Causes of bitterness in the mouth after eating
The unpleasant taste usually disappears when the cause that caused it is eliminated. Diet errors (fatty, deep-fried foods), smoking, bad teeth, poor oral hygiene, and taking certain medications are potential causes of bad taste. However, dryness and bitterness in the mouth are also symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases. Biliary dyskinesia, chronic cholecystitis, cholelithiasis cause discomfort in the oral cavity. Also, the cause of a bitter taste can be diseases of the duodenum, chronic gastritis, enteritis, and colitis.
How to remove severe bitterness in the mouth and nausea? It is necessary to treat the underlying disease, the manifestations of which are these symptoms. But even after cholecystectomy, unpleasant symptoms may persist. Bitterness in the mouth after gallbladder removal is often associated with the so-called postcholecystectomy syndrome. If, despite following a diet, a bitter taste in the mouth persists for a long time after surgery, you should consult a doctor to identify the cause and prescribe appropriate therapy. The cause of bitterness in the mouth after eating can be simple overeating. In case of a large feast, you can take a tablet of an enzyme preparation (panzinorm, festal, mezim forte) during meals. But it is still advisable to adhere to the rules of a healthy diet: eat small portions 5-6 times a day, eliminate or limit the consumption of fatty and fried foods, drink more water. Then the question “how to treat bitterness in the mouth while eating” will not arise, and “bells” from the liver in the form of an unpleasant taste will not come.
Causes of bitter taste
A feeling of bitterness in the oral cavity can signal the presence of various diseases and inflammatory processes. Often, bitterness indicates problems in the digestive and excretory systems.
Cholecystitis, kidney stones, inflammatory processes in the gallbladder, infectious diseases of the genitourinary system - all these diseases can provoke a bitter taste in the mouth. You should not endure unpleasant symptoms or self-medicate. Timely diagnosed diseases and taken treatment measures are the key to healthy organs and the proper functioning of the body as a whole. Also causes of bitterness in the mouth are chronic gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, and poor diet.
Abuse of fatty, fried, spicy, sweet and starchy foods causes the pancreas to produce more secretions in order to digest heavy microelements. In addition to the pancreas, sweet and fatty foods cause a tremendous blow to the liver.
In order to break down complex glucose chains, the liver has to secrete twice as much of the hormone insulin, and as you know, increased levels of insulin in the blood can trigger diabetes.
What to do if you have a bitter taste in your mouth and a white coating on your tongue
Some medications cause a bitter taste. These include lithium preparations, antidepressants, antibiotics, allopurinol, vitamin and mineral complexes. Bitterness in the mouth can be combined with nausea, dryness, and a white coating on the tongue. Usually, special treatment for bitterness in the mouth after taking antibiotics or other medications is not required. The unpleasant taste disappears upon completion of the course of treatment and no longer bothers you.
What should you do if you have a bitter taste in your mouth and a white coating on your tongue that persists for a long time after taking medications? Contact your doctor. It may be necessary to prescribe hepatoprotectors - drugs that restore liver function. The treatment regimen for some diseases initially includes medications that “protect” the liver. This approach is practiced when prescribing chemotherapy drugs, especially with long courses and high dosages.
Other causes of bitterness in the mouth
Why there is a constant bitter taste in the mouth - possible reasons:
- smoking;
- inhalation of vapors of certain chemicals;
- dehydration;
- glossitis;
- dry mouth;
- allergy;
- salivary gland infections;
- lack of zinc and vitamin B12;
- nasal polyps;
- autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren's syndrome and Bell's palsy;
- mouth breathing;
- inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
- injuries to the head, mouth, nose;
- braces;
- Radiation therapy to the neck or head.
Bitterness in the mouth in the early stages of pregnancy may be associated with changes in hormonal levels, attacks of nausea and vomiting (toxicosis). Read more about this symptom on our website.
Causes of bitter taste in mouth
Bitterness in the mouth can appear due to diseases of the digestive system, teeth and gums, due to changes in hormonal levels, taking certain medications and for other reasons (Fig. 1). At the same time, the accompanying symptoms and conditions under which a person feels a bitter taste in the mouth will be different.
Figure 1. Some causes of bitterness in the mouth. Source: MedPortal
Poor quality food
Foods cooked with a lot of oil, fat or burnt can cause a bitter taste in the mouth. Sometimes the bitter taste is associated with drinking black coffee or very strong tea. It can also appear if a person has eaten sunflower seeds or nuts. The bitterness will go away if you drink cool water, but a slight unpleasant aftertaste may persist for a while. If the bitter taste comes from food, there will be no other symptoms (pain, indigestion).
