns, dentures, with impaired innervation of the tongue, with stomatitis in adults and children - bitterness in the mouth may occur.
Hormonal disorders and diseases of the endocrine system, as a rule, also cause a feeling of bitterness in the mouth. With hyperthyroidism, when the thyroid gland secretes an increased amount of secretion, and vice versa, with hypothyroidism, when it is not enough, there is also an increased release of adrenaline and norepinephrine. Which in turn influence spasms of the muscles of the biliary tract. This process leads to dyskinesia of the biliary tract, and as a consequence to the appearance of bitterness in the mouth.
Such a phenomenon as a violation of the sense of taste - dysgeusia - appears in a person for some reason, and many tastes are perceived as unpleasant, and most often bitter.
Poisoning of the body with various heavy metals - copper, lead, mercury; with such intoxication, bitterness in the mouth may occur.
After taking almost any antibiotic, antihistamines - allergy tablets, antifungal drugs in tablets, any medications that affect the liver, a bitter taste, heartburn or pain in the right hypochondrium appears as one of the possible side effects. Even the use of natural medicinal herbs or oils can provoke such a symptom, for example, St. John's wort, boron uterus, sea buckthorn oil, etc.
People who smoke a lot, as well as those who are chronically stressed or depressed, suffer from a variety of unpleasant taste sensations in the mouth.
Treatment and drugs
Restoring liver cells with the help of medications is almost impossible: the liver repairs itself.
There are remedies that help it get rid of toxins, the liver recovers, and its function returns to normal. The disease goes away.
Sodium thiosulfate.
Allohol.
Holosas.
Liobil.
These medications help with the appearance of a bitter taste. Make an appointment with your doctor. Do not self-medicate, get examined on time and be healthy!
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Bitterness in the mouth during pregnancy
During pregnancy, a woman's body undergoes such strong changes, both hormonal and physiological, that the appearance of any unusual taste or other strange symptom should be perceived as normal. In the 1st trimester, an increase in progesterone has a relaxing effect on the valve separating the esophagus and stomach, so acid and bile can enter the esophagus, causing a bitter taste in the mouth, nausea, and vomiting.
In the later stages, heartburn and bitterness in the mouth cause a woman very severe discomfort, this is explained by the growth of the fetus and its pressure on the gallbladder and stomach; this symptom haunts the pregnant woman until childbirth. To reduce the frequency and intensity of this unpleasant manifestation, a woman should adhere to a certain diet - exclude fried and fatty foods, coffee, sour and spicy foods, eat little and often, avoid drinking liquids during meals, and drink only in between meals.