Terbinafine Loss of taste
Posted , 110 users are following.
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
jake55026 jonathan21989
Posted
Hi Jonathan,
Thank you so much for starting this thread.
I finished an 8 week course of terbinafine only for my sense of taste to suddenly disappear two weeks later. I've found it frightening. Went see GP who didn't make any connection with the drug, he just said it was probably a virus.
I've had the loss of taste for 10 days now although I can stevia still, so that's something.
But everything else tastes of literally nothing 😥
Am I alone in this happening *after* finishing the course?
Thanks to everyone for sharing on here. I really identify with it seeming so 'minor' but actually being so distressing. Am reassured that it seems to recover for everyone!
rob87282 jake55026
Posted
The same thing happened to me believe me your taste will return it took about 8 weeks for