You may need emergency treatment for an overdose or a heart attack. Even if the cause isn’t immediately life-threatening, you still need treatment for foaming at the mouth. See a healthcare provider right away if you’re foaming at the mouth, especially if it’s never happened before. A person who routinely has seizures may have a care plan in place and may not need hospital care every time they have a seizure.
Causes & Risk Factors
Early treatment is the only way to prevent the infection, so it’s important to get medical care right away if you think you’ve been exposed. Foaming at the mouth is one of the most characteristic symptoms of rabies. This happens because the virus affects the nervous system, what happens when foam comes out of mouth making swallowing difficult. Others, like fentanyl, are used in specific healthcare contexts but are also produced and sold illegally. If a person experiences foaming at the mouth at night, it is important to seek immediate medical help for an accurate diagnosis.
Learn more about recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose. If an affected animal bites you or licks an open wound or scratch you have, you may get it. Treatments for seizures include antiepileptic medication and brain surgery.
Rabies Infection
Unhealthy saliva, on the other hand, might appear thick, foamy, or stringy, with a cloudy or white appearance. It can leave your mouth feeling dry, sticky, or uncomfortable, which can make it difficult to swallow. Dry mouth and foamy saliva often go hand-in-hand, so preventing dry mouth can ease foamy white saliva.
While waiting for help to arrive, a person should roll the individual over onto their side and make sure their airways are clear. It is important to not leave anyone experiencing an overdose on their own. Foaming at the mouth can also occur following a provoked seizure. For example, one case study examined a police officer whose partner accidentally shot him in the head with a Taser while chasing a suspect.
You can try sleeping with a larger pillow to raise your head, blowing your nose before bed, or taping your mouth closed with a soft mouth patch. If you found this article helpful, please share it with others to spread awareness about this critical medical issue. For more health-related information and emergency response guidelines, consult with healthcare professionals or trusted medical resources. Everyday substances such as household cleaners, personal care products, and medications can be harmful if they’re misused or accidentally swallowed.
What to do if someone is having a seizure
Foaming or frothing at the mouth occurs when saliva mixes with air, creating a bubbly substance that appears around the mouth or lips. While it may seem like a rare occurrence, it’s a symptom that can indicate severe underlying health issues. Recognizing this sign and understanding its potential causes can be crucial in providing timely and appropriate medical assistance. Several issues and health conditions can make your body produce too much frothy saliva.
Foaming at mouth: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments
Overdose causes foaming at the mouth because organs like the heart and lungs can’t function properly. Slowed heart or lung movements causes fluids to gather in the lungs, which can mix with carbon dioxide and come out of the mouth like a foam. Frothy saliva is a rare symptom; when you see it, you should be concerned and immediately contact a doctor or 911 for medical assistance. Some foods and beverages can stimulate foamy saliva, like carbonated drinks, dairy products, spicy or acidic foods, foods high in sugar, or alcoholic beverages. The above foamy spit causes are usually temporary and can be remedied by drinking water. If you foam at the mouth while sleeping, it is likely you sleep with your mouth open or snore.
- Saliva may then pool in the mouth and mix with oxygen and other gases when a person is unable to swallow.
- Unexpected froth or foam coming from your mouth is a rare and serious symptom.
- At the hospital, a doctor will help determine whether you need treatment to prevent rabies.
- It helps to break down food while we chew, and it protects our teeth from decay by washing away food particles and neutralising harmful acids.
- It is important to not leave anyone experiencing an overdose on their own.
If someone in your life may be at increased risk of opioid overdose, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends keeping naloxone on hand. A person may experience hypersalivation, or excessive drooling, while they sleep. However, if the saliva is foaming, it may indicate a serious condition such as rabies or seizures. If you think you have been exposed to rabies, clean your wound with soap and water and put a muzzle on your pet.
Then immediately visit an emergency room where you will be given a rabies vaccine. In movies and TV shows, foaming at the mouth is a quick way to show that someone is sick. But it can be a sign that you’re experiencing a serious health issue. Foaming at the mouth happens when extra spit (saliva) in your mouth mixes with air. Healthcare providers sometimes call it frothing at the mouth.
Symptoms of poisoning
Some health conditions can interrupt a person’s ability to swallow, causing saliva to pool in the mouth and become foamy. In other cases, excess fluid in the lungs can mix with air and create foam that comes out of the mouth. Visit a healthcare provider as soon as possible if your mouth is full of extra, frothy spit. Not every cause of foaming at the mouth is life-threatening, but you should still get it checked out. A healthcare provider will help you understand what’s causing it, which treatments you need and what you can expect.
- Slowed heart or lung movements causes fluids to gather in the lungs, which can mix with carbon dioxide and come out of the mouth like a foam.
- For example, one case study examined a police officer whose partner accidentally shot him in the head with a Taser while chasing a suspect.
- Foaming at the mouth is a concerning symptom that can indicate several serious medical conditions.
- Opioid overdose can cause foaming at the mouth because the overdose affects your lungs.
- It can take only 1–3 hours from the time of the overdose to cause death.
Around 10% of people experience non-epileptic seizures triggered by syncope, low blood sugar, POTS, panic attacks and more. Damage to brain blood vessels causes ischemia, edema, hemorrhages initiating seizure activity. Foaming at the mouth can be a symptom of a serious medical condition. However, according to CDC data, bats are the most common cause of rabies exposure in the United States. However, tonic-clonic seizures can also be brought on by fever, low blood sugar, a head injury, or other conditions. Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to the rabies virus should contact a medical professional straight away.
It occurs when an excess of saliva mixes with air or gasses to create a foam. To ease a foamy mouth, you need to address the root of the problem – a dry mouth. There are some ways to prevent dry mouth and encourage a healthy saliva flow. However, if your saliva looks different to normal, it can be a sign that something is wrong.
This article on Epainassist.com has been reviewed by a medical professional, as well as checked for facts, to assure the readers the best possible accuracy. Poisoning happens when you’re exposed to a substance that harms your body. A seizure that’s caused by a fever is called a febrile seizure. In addition, many public health departments and harm reduction programs offer naloxone training. This training teaches you when and how to administer naloxone. They work by acting on specific receptors in your brain and nerves.
If the person is unconscious, having trouble breathing, or has other serious symptoms, get emergency medical help by calling 911 or your local emergency number. Depending on the cause and symptoms, emergency care may be needed. The rabies vaccine stops the rabies virus from causing an infection. Once symptoms start, there is no way to treat rabies, and the infection is usually fatal. If you’ve been bitten by an animal or you think you’ve been exposed to rabies, call 911 or your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department.