I am a new poster, and have had this problem with loss of taste starting about 2 months ago, but it wasn't all at once,
but a gradual thing. I do use splenda artificial sweetner, but I cannot tast ie more than 10% or its normal strength. Most other tastes, sweet, salty, bitter, herbs, etc come and goes at times. However, it is getting to a loss of most tastes more and more often.
One taste that POWERs thru is cinnamon, and if I eat or suck on one (walgreens cinnamon disc candies) I can taste it strongly.
I don't know whats happening, and my doctors also do not as well. I did go to the dentist recently (a month ago), but this problem of loss of taste started several months back, very mild, but getting worse week to week. (For background, my mother also lost her taste around 50-55, and my problem started at 68 yrs of age. Try the walgreens cinnamon candy discs, and see if they to taste like they always have, very strongly.
Good luck, keep posting, maybe we'll come up with something the doctors might be able to use.
I am just 49 and the lossof taste came on basically overnight and I started getting sores in my mouth and on my tongue. The constan t smell of smoke & very bad headaches started a few weeks after my taste went out, The dentist couldn't find anything wrong. My GP tried changing my medicine, one at a time - just a nose spray and my thyroid pill. While at one of these appointments (which may be unrelated) my right leg was very swollen and an MRI showed a spot on my tibia that is now going to be watched. The ENT referral took a very long time, now that I have it that office is booked up a month in advance for new patients. Eating is very difficult, some things taste rotten and I have been losing weight. I am taking vitamins but I my face is now pale, dark circles under my eyes and my eyes are no longer clear. Please let me know if you learn something from your doctor. I was starting to get very discouraged because I hadn't heard back from anyone regarding these issues.
I know this one post is really old, but it caught my attention and maybe others out there with overeating disorders are thinking like this poster, that such a loss of sweet taste could somehow be a great answer to an obesity problem. I've had this thing happen to me lots of times in my life - mostly brief but on at least one occasion for three weeks during a Swine Flu illness - so I know what it's like in an intimate way. Let me just say this - if you've ever chewed on a plastic coffee stir-stick until your mouth started to fill with a nauseating, icky bitter plastic taste, then just imagine having that ALL THE TIME to a varying degree. Carb-rich, fat creating foods taste bitter, vegetables taste bitter, fruits taste garishly bitter and sour at the same time. Sodas, teas, coffee, water, juice, you name it. If you don't eat or drink anything, your own saliva tastes bitter. No doubt, anyone would easily lose weight with this happening to them, but no doubt, anyone would also lose much of their happiness and general well being at the same time. Believe me, it's no picnic. I'm having it again right now and for some reason I'm more worried about it though I've had rare, short periods of it off and on for decades. I think the reason it's worrying me more than usual is because my spit tastes lightly bitter, and it hasn't been like that since the Swine Flu got me years ago. Granted back then, it was hell on earth and water tasted like poison - this isn't as severe. Just the same, I *was* trying to enjoy some chips and salsa and it tastes very sour and a little bitter, and my iced tea's now super strong dose of Stevia tastes barely sweet and a little bitter as well. I'm just hoping it will pass like it usually does. For general info, this apparently is generlally caused by damage to or compression of the "Chorda Tympani" nerve, which communicates sweet taste to the brain. This can be caused by physical injury or infection, and it can pass with time or not depending on the severity. I don't know what's stirring up this latest bout of it for me... I've had some body aches, granted, and a little light nausea at times and some stool issues, but I don't feel *sick* per se. Just going to try to be calm about it and ride it out like always. :-/
Assuming it's another transient thing, I'll come back with an update at some point. Good luck to all of the rest of you riding this same train - I hope you get better!!
Rick NR417
Hi,
I have the same issue..but your craving for food doesn't go away.You will want to eat because you can smell it...you will eat...and you will not taste it.It is not very pleasurable way of losing weight.In fact you may not even lose weight because you will keep eating different foods to see if you can taste them...So don't wish for it
My doctor had me try a trace mineral, by pill, which is zinc, (he said just buy it over the counter, no prescription required), and take one a day. I have and on the 4th day, my taste started to come back, and in 6 days I wasn't doing too bad. I can taste things now about 60% of what I could before, so far. He said your body needs these minerals, in very small quantity to properly function. I guess it does, as it's now helping me recover my taste.
I have the same problem I have been like this for about a year I woke one day and everything smelt and tasted different i went to the doctors and they dont know but msybe the good thing is because my taste buds are shot I am loosing weight because i choose not to eat that which I cannot taste.my stomach turns when I smell meat cooking and walk past a bakery of KFC I smell something different and sickening.I taste sweet and salt but my nose doesnt comprehend the taste of it.then for a second I will taste the lime milkshake then the moment has gone or for a brief second I will smell a cake baking then its gone or when I spray perfume its a horrible smell that I am smelling I really dont know what the problem with me is.I used to really love my food but now I only eat to sustain me........I need help.
I have been having this issue for 3 days now. But I have directly associated it with the use of a new mouth wash.... crest complete ? It is the one that states it is the most advanced mouth wash made. Anyway I used it 3 times ....morning, night and then morning again and now I cant enjoy anything I have eaten since. I havent used it again and I still am fighting to taste my food. Everything is bland and waxy tasting. I can slightly taste the sour of a lemon head but the sweet taste like I am chewing the wax from one of those little juice filled things we use to get as kids. Struggling with rather it is because there is so much stuff for the mouth wash to destroy and then it will get better or if it is hurting something permantly?
What kind of tooth paste are you using? Hi, my husband had the same problem for about 3 week and we went through process of elimination on the medicine and didn't work. The only thing left was that he was using enamel sensitive toothpaste unlike the rest of us. Wow, what do you know, after first day of not using he started to taste tiny bit of sweet then as days progressed more and more came back and now he's just like normal himself again and taste sweet. I hope this can be answer to one of you. Take care.
My smell is fine but lost my taste a month ago and I am freaking out. I used some mouthwash and a dental water flosser is the only things I did different. My mouth is also dry and my tongue has more gunk on it then normal.
My niece had the same problem. She wondered if it was her toothpaste because that's the only thing different that she used.
I was having the same issue starting this weekend and was wracking my brain as to what might have caused my issue. I think I found the source of my problem.
On Saturday I switched to using Crest Pro-Health mouthwash. Apparently there is a known issue with it having this sort of side effect. It is apparently due to cetlypyridinium chloride (CPC).
***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use
Hope this helps!
I hope it is as simple as that. I still don't have my taste or smell back. I am waiting for my appointment date with the Taste & Smell Clinic in DC in hopes of trying to get it back. I have seen several ENTs and so far I have been given no hope of getting these senses back:(.
Norma, did you ever regain your sense of taste?!? I took Lamisil for almost a month when I lost my sense of taste. I quit taking it last week and I still have no sense of taste. I read from people online that it can take 4-6 MONTHS for it to come back, and sometimes it doesn't come back.
Having no sense of taste is miserable. My mouthwash tastes the same as my iced tea. Everything is tasteless. If there is any taste at all, it's "off" or not fresh. I'm starting to get depressed.
I have had no sense of taste for a week now, and it's from taking Lamisil. That drug is poison. I took it for nearly a month (or a 3 month Rx) before I stopped taking it because I lost my sense of taste. I hope it returns soon. It's miserable.