If you are squeamish, don't read this post

I've been taking an antibiotic in the tetracycline family for acne for the last 2+ months and haven't had any problems until about 3 weeks ago.  I noticed a couple of black freckle like marks on my gums, which I had never noticed before - so I went to the dentist for my cleaning and asked him about it.  He said, "Yeah - that's common.  It matches your tongue."

!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT?  TONGUE?  I made him show me and my tongue was mottled blue/black.  I didn't remember my tongue being like this.  I didn't freak out because my dentist went on to say that the freckles (also known as tattoos) and the black tongue are normal - it happens to a lot of people.  It just left me dazed and confused.

But then I went home and thought about it long and hard.  I don't remember my tongue being that color.  It was fascinating to look at.  And it didn't occur to me that it might be medicine-related until I showed my dad (the retired general practitioner) on Facetime this past Friday.  He was like - WHAT??!!!!!  What have you been eating?  I told him I didn't eat anything.  It just showed up like this.  And he said, it can't be - are you taking anything different? I explained about the med and he said - it's the med.  Luckily I had a follow-up appointment with my derm and he was shocked that my tongue turned that color so quickly.  He told me, "For some people, they get the black/blue tongue, but it doesn't happen until 7 or more months into treatment.  It's shocking for you to get it so quickly."

Shocking?  DUDE - NO KIDDING.  So I am not taking the med anymore and we shall see if my tongue returns to normal.  Supposedly it should, but it takes a while.  So until then I have the same tongue color of a giraffe or chow dog.

And my derm gave me the name of his dentist when I was leaving.

I am posting this because I really couldn't find any information about why my tongue had turned black.  If something like this happens to you, don't listen to your fool dentist and quickly go to your internist/family practitioner/doctor/health care professional.

(if you aren't squeamish, then see photos of tongue after the fold)

again, only have the camera phone which doesn't do the color justice.

This one is dark but shows the dramatic difference: