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Terbinafine Loss of taste

Posted , 110 users are following.

jonathan21989
jonathan21989

I had taken terbinafine for about six weeks for a toenail infection when my sense of taste pretty much completely disappeared over the course of 3-4 days.  I have a vague salty/bitter taste in my mouth, but nothing tastes of anything....sweet, salt, bitter...all gone.  I can put pure sugar on my tongue and not taste a thing.  That refreshing zing you get from toothpaste?  Gone.  Everything tastes grey at best, or just nasty at worst.

The infection responded well to terbinafine - I have about 4mm clear nail now, but I've decided to stop taking it as nothing is worth this cost.  I've switched to Loceryl lacquer but I don't even care about the nail anymore.  I just desperately want to be able to taste things normally again.  I can completely understand how this can cause weight loss and depression.  My advice would be to avoide terbinafine.

13 likes, 364 replies

364 Replies

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  • carol07999
    carol07999 jonathan21989

    Posted

    Hi Jonathan and everyone else here. I seem to be the newest member of the 'club.' I have been taking Terbinafine for about five weeks for a toenail infection. I have lost all taste of anything sweet. I noticed it a couple of days ago and just made the connection today. SO FAR, everything else still tastes fairly normal. Sounds like that will change, though. I'm really glad I found this forum. It's so helpful to read about everyone's experience with this condition!
  • penny22436
    penny22436 jonathan21989

    Posted

    I'm the latest victim of this horrible drug. I took Terbinafine for just over 7 weeks (for toe and finger nail infection) and started to feel a strange sensation on my tongue after about 6 weeks. I thought I'd burnt my tongue for a while and didn't think much of it. Then suddenly I 'got it' and rushed to have another look at the drug leaflet - and there it was - possibility of taste disturbance! I stopped the drug immediately and called the doc. 'Oh, bad  luck' she said. 'That's rare'. I am 58, have body mass indext of about 19 so was always high risk. I get all the same symptoms that you have all described and I'm really grateful to Jonathan and all of you for all the information you have providied. Its now one week since I stopped the medication and feeling pretty fed up.

    I am finding relief from milk (hot or cold) and nuts - brazil nuts in particular. Everything else tastes foul but I'm trying to maintain my normal diet which is pretty healthy. I will try peppermint oil and will fill in a yellow card.

    You have all given me hope that this isn't permanent but the idea of 6 - 12 weeks like this is pretty appalling.

     

    • gail82560
      gail82560 penny22436

      Posted

      Hang in there Penny. I know I am trying to also. It's good to know about the nuts. I got the exact same reaction from my Dr. It's the no taste except that bitterness that is driving me crazy. I keep wondering if my breath is stinky all the time.
    • penny22436
      penny22436 gail82560

      Posted

      Thanks for that Gail. I got some peppermint oil and found that it is recommended for external use only so I diluted it dramatically and used it as a mouth wash. It certainly cuts through the clag and I think I'll carry on using it to keep me sane. I'll report if it has any other effects.
  • dania47528
    dania47528 jonathan21989

    Posted

    I'm so glad to find this forum!  I'm so mad that this has happened!  I started the meds about 5 weeks ago.  About 5 days ago I realized like everyone has concurred here that I couldn't taste anything.  I thought I had burned my tounge and continued the meds not thinking that they had anything to do with my loss of taste.  I then started noticing I had this terrible metalic taste in my mouth and a horrible greasy feeling on my tounge. That prompted me to look up the list of side effects on this drug and BAM there it was!  I called the Dr. and she had never heard of this side effect.  She didn't seem too concerned.....  I called back the next day and told her I was discontinuing it.  I feel so angry that this is not taken more serious by the medical world and that millions of people are perscribed this horrible drug.  I still can't taste anything and fear that I won't be able to for a long time to come.I am a very healthy 53 year old.  I don't take any medications and don't know why I took this one.....  I was a runner for years and had lost my toenails on several occasions and that in turn caused my nail beds to be damaged and that is when the fungus set in.  I was self-conscious when I wore sandals and I guess my vanity got the best of me and I took the poison!  I've decided to try and detox my body is hopes that it will clear out this drug and hopefully I'll get my taste back sooner than later.  I'll let you know.  Thanks to everyone here for shareing their experience.  I don't feel so alone.  Although I'm so sorry you are having to go through this.  It's truly dreadful. I can only hope I'll get my sense of taste back. :O(
  • penny22436
    penny22436 jonathan21989

    Posted

    Hi Diana

    I'm rreally sorry that you have had this problem too. I am now two weeks into taste loss. Just like you I thought I'd just burnt my tongue to begin with so didn't stop taking the meds for a few days. I do wonder if some of  us might have simply overdosed on this drug. I am 8st 5lb (53Kg) and still took the 250Mg/day that woudl be prescribed for someone double my weight. Its odd because even dogs and cats get prescriptions according to their weight - but not humans!

    I found a paper on this subject at http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v188/n6/full/4800461a.html which seems to say that persistent loss of taste is extremely rare. It also suggests that zinc supplements might be helpful so I've started taking those. I didn't find the peppermint oil suggested by others to be helpful to me.

    Am I  improving -  hard to be sure at the moment - perhaps a little or maybe I'm just getting used to it. Still feel like I'm drinking tea through salt water and meals are a bore.

    I'm hoping its just a matter of time.....

