Wow…this morning was a little hectic for me. I ended up sleeping in until 1pm. I was just too tired and was in the dream world for awhile. Anyways, I was suppose to go to the mall with my parents and to the Portuguese community downtown. I didn’t go because I was just too tired. Well, when I woke up at 1pm, I headed to the shower. I shower in the morning and like brushing my teeth while in the shower (less mess and I don’t have to worry about getting toothpaste on my shirt LOL).
What happened was when I spit my saliva, it came out black not the typical white saliva. I thought to myself, I didn’t eat nothing that was black. The last thing I had was a pepto bismol chewable because I had an upset stomach last night. So when I got out of the shower, I went to the mirror and looked at my mouth.
MY TONGUE WAS BLACK!!!
This freaked me out completely because I never had my tongue go black ever!! It’s gone pink and blue due to candy or freezes, but NEVER BLACK! So I was in a panic because I couldn’t come up with an explanation as to way it was that colour. So I was already planning on going to the doctor immediately. Then I decided to see if I could brush it off with my toothbrush. Viola! It started brushing off as if it was some kind of ink or dirt that was on my tongue (both I know couldn’t possibly be). I’m still in shock over it because I have no clue what could of caused it to turn black. The only thing I can think of is if I somehow had a piece of my bed comforter in my mouth because it is leopard print and has black spots. But then again, it’s fabric and not ink or anything of that sort.
I’m completely stunned without a reasonable explanation.
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116 Responses to Woke up with a black tongue!!
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Hi I'm Tina. Photographer. Animal Lover. Gamer. Music. Leopard Print. Lipgloss. BBM. Handbags. Astrology. Movies.
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oh my gosh! are u feeling okay?
Ya, I’m feeling perfectly fine but it was a total shock this morning.
Maybe it was your comforter since even though it is fabric, it is dyed with ink. I’ve never heard of dye coming out of fabric because someone was chewing on it, but anything is possible I guess. My first thought before I read your whole entry was an ink pen, because I’ve had that happen to me too many times to count. Its what I get for not being able to NOT chew on things.
Hi Tina,
Any idea what caused it, maybe pepto bismol but is not pink in color.
Stay healthy.
Vijay
Hi Vijay,
Yup, I found out what caused it. See this post.
Hey this happened to me this morning. I looked on the internet and I found that if you take pepto-Besmol (like she said above) it says on the box that it might cause harmless blackening of the stool and the tongue. So, if you took some meds (Pep-bis) then problem solved. Also if you took some other meds then read the symtoms while taking the meds and see what it says. Good Luck and God Bless
Thanks Fe-Fe. I had already figured that out yesterday by doing a search too. LOL!
Thanks for your comment on this post!
I know this is really strange ’cause I don’t know you…but I woke up a few times with the same problem [once in another country!] and when it happened the second time I panicked a little and went online. Your blog is the only place that I found symptoms similar [actually, exact..] to what happened to me.
What we have in common, we both took Pepto before bed. So I’m guessing thats it. Hope that gives you some relief!
-Erika
Haha! Embarrassing, I just read the other feedback you got. Turns out that is it. Sorry for the dumb post then. Thanks for the help.
-Erika
pepto bismal thats what causes black tongue in morning
it is the pepto chewables, i chewed a couple up and woke up this morning, same thing! Black tounge and roof of mouth, scared me a little too, but it came off with a tounge scraper, they should be a larger disclaimer on the box that lets people know about this issue.
I just joined the black tongue club and was freakin’ out as well. I’ve taken plenty of peptt tabs but never had this happen (had it happen on the other end because of Pepto but not on the tongue). Maybe it was a combination of pizza, beer and pepsi the night of the black tongue incident.
THANK YOU! I woke up with the SAME thing today, and it scared the hell out of me cause I though one more thing was wrong with me! It gives you the worst breath too! lol
Its an effect from Pepto Bismal. I’ve noticed the same thing when taking the pepto in liquid form before bed.
LOL. The black tongue club.
Haha. That’s great. I think we should make that official. Next time we wake up with pepto-tongues, we should take pictures and share. ;D
Wow i just had the same thing thank god for this blog i read both of them then i stopped freaking out
Well guys…It happened to me today morning.But I have not taken any medication or the pepto…ath..ystd night.So not sure what else it could be.I dont drink,smoke or take medications except once in a while multi vits.
it happened to me too! i didnt know what it was. I got so scared.
