# It tastes like someone took a shit in my mouth **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622 "2010-11-14T04:37:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/1 "2010-11-14T04:37:28Z")
This doesn’t happen all of the time, or if it does, I don’t always notice, but this morning when I got up I had an awful taste in my mouth. I’ve always assumed that this was true for everyone, but I think that’s mainly from having seen too many mouthwash commercials growing up. It’s not a big deal and drinking some juice or coffee solves the problem right away. I think it’s dangerous to try to brush your teeth if you’re not fully awake - you might not realize you’ve inserted the brush into your nose, an ear or some other orifice. I know some medications can cause this problem but that’s not what I mean. For example a lot of people, myself included, have had that problem at least temporarily with Wellbutrin. So how do you taste in the morning - your mouth I mean. If you open wide will I see nymphs and gnomes frolicking under double rainbows or Satan’s sphincter? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/2 "2010-11-14T04:57:30Z")
I don’t know. What does it taste like when someone takes a shit in your mouth? ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/3 "2010-11-14T05:00:49Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I don’t know. What does it taste like when someone takes a shit in your mouth? It tastes like you took a Lunesta the night before. Terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/4 "2010-11-14T05:23:57Z")
Nope. I’m sure I often have bad breath upon waking up, but that doesn’t translate into a bad taste experience for me. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/5 "2010-11-14T05:35:16Z")
Get your teeth looked at. A tooth with a bad cavity or an infection can literally smell like shit. ---
**Author:** ![Pandoranoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce73a5/32.png) [@Pandoranoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pandoranoid)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/6 "2010-11-14T06:49:47Z")
Also, try drinking more water. Especially if you’re on any meds–a lot of pills will leave you parched, and a dry mouth contributes to bad breath and rapid tooth decay. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/7 "2010-11-14T07:15:46Z")
I don’t recall ever having such an experience. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/8 "2010-11-14T12:53:35Z")
A couple of the meds I take cause dry mouth, which is what allows microbes to really takeoff in their attempt to take over the world [or at least fully colonize my mouth] so I keep a glass of water at bedside and drink whenever I wake up at night. It also hits during the day, I can taste a change in my saliva throughout the day based on my meds dosing. I am very glad to be off one of my old meds, it used to make the saliva taste like mildew. ☹ I tend to keep some binaca or other breath freshening spray to use in addition to drinking copious water to deal with the dry mouth issue. ---
**Author:** ![lemac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@lemac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lemac)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/9 "2010-11-14T13:08:24Z")
I get it quite often, I think it mainly happens when I sleep with my mouth open because my tongue will feel all numb and dry. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/10 "2010-11-14T18:22:56Z")
> [@dzero](#): > > It’s not a big deal and drinking some juice or coffee solves the problem right away. I think it’s dangerous to try to brush your teeth if you’re not fully awake - you might not realize you’ve inserted the brush into your nose, an ear or some other orifice. That made me giggle. I wake up, pee and brush my teeth and then wash my face and brush my hair. I have to brush my teeth first thing–I hate the morning taste/breath. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/11 "2010-11-14T19:25:07Z")
Do you ever get [tonsiliths](http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=tonsilith&aq=f&aqi=g2g-s1g1g-o1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=4c0a232acc5e95b6)? ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/12 "2010-11-14T19:53:16Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > Do you ever get [tonsiliths](http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=tonsilith&aq=f&aqi=g2g-s1g1g-o1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=4c0a232acc5e95b6)? No tonsils so no tonsilths. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/13 "2010-11-14T22:22:03Z")
I sometimes wake up with a bad taste in my mouth, and I finally figured out what was causing it a couple of months ago. If I drink anything other than water, or eat anything within 2 hours of going to sleep, I’ll wake up with an awful taste in my mouth. Doesn’t matter if I brush my teeth or not before going to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/14 "2010-11-14T22:27:42Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Get your teeth looked at. A tooth with a bad cavity or an infection can literally smell like shit. This has been true for me. Also, if I fall asleep without brushing after I’ve eaten peanuts I wake up tasting pure awfulness. ---
**Author:** ![Pandoranoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce73a5/32.png) [@Pandoranoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pandoranoid)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/15 "2010-11-14T22:29:11Z")
Forgot to mention earlier-there are mouthwashes&toothpastes that promote saliva production. I don’t remember the brand names, but my dentist gave me free samples of the stuff a while back. I don’t buy the stuff because I’m a cheapskate and prefer to just drink lots of water and chew sugar-free gum (this also increases saliva production, obviously) any time I can’t brush immediately after eating. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/16 "2010-11-14T22:32:42Z")
> [@Mr.Accident](#): > > I sometimes wake up with a bad taste in my mouth, and I finally figured out what was causing it a couple of months ago. If I drink anything other than water, or eat anything within 2 hours of going to sleep, I’ll wake up with an awful taste in my mouth. Doesn’t matter if I brush my teeth or not before going to sleep. If that happened to me I would probably suspect a problem like acid reflux. ---
**Author:** ![Pandoranoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce73a5/32.png) [@Pandoranoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pandoranoid)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/17 "2010-11-14T22:33:17Z")
Oh, just found my mouthwash sample bottle. It’s called ‘Biotene’. a bit more expensive than normal toothpaste/mouthwash. It did work, though. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/18 "2010-11-14T22:45:00Z")
No bad tastes, but I frequently wake up feeling like there’s a brick in my stomach. I’m one of those people that has to wait at least an hour before eating anything after I wake up, but a problem that has cropped up within the last couple years is that if I drink anything too fast within the first 15 minutes or so of awakening, I throw it right back up 10 seconds later. Including water. No problems later in the day. I think my digestive system is just delayed in resetting itself to Day Mode in the mornings. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/19 "2010-11-14T23:01:43Z")
> [@lemac](#): > > … I think it mainly happens when I sleep with my mouth open because my tongue will feel all numb and dry. Me too, usually if I have a cold or bad allergies completely clogging my nose. Almost always presaged by dreams of having broken glass, or sand, or coffee grounds, or cold chewed-up wax, or something else nasty, gritty, and hard to spit out in my mouth, to the extent that if I actually get a bit of something like that in my mouth in real waking life, I get a very strong sensation of nightmarish doom. _D-O-O-O-O-MMMM._ So please be gentle with the coffee filter, kthx. > [@Pandoranoid](#): > > Oh, just found my mouthwash sample bottle. It’s called ‘Biotene’. a bit more expensive than normal toothpaste/mouthwash. It did work, though. I like the Biotene brand. They have nice but expensive toothpaste, too. IIRC it’s sweetened with xylitol, which I find very helpful for dry mouth issues generally (such as in mints or gum). ETA: Oh, and OP, flossing every night helps. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622/20 "2010-11-15T15:21:07Z")
You say you have no tonsils, so this probably doesn’t apply – but the worst taste I ever had was the day after I started taking antibiotics for an abcess that had developed behind one of my tonsils. The nasty thing burst while I was sleeping. It didn’t taste so much like shit as that something had died back there, which in a way I suppose it had (if you count bacteria). Gah, that was nasty. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-tastes-like-someone-took-a-shit-in-my-mouth/560622.md?page=2)