Age-related changes
With age, a person's taste perception gradually changes. Older people are less able to discern tastes, but may still experience bitterness. This is associated with a number of other health changes, for example, decreased saliva production, dry mucous membranes, and a gradual deterioration in oral health.
Smoking
If a person smokes frequently, they perceive the taste of food less well, and this can increase the bitter taste in the mouth. Also, bitterness in the mouth of smokers may be associated with the taste and smell of tobacco smoke. The resins contained in it linger on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and settle on the surface of the tooth enamel. This is the cause of bad breath, deteriorating dental health and the associated persistent bitter taste. You can beat it with chewing gum or mints, but it is better to quit smoking or at least reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke.
Pregnancy
In the first trimester, bitterness in the mouth may appear along with other symptoms of toxicosis. It usually worsens with nausea or after vomiting. Fluctuations in estrogen levels can affect the perception of tastes. Cholestasis of pregnancy can also cause bitterness. This is a relatively rare syndrome that develops in the third trimester and is characterized by pruritus and cholestatic jaundice. Cholestasis in pregnancy resolves after childbirth and is considered a relatively harmless condition, but if symptoms appear, you should inform your obstetrician-gynecologist.
Functional dyspepsia
Functional dyspepsia is a disorder in which a person does not have severe diseases of the digestive system, but experiences pain, early satiety and a feeling of fullness after eating, and a burning sensation in the upper abdomen. In this condition, the feeling of bitterness occurs due to slow digestion of food. It may be accompanied by abdominal cramps and other unpleasant sensations. Functional dyspepsia is associated with a number of factors, including stress, smoking, heredity, and recent infectious diseases. You can relieve the bitter taste in your mouth by drinking water with lemon juice. If the condition does not go away or the pain intensifies, diarrhea, vomiting or other severe symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Hepatitis
Bitterness in the mouth is the initial symptom of hepatitis and accompanies liver inflammation. In this case, the bitter taste appears in the morning, immediately after waking up or 30-60 minutes after eating. This is accompanied by heaviness in the right hypochondrium, pain, nausea and vomiting containing bile. With toxic hepatitis, symptoms appear for a short time and disappear after starting treatment. With viral hepatitis, bitterness in the mouth persists almost constantly.
Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract
If food digestion is impaired, an unpleasant taste appears in the mouth. The sensation of bitterness may occur due to a change in taste perception. It occurs, for example, with pancreatitis and may be accompanied by vomiting and the appearance of a yellow or grayish coating on the tongue. A common cause of bitterness in the mouth is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this disease, stomach contents (stomach juice and food particles) regularly back up into the esophagus, causing heartburn and a bitter taste in the mouth (video 1).
Video 1. Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
If a person has chronic gastritis or duodenitis, a bitter taste appears when he violates the recommended diet. In diseases of the digestive system, a feeling of bitterness in the mouth is always associated with food intake (appears some time after it).
Biliary system damage
A bitter taste may appear in the mouth due to cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, cholangitis and other diseases of the biliary system (gall bladder and bile ducts). At first, bitterness may appear only after drinking alcohol, fatty or fried foods.
“Burning in the mouth, tongue covered with a yellow coating, discomfort, and so on. In 95% of cases, this is due to the reflux of bile from the duodenum into the stomach. In the stomach, this bile is mixed with hydrochloric acid, thrown into the esophagus and then into the oral cavity.”
Karasev Ivan Alexandrovich
expert
FSBI "N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology", endoscopist
Without treatment, the condition will gradually worsen. The bitter taste will bother you more often and last longer. Along with it, nausea, pain in the hypochondrium on the right side, and stool disorders may occur. The feeling of bitterness becomes permanent if a severe inflammatory disease of the gallbladder or bile ducts develops (cholangitis, cholecystocholangitis, cholecystitis and others). Also among the possible causes are biliary dyskinesia, due to which the outflow of bile is disrupted, and cholelithiasis. Less commonly, the disorder is associated with parasitic liver disease (giardiasis, opisthorchiasis or echinococcosis).
Dental diseases
The feeling of bitterness can be caused by the presence of tartar, caries, gingivitis or other dental problems. There are usually other symptoms:
- toothache;
- enamel sensitivity (reaction to cold or hot, sweet, sour);
- bleeding gums;
- tooth mobility;
- gums look red or swollen;
- There is a noticeable plaque on the enamel that cannot be removed by regular teeth brushing.
Problems with the health of teeth and gums may be associated with xerostomia, a condition in which insufficient saliva is produced and the mouth constantly feels dry. This increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, and causes an unpleasant odor in the mouth, which is perceived as bitter. Xerostomia can occur due to smoking, mouth breathing, aging, diabetes, or autoimmune diseases. This condition requires consultation with a dentist.