I was just googleing the black tongue phenomenon because that’s the way I woke up today, too. I just wanted to let you know that we had something in common – last night I had a pepto chewable… maybe it had to do with that. bizarre…
I DID THE SAME THING I HAD AN UPSET STOMACH AND TOOK TWO PEPTO TABLETS AND WOKE UP TO A BLACK TONGUE, IT SCARED ME TO DEATH. IVE HAD SO MANY MEDICAL PROBLEMS IN THE PAST I THOUGHT GREAT JUST ONE MORE THING TO GO WRONG WITH ME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SITE, I FEEL RELIEVED NOW.
This just happened to be with the pepto tablets and everything! I think it’s in the tablets
OMG THiS HAPPEND TO ME JUST 2DAY AND i WAS GOiNG SO CRAZY!!! i WAS LiKE WHATS GOiNG ON WiTH ME LOL… BUT i JUST READ EVERYTHiNG ON HERE AND iTS CUZ i TOOK A PEPTO TABLET LAST NiGHT SO THAT MADE ME HAPPY LOL TO KNOW NADA iS WRONG
You’re on top of the list for “woke up black tounge” in google. You guessed it, I woke up with the black toung phenomenon and here I am at 7:00 a.m. scared to death, but thankfuly it was the pepto I took last night.
Lovely post. Please add my email address to your list and email me the updates if possible. I always like to read your blog and comment on it.
chewable pepto bismol turns your tongue and spit black
omg! the same thing just happen to me I was shook I was about to go to the hospital. Im never takin that stuff ever
Thank you for sharing your expense with the public.
The same thing happened to me this morning. I thought I was having some horrible allergic reaction to only god knows what, so I rushed to emergency. Dr. had no anwers. He just snet me on my way, telling me to come back if things worsen. Some conselation huh?
WebMD didn’t even help.
Thanks to good ‘ol Google and bloggers like yourself, I can now rest in peace and no longer live in fear of my black tongue.
luv joy
omg, man i was just totally freaking out for the exact same reason.. i love the internet…. thanks!
OMG…i googled what happens when you wake up with a black tounge…an your page came up….last night my boyfriend chewed pepto tabs and woke up with a black tounge!!so im happy to know that must be the reason why…
hahah that just happened to me a few days ago, i was a little freaked out too, but mostly just grossed out lol
i woke up this morning with a black tounge TOO!! AHH. I TOOK A PEPTO CHEWABLE! i think thats the problem.
it has to be the pepto because the same thing happened to me this morning. the only reason i found this site was because i was freaked as well. Anyway i am glad like everyone else. i guess we should probably drink plenty of water after chewing them, maybe that will prevent it? i dont know, im not a doc
HOLY HELL! just happened to me! I thought I had eaten a black widow in my sleep or had an ulcer but no………it was the pepto demon!
Thank you for the answer about why my tongue turned black!!! I thought I was bleeding in my mouth!! What is in the pepto to make my tongue black?
I’ve just googled black tongue and am proud to be a member of The Distinguished Pepto group! Boy I was soooooo relieved when I found your blog. The black poos are something else too! Scary!
thanks for this posting. I woke up with a black tongue and freaked out. I took chewable Pepto Bismol yesterday afternoon!
Thank you so much for the post and keeping it up here!! Same thing happened to me this morning!! Scared the crap out of me! I can’t even imagine what my stomach looks like after eating the pepto chewables if my tongue is black! Hmmm thanks again!!
I think it’s the pepto bismal that causes it because I was having heartburn last night so I took some pepto bismal right before going to sleep and when I woke up my teeth and tongue were all black. Don’t worry, you’re perfectly healthy, it probably came off when you brushed your teeth, right?
I was panicking this morning until I found this site, I woke up this morning with the black bowels and tongue, thought I was dieing inside. But then I read about the Pepto and now I feel better. Because thats what I took before bed last night….