     

    • rob87282
      rob87282 penny22436

      Posted

      Hi I stopped taking terbinafine 7 weeks ago and still can't taste right. Everything tastes bitter and salty anything sweet is just down right ghastly.
    • dania47528
      dania47528 penny22436

      Posted

      Thank you Penny.  I replyed to you earlier but because I added a link they wouldn't publish it.  My thinking is to do a cleanse/detox to rid my body of any residue of the drug and hopefully that will help to get my taste back.  I'm feeling overwhelmed.  Not only can I not taste anything but when I try to eat (because we have to to live!) there is this rank taste and I just stop eating.  I'm trying to find anything that doesn't cause that horrible taste in my mouth.  I'm drinking detox tea and some green tea.  Lots of water.  Because everything ends up with that rank taste I've decided to do some protein shakes and some juiceing.  I can't appreciate flavor anymore so I just try to eat things that will benifit my health and boost my immune system.  This is dreadful. It's been about 10 days for me.  I'm going to try the zinc.  I take vitamins and there is some zinc in them but I'm adding extra in hopes that it will help.  I'm starting to get really, really sad about this....  Who would of thought something like this could happen.  :O(

      I hope things improve for you very soon. 

    • penny22436
      penny22436 dania47528

      Posted

      Hi Diana. I also had a reply censored because I added a link. I am now at nearly 3 weeks and still no taste. I am keeping my hopes up  because I  have read that in the vast majority of cases taste does come back. I have a very salty taste in my mouth and it tastes like I am eating and drinking through sea water. Oddly though, I can't taste salt - or sugar. Foods I have found I can still enjoy are: raw carrots, unsalted nuts and milk - which hopefully makes quite a healthy diet!

      I think we can both expect a few more weeks of this. Lets share progress.

       

    • penny22436
      penny22436 rob87282

      Posted

      Hi Rob. We're all in the same boat here. From what I've read, 7 weeks is not unusual so don't get depondent. I can take anything up to 6 months but  lets hope its a lot less.
    • rob87282
      rob87282 penny22436

      Posted

      Hi Penny.keep me posted on your progress.I find sweet things are the worst they just taste of salt.Tea,coffee and water might as well be sea water.
    • dania47528
      dania47528 penny22436

      Posted

      Hi Penny,  How is it going for you?  I have some days when I can kind of taste some food when I first put it into my mouth.  But mostly it's the same thing of "no taste".  I've found the food that does best for me is oatmeal.  I add protein powder to make sure I'm getting enough in my diet.  I still have the briney/metal taste.  Sugar is the ememy! I'm on week 3.  It's effected my social life because I'm never sure if what I put into my mouth will prompt a gagging reflex. :O(  I hope things are improving for you.
    • penny22436
      penny22436 dania47528

      Posted

      Hi Diana. I'm now in week 4. I had a really bad day a few days ago when the taste in my mouth was almost intollerable and I took to chewing gum. This helped a lot and I chewed for most of two days. The bad taste is quite a lot better now - but still comes and goes. It was very sour and salty. As for taste, I can actually taste quite a lot of flavours. Best foods are milk, nuts, olives(!), pears, bananas, cottage cheese. Still very limited taste of sugar and salt tastes weird. It hasn't really affected my social life as stuff just tastes bland and I mostly just eat it. It does make it hard to compliment someone's cooking though! Keep in touch.
  • alanna82512
    alanna82512 jonathan21989

    Posted

    Can I please join you guys with this very frustrating problem?

    I have the unique perspective of being a family physician as well as a patient who has taken terbinifine for a very mild toenail fungus. Boy am I regretting it now!  I was actually a fairly noncompliant patient, taking the terbinifine about 5 days per week. After 5 weeks of taking it, I was eating pizza with friends and I swore that the pizza was bad. Over the next couple days, I realized that bread and pasta had no flavor. Neither did any meats. Also my toothpaste was very dulled in taste. The only thing new in my life was the terbinifine and after doing a quick check, I read that it was a rare side effect. I am embarrassed to say that after 15 years of being a physician, I was not aware of this side effect. While I don't prescribe oral antifungals often, this will certainly decrease my prescriptions of terbinifine.

    I am 40 y/o, a BMI of 21, and very active physically. I have not lost my taste completely. I can still taste a little bit of sour and salty things and even a little bit of sweet. However, carbs and meats taste like cardboard.  I've made myself maintain my normal amount of calories at mealtime, but my snacking has definitely decreased.  I've eated a lot of pickles and salads with Italian dressing. 

    It's been two weeks now since I quit taking terbinifine.  What I am most disturbed about is my 20th anniversary trip next month to Maine, where I was hoping to enjoy my favorite food- lobster!  I will be 7 weeks out by then and so I'm staying hopeful that I will be completely recovered by that time.

    I have never before joined a patient forum, but I have to say it was very encouraging to see similar stories and know that this is a temporary problem.

    Thanks again for sharing your stories!

    Alanna....aka Dr. Angel smile

    • rob87282
      rob87282 alanna82512

      Posted

      Hi Alanna. I also took this drug it took about 8 weeks for me to regain my taste,sweet things are still a bit strange though.
    • penny22436
      penny22436 alanna82512

      Posted

      Hi Alanna

      It took about 6 weeks for me to get my taste back - but its nearly normal now. There were lots of ups and downs along the way and there is a small residual strange sweet taste in my mouth. I'd say your quite likely to get to enjoy the lobster in Maine.

      Good luck.

      Penny

    • babs25074
      babs25074 alanna82512

      Posted

      Hi Alanna  I also took this drug terbinifine for a nail infection  after six weeks of taking this drug noticed all food and drink was beginning to taste rather strange few  days later complete loss of taste realised by chance after  finding this website to my complete dismay  the cause was indeed this drug .I stopped the course straight away ,went back to my g p who had not heard of any problems and could offer no help It was a dark period and very frightening everything was either salty or no taste at all but after six weeks taste started recovering slowly so everyone out there following this forum it will take time so dont despair anything pepermint or strong tasting  was best  I am now fully recovered it took 10 weeks to get my complete taste back please everyone fill in the patient  yellow card scheme about these tablets to save  others lots of misery but overall dont despair your taste will eventually fully return 
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