Halitosis and medications are two words that most people normally don't fit together naturally. Ask the average person what halitosis and medications have to do with each other and if you didn't draw a complete blank, you might get a shrug of the shoulders and a question inquiring about the possibility of some new miracle drug on the market that cures bad breath. Assuming, of course, that you didn't get the question: What's halitosis thrown back at you.



Halitosis and medications are not yet two words we can discuss in relation to stopping by the convenience store on the home from eating out at Italian restaurant in order to cover up the odors of oregano and sausage swirling out of your mouth like smoke from a chimney on a cold December day. What those words, halitosis and medications, really do have to do with each other is something else entirely.

Were you aware that certain medications actually cause halitosis? What is known as bad breath really isn't caused by the foods that are eaten. In other words, if that person you went out to eat wiath at the Italian restaurant suddenly develops bad breath, it isn't necessarily the oregano and onions that you're smelling. Normally, it's a certain chemical contained in the food that is responsible. For instance, onions cause bad breath because of the high sulfur content in them. Other causes are things such as periodontal disease, sinus problems and bacteria.

So how are halitosis and medications linked, then? A common side effect of many medications is dry mouth. The key to controlling bacteria-based bad breath is producing saliva. When the amount of saliva your mouth produces slows, the growth rate of those nasty little critters rise, along with the chances for bad breath. As proof of this, consider that most people experience bad breath in the morning because saliva production decreases during sleep. Well, saliva production decreases with dry mouth, too, obviously. If you take medication that leads to dry mouth, then you are, in effect, taking medication that causes bad breath. So, then, what kind of medications are the leading producers of dry mouth?

Any kind of medication that you may take for sinus problems is guaranteed to dry out your mouth. Antihistamines, of course, lead to dry mouth, so if you are taking medication to treat a cold, hay fever, allergies to certain food, or skin conditions such as hives or eczema then you are probably taking antihistamines and are subject to dry mouth and bad breath.

As if you didn't have enough to be depressed about, certain antidepressants also lead to dry mouth and halitosis. Among those that antidepressants that commonly list dry mouth as a side effect are such superstar medications as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. In addition, beware of using Prilosec and Claritin.

If you are subject to bad breath on a regular basis, then always make it a priority to check the medications you are using to see if dry mouth is a common side effect. If so, you may just have found the key to avoiding halitosis. Halitosis and medications are definitely two words that belong together.