Uggghhh! Same thing happended to me this morning, and if I hadn’t found these blogs, ummm I thought i was dying too! Wow….next time you better believe i won’t take PEPTO again, that was scary and gross!
lol! im 15.
i woke up with the same thing!!
i was so SCARED!!! i tried sucking the black off and every thing
lmao.
but its due to the bismuth subnitrate and bismuth subcarbonate are used in medicine. Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) is used as an antidiarrheal and to treat some other gastro-intestinal diseases.this probably would be the ingredient that makes your tongue turns ‘black’,but it says there is no harmful effect on your system or body,check the links on the source bar for more information.
Thank Goodness for this blog… I almost just panicked and woke my girlfriend/family/doctor up at 4am!!! I never would have guessed it was the pepto. Phew! Back to sleep
so what if my routines are normal and have not taken pepto????
now THAT should freak you out,don’t smoke or chew, eat healthy,
felt no other symptoms, just had black opaque spit for about 30 hours,
lol.. it just happened to me too. woke up went to brush my teeth and there it was black tounge.i knew i had not eat or drank anything black and the last think i had was chewable pb. so instantly i thought my wife was poisioning me! then i got on here and figured it out.thanks, now i have to go tell my wife im sorry
OMG, One night I took a Pepto Bismol and woke up the next morning with a blackish brown tounge I freaked out myself but was able to brush it off as well, I feel alot better knowing I’m not the only one. No more Pepto for me I’ll stick to Immodim lol
Same thing happened to this morning. I have no clue what it was all i know is a had a coke and a tums that night.
You guys are lucky,my tongue has been black on the edges for 3 days now and I cant find an answer for it. i have not taken any meds,including pepto. I feel okay,but this has me worried.
Add me to the list. I’m also a member of the black tongue.
Wow! That was scary! I almost take pepto every day cause my stomach is always topsy turvy. So pepto was the last thing on my mind. Terrible breath, and black tongue. It came right off with my toothbrush. I thought I was dying! I almost woke up my daughter to hurry to the ER. Thought I’d check the internet just in case, cause I have no other symptoms. Thank Goodness your blog is here!
haha(:
wow that juhs happend to me this morning it has to be the pepto chewebles cuz i had some befor i went to sleep;;
im not havin tha shit again!
hey, this happened to me this mornig.
the last thing i remember eating was a pepto bismol chewable and i woke up and went to brush my teeth and my mouth was black.
Thank you so much for this site. I woke up this morning and the same thing happened to me. I’m a nurse and I never heard of this but it was nice to hear that I was not the only one that had no clue.
Wow!!! Thank you all for these blogs…. this is the second time this has happened and was starting to freak!!! Had heartburn last night.. chewed two pepto tablets… must be whats going on….
Thanks
we enjoyed going through your blog, you have a wonderful writing style! I have sent a link to my friends, and shall definately be returning for more reading.
OMG I woke up with the same thing this morning! I was tooootally freaking out. Since I felt fine, I figured I’d go to work and google it first thing to find out possibilities of what was happening – and your posts popped up right on top! I can now breathe a deep sigh of relief… THANKS for posting!
Its black Mold
OMG!!! You know i just started with heartburn issues, and my doctor recommended that i take Pepto tabs. This morning i woke up with a black tongue, this scared the living crab out of me lol. Decided to do research, and well i am now part of the BLACK TONGUE club. lol this is a relieve. lol
Holy smokes! That’s what happened to me this morning! I took pepto last night before bed as well! Thank you for the info. A blog actually helped me!
XD wow this sure has happen to alot of people!
Its happen to me 5 times now, and I never would have thought about that… i dont even remember taking pepto some of the times >.> but I take it often enough cuz I have a very funky stomach (soo many things wrong with it I have to take stomach meds often to help)
I actually thought I had woken up and ate a bug XP Cuz I am freakishly paranoid about bugs… mostly spiders and I had a bad problem with spiders in my room at my old apartment so I figured thats what it was. Since I remember reading somewhere that the average person swallows 4 spiders a month (They like the smell of your stomach fluids and crawl in and you accidently swallow them)
I’m very relieved to hear… it was not a spider cuz trust me I was NOT happy about having spider guts in my mouth XD I was totally freaked out and brushed my mouth like 3 times in a row until it was perfectly clean and still felt grossed out =P… But still it does taste freakishly horrible >.> soo… I’m gonna have to remember that and try not to do that before bed…
Mine was black today And i didnt have any pepto
Any suggestions
?
its on the box under
When using this product:
a temporary, but harmless, darkening of the stool and/ or the tongue may occur
LOL, not black mold
Thank you so much for your blog! Saved me a doctor visit. Pepto-Bismol should put a warning label on their meds: don’t freak out if you get a black tongue after ingestion.
