# Gentian Violet question



## Rose-Roget (May 25, 2008)

May be a dumb question. Someone mentioned on another thread that I probably shouldn't have to dump all the milk I pumped during a thrush outbreak/nursing strike, but to mark the bags. So I'm wondering, if I treat with GV (I think it's coming back), can I still pump? Will it turn the milk purple, and can I still use it? I know that I need to find the underlying cause - I think I isolated the original cause, but now it's just in my system and doesn't want to leave 100%. The GV worked best last time, though.

TIA!


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## moobiegirl (Sep 10, 2007)

I've pumped during outbreaks. I used my supply from day to day. So I didn't freeze any during an outbreak. Be careful with GV because as you know it stains. I had softfit shells for my Medela and it stained the breast shields. It also does turn the milk a purplish color. I didn't worry about the color since dd was ingesting it anyway. good luck - thrush is awful to get rid of.


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

Please avoid GV. I just attended a 45-hour Certified Lactation Counselor conference with the Healthy Child Project last week, and they warned us that GV was a carcinogen. I just pulled this up in a quick google search:

http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi...stract/5/5/902


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## Mirrormonkey (Jan 6, 2009)

If you look at the dosing in the mice it is incredibly high compared to dosing for thrush. Mice were found to have developed cancerous cells after 18 months of daily high doses and the percentaages of mice with cancer is under 25% not negligible but compare that to 4-7 days of very low dosing in treating thrush in infants and the risks are minimal.

If anything that article makes me feel pretty good about using gv to treat thrush considering the reaction my ds has had to the nystatin after only two doses.


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

isn't gentian violet a petroleum product? i have heard that grapefruitseed extract works on thrush. if you do use the gv, make sure it is diluted to 1%, you only use it once/day for 7 days and if you don't improve, don't use it again. are you doing probiotics and cutting out sugars from your diet?


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

I am not sure about the mouse study- I just grabbed that quickly. I was more concerned because the educated ladies who ran my CLC conference warned us against this.


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## jecombs (Mar 6, 2008)

OP, if you believe the thrush is systemic, then you need to treat it systemically, not just topically with GV. The GV is not going to do anything for yeast growing inside your milk ducts. You can buy Grapefruit Seed Extract capsules at your local health food store. Take the max dose. Probiotics are also a great idea! Continue sanitizing everything that touches your breasts, milk, or LO's mouth every day.

I had systemic thrush, too. DD and I both ended up on a 2 week course of Diflucan after battling thrush for over 3 mo.


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

I can't help but chime in- I actually also just learned, also from my conference, that yeast does NOT grow inside the milk ducts. From my CLC booklet: "Candida is not found inside the ducts or milk even in women with symptoms of severe nipple and breast pain." The authors of this book well renowned breastfeeding researchers who update the conference information every quarter, so I am 100% sure of its accuracy and reliability









http://www.healthychildren.cc/

Oops, I wanted to add that it is important to treat the vectors of yeast- partners, babies, pacifiers, toys, etc.


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