Sometimes bitterness in the mouth appears after dental treatment. This may be due to the use of certain medications or materials, or the installation of dentures, braces and other structures in the mouth. If the bitter taste does not go away or persists for several days, you should contact your dentist.
Neurological disorders
The mouth may taste bitter due to damage to the brain structures that process taste information. In this case, taste perception is disrupted: for example, sour foods may seem sweet, salty foods may seem sour, and a person may not perceive some tastes. This can occur after a traumatic brain injury or stroke. Sometimes taste disturbances are associated with Alzheimer's disease and other age-related diseases in which neurodegenerative processes occur.
Complications of pharmacotherapy
There are more than 250 types of medications that can cause taste disturbances, including the appearance of bitterness in the mouth. This can happen if the drug affects the taste buds of the brain, if part of it remains in the saliva and changes its taste, if the drug suppresses the microflora, which is why fungal diseases develop. Among the drugs that can cause a bitter taste in the mouth:
- antibiotics;
- medications for arrhythmia, diuretics, statins and other drugs used for cardiovascular diseases;
- drugs used in chemotherapy;
- muscle relaxants, migraine medications and other neurological drugs;
- neuroleptics, sedatives, hypnotics, antidepressants;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- bronchodilators;
- antihistamines;
- antiviral drugs;
- nicotine replacement therapy products.
Rare causes
Sometimes bitterness in the mouth becomes a symptom of endocrine disorders: diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, hypocortisolism and others. It can accompany some cancers and respiratory diseases. Rarely, the cause is an infection of the salivary glands. A bitter taste may occur in cases of poisoning due to accidental ingestion of a toxic substance. In all these cases, the appearance of bitterness is accompanied by other symptoms of the underlying disease.
How to get rid of bitterness in your mouth
If the bitterness and unpleasant taste are not caused by pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and other diseases, then you can “fight” them yourself:
- Maintain good oral hygiene. You need to brush your gums and tongue, not just your teeth. Add a small amount of baking soda to your toothbrush before applying toothpaste. Brushing your teeth and tongue should take at least two and a half minutes. Remember to brush your teeth twice a day. Use dental floss and a tongue scraper and rinse your mouth regularly;
- eat more citrus fruits, drink orange and lemon juices. The acid stimulates the production of saliva and eliminates the bitter taste in the mouth;
- Visit your dentist regularly for preventive examinations and dental plaque removal;
- stop smoking;
- drink enough water;
- limit your consumption of fatty and spicy foods. Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly.
If you follow all these rules, and the bitterness in your mouth persists, consult a doctor, as the cause of unpleasant symptoms may be endocrine diseases, mental disorders, and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Related services: Consultation with a pediatrician Consultation with a family doctor
Treatment
Help before diagnosis
Many patients feel relief after rinsing their mouth with water and a small amount of lemon juice or a weak solution of soda. It is important to maintain oral hygiene: brush your teeth thoroughly 2 times a day, rinse your mouth with water after each meal, and use dental floss if necessary. In order not to suffer from bitterness in the morning, you should refrain from fatty foods and smoked foods at dinner.
Pregnant women are advised to eat often, in small portions, so as not to overload the gastrointestinal tract. After eating, you should not take a horizontal position or engage in physical labor. If an unpleasant taste in the mouth is accompanied by dyspeptic disorders, pain or a progressive deterioration of the general condition, it is important to consult a doctor in time to determine why the taste occurs in the mouth.
Conservative therapy
A specific taste occurs in many diseases, so only the main directions of therapy can be identified, and the selection of an individual set of therapeutic measures is carried out by a specialist. When caries is detected, treatment by a dentist is indicated: usually, after the elimination of chronic foci of infection, the unpleasant taste disappears. Most often used in therapeutic regimens:
- Antiseptics
. Regular rinsing of the oral cavity with a solution of chlorhexidine and its analogues ensures moisturizing and cleansing of the mucous membrane, and prevents the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. For stomatitis with pain, solutions of local anesthetics are used. - Antacids
. If the symptom is due to hyperacid conditions, modern non-absorbable drugs that quickly reduce acidity are recommended. A course of treatment with antisecretory agents is often required to achieve a lasting effect and healing of mucosal defects. - Choleretic drugs
. In case of biliary pathology, the composition of bile is improved and its release into the duodenum is stimulated, due to which the bitterness disappears. The drugs can be combined with hepatoprotectors to protect the liver from the effects of bile acids. - Antidotes
. Heavy metal poisoning is an indication for the prescription of specific complexones that bind and remove toxic substances from the blood. To speed up detoxification, large volumes of crystalloid solutions are administered intravenously.