I had the same thing!!! Had a poorly tummy before bed so took one pepto chewable…the cool ones and woke up with a REALLY black tongue! I was petrified and all my husband could do was laugh!! It came off easily, but I had no idea it was the Pepto until I read this! Thank you!
OMG… Thank god i did the same thing you did when you found out about your black tounge! WENT ON GOOGLE AND FOUND YOUR PAGE! I woke up this morning with a black tounge and was scared out my mind. First thing i did was brush my teeth but only some black was coming off. Next resort was to gargle with mouthwash and that did the trick! but i was still confused how it happen! I read your page and realized I ate a pepto bismo before i went to bed last night also! THANK GOD FOR YOUR BLOG !!!!
I’m just repeating what a doc told me. He said when you take meds. like pepto bismuke for acid indigestion before going to bed, it pulls acid from your stomach. That is why you feel beter the next morning.
I woke up this morning with a black tongue. I was brushing my teeth when I noticed it. I had an upset stomach the night before and took two chewable tablets as well…Why did it cause the tongue to go black?? scary.
LOL thank god for this site, I woke up and immediately went to brush my tongue haha, and after brushing I went to google! And this popped up, so I guess I’m apart of this club! Damn you pepto bismo!
Omg!!!! Thank god you guys have this blog….add me to the club I almost died this morning from a panic attack over my black tongue and spit
I have the black tongue problem ,been in hospital last week for lung abcess,They gave me all kinds of MED’S and treatments.I hope the MED’S and treatments have something to do with this promblem?
Funny!! I woke this morning with the same reaction lol…My tongue was black ..I took 2 pepto bismol last night and here I am freaking out lol…thank god this was the first website I found
….not talking that crap again lol it came with a soar throat…yarkk!!! lol but funny!! But I think what caused the problem is I chewed one without thinking and when I looked at the back of the label it said not to chew ….my bad
Problemo solved!!
Add another one to the black tongue club. Thank goodness you posted about this, it really freaked me out.
I too woke up with a black tongue, while brushing my teeth this morning I spit out the water after rinsing and the water was dirty, I thought how dirty could my teeth be so I repeated the process. When I looked at my tongue I nearly had a stroke. I ran downstairs to my computer and Thank you for this site. Now I going to try to find out how to get rid of it.
its the pepto just happened me
i had a similar experience with ablack mouth and tongue. i also ate pepto bismal chewable before bed at 11pm. My boyfriend said it was thrush which had me really worried. i am so relived to hear i am not alone.
weird!
I had the same experience from having pepto bismal chewable at bedtime. I think healtcare company,s should state “black tongue syndrome” on there packaging. Very scary experience!
wow….same thing happened to me this morning…I was freaking out. Thanks for your blog…I too took pepto tabs before going to bed last night. What a relief to be a part of the black tongue club.
This happened to me once before and I freaked out! Thought I could have an STD or even lung cancer came to mind??! Oh how we freak ourselves out sometimes! It is now one year later and I wake up again with the scary mysterious black tongue! This time I really freak out because I am 6 months pregnant and would hate for it to be aomething that could effect my little growing boy. BUT the mystery is solved! Pepto tablets! Helps with my morning sickness so I take them sometimes before bed. So glad I have found this site… Saved me a trip to the doctor. Also, I figured it couldn’t be too serious when it brushed off. Thanks guys!!
I feel relieved because I got my tongue pierced like 3 days ago. Last night I had an upset stomach so I took some Pepto Bismal before going to bed. I went to sleep pretty late so I didn’t wake up till almost 1 PM. When I woke up I went to the bathroom and wanted to check on the piercing and I panicked a little cause I thought my tongue piercing had become infected.
Wow! thank ya’ll for the posts. I was worried I had mold in my mouth or somthing crazy like that. Just pepto last night. I called my extened family and warned them. thanks for your help. xoxo Later
Oh thank god I found this page….I woke up this morning with the infamous “black tongue”! In a frenzy this morning getting ready for work wondering what could have caused this. I was trying to remember ANYTHING that I ate that could have done this, but I didnt have anything. Got to work, googled it, your site popped up and found my answer! Yup! I took Pepto-Bis before bed lastnight! It say’s it harmless, so I will go about my Friday like normal….only keeping my mouth SHUT! Which really might be a blessing in itself! lol ….Thanks!
Scared the heck out of us, was ready to go to the Doctor. This information really helped.
B & J in Ohio
Me too…!!! Couldn’t figure out what I had done wrong- thought it may have been the milk before bed as I was having a bit of upset tummy. That didn’t work sooooo, I chewed a couple of pepto tabs. Then, when I woke up my tongue was “black”. Thought about it all day and decided to check google before I checked into the hospital (LOL). There, I found this blog- Thanks, saved me hrs at the urgency clinic.
Omg i just woke up with it butt it wouldnt come off in the back and my tastebuds are sticking up,, but i did have pepto yesterdayy
WOW this happened to me 2 mornings in a row and I was so nervous and confused!! SO HAPPY I saw this today because I was really starting to worry!! I guess Pepto has a side effect no one knew about…WEIRD!!!
haha same here! i saw my tounge & thought crazy stuff like some kinda mold spread on my tounge. or a bug crawled in my mouth when i was sleeping lol grosssss. im so glad i found this. it made me laugh so glad others have had this happen & they freaked out like me. glad its nothing!
Omg…i was about to go crazy at work. I am so glad I found your sight. I took one last night no problems this morning, but at work I have a black tongue. The stuff comes out but it tripped me out. I just knew I was at deaths door, but the devil is a liar.
I had this happen to me this morning! Thank God for this post because I was freaking out when I saw my black mouth! I feel so relieved.
Thank you for this post! I was terrified this morning but This post had me read the back of the Pepto box more closely. So glad this here!
That’s pretty funny. I woke up today with the samething. I normally don’t use Pepto Bismol, because I think it’s gross. But I was drinking last night, and went overboard with it. I woke up, looked in the mirror and thought I was dead. Waking up dead is such a drag. I do thank you for your blog, because it was insightful. Though my first guess on why my tongue was black, was due to the Pepto Bismol chewable tablets.
Thank God for dis website …i was already goin gaga thinking WTF……what a relief ….thanx alot guys
Thankful for this blog! I’ve been having stomach problems and woke up to black saliva and teeth after taking the pepto chewables. I was quite nervous until I saw this. Thanks!!!
Woke up with a black tongue (see that? that’s how you spell the name of that big muscle in your mouth) yesterday and knew what it was because I’ve heard of this side effect of Pepto. Googled to find out what about Pepto causes it and hoped someone had done the research when commenting here–no such luck!! Here it is:
“I noticed that Pepto-Bismol sometimes darkens the tongue/stool. Why does this happen and how long does it last?
The active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol contains bismuth. When a small amount of bismuth combines with trace amounts of sulfur in your saliva and gastrointestinal tract, a black-colored substance (bismuth sulfide) is formed. This discoloration is temporary and harmless. It can last several days after you stop taking Pepto-Bismol. Individual bowel habits, your age (the intestinal tract slows down with age), and the amount of the product taken all help to determine how long Pepto-Bismol is in your system” (from Pepto-Bismol website FAQ, http://www.pepto-bismol.com/pepto-bismol-faq.php#faq1).
I went to the dentist that day and he said it stains the plaque that’s stuck to your tongue, so if you brush your teeth and it doesn’t all come off, you might try a tongue-scraper (cleans plaque off the tongue, thus removing the stain)–still might take up to a week to remove all the stain.
Why would you stop taking Pepto because of this? That’s so weak. Yeah, it’s pretty gross, but the conditions you’re taking it for (indigestion, nausea, the runs) are way nastier than a little extra-rank morning breath and the color that can be brushed a way in a few moments (usually). It doesn’t even happen most of the time. You’re going to be hard-pressed to find something that will replace the pink stuff.
P.S. “Chad”–Dude, you have a much bigger problem than a black tongue if you “instantly” thought your wife was poisoning you!!
Same happened to me, pepto bismol tablets, woke up tasted pennies, and next thing u know I look in the mirror and black tongue!!!!
same … I ate garlic shrimp and suffered an upset stomach … so before I went to bed I took chewable pepto bismol.
When I woke up and brushed my teeth I thought I was poisoned!
LOL! Thanks to you all my confusion is over!
Thank you so much for sharing this BLOG to everybody. I was so relieved when I read all the messages here. When I woke this morning I straight to the mirror to wash face I saw my BLACKISH TONGUE AND MY TEETH IS VERY BLACK. Everyone is my household are panic and my husband says GOOGLE it maybe you will find the answer there. Thank you so much for everything.
it was the pepto bismo tablets . yes there pink but it has to be cause my girl had the same problems as you with her stomach and i got those for her also and the next day when she awoke she had a black tongue too no lie.
OMG! It’s definitely the Pepto chewables! Thanks for all your post. Mystery is solved.
I am soooo happy I found this…..I just spent an our brushing my plates and thinking it was because I was bit by a spider a few day’s ago and I have been sick….I am taking antibiotic’s that are making me either nauseous or it’s actually from the bite so I took some pepto tablets last night and I was on here looking up all kind’s of reason’s…I even had myself convinced I had this other disease called mellogon or something like that and about to head to the doctor’s but found all of you…thank god…sick enough from spider and they really should make that more known on the box….although I did not read symptom’s….thankyou for the first person who brought this up because you just saved me a bunch of money lol….wheww thought it was going to be a incurable disease lol
I had pepto bismol last night also and my tounge was black this morning !!! Maybe it has something to do with that o.o I had nothing black and none of my clothes are black. I shall research.
I am so happy I found this post this morning because I was freaking out after waking up with a black toungue-the black was so thick that I was spitting black for the next hour! I had taken a pepto bismol chewable tablet before bed as well. I missed that fine print!
Thank you for posting!
Thank you for a quick solution to a frightening situation. I woke this morning to a black tongue, like the others. I am 56yrs old and thought oh no, it’s someting to do with my health bc of my age! I also had just finished taking Bactrim for a bladder infection. I first thought it was reaction to the antibiotic. A few years ago I took erythromycin for strep throat and about 3 days after finishing my script my tongue got very sore all over and was covered in a white coating. I went back to the doc and was told I had a yeast infection…in my mouth…yuck! My doc assured me it is not uncommon. It is the same thing babies get they call it thrush with babies. She gave me a script for a rinse and after a few days, all was well. Thanks again for your blog!
Wow, just wanted to say that this blog is the greatest. I woke up this morning and the same thing happened to me. I was in such a panic thinking of god knows everything. I have taking pepto off and on all my life and this has never happened to me. But I did take it last night and……well this is what happened. Just want to say thanks for putting this out there. I would have been a total mess all day if it wasnt for this blog.
have u taken pepoto that is the reason pepto has an ingredient that cause your tongue to be black the black will go away no worries
WOAH! last thing I ate was a chewable pepto bismol too… could that have been the cause because I woke up with a black tongue too.
its the pepto bismol hahahahahahhahahaha i thought i had a disease hahahhahahahahahhahahahahah
My daughter has woke up with a black tongue 3 times now so I had to look it up. She was pretty freak out as well. Glad to know what the cause was she also has taking pepto bismol before bed. She will be glad to know what caused it. Lol
I took some pepto bismol last night and woke up with this same problem this morning. I’ll never take that again.
that happened to me too and the last thing i had was a pepto bismal chewable
Had the same thing happened to me it’s just because when you took the pepto bismo that you’re dehydrated. you’re supposed to drink lots of fluids. It’s on the back of the package. it’s only temporary though it says discoloration in the tongue or stool.
that just happen to me right now!
Wow! I woke up with the same problem this morning and was freaking out! I googled the problem and your site was the first to come up. Thanks for the info.
I had the same thing happen to me and this was helpful!! Thank you for the blog!!!
i woke up with a black tounge and it was pepto bismol chewable tablets . SCARED the crap out of me, I thought it was some random STD…glad it’s NOT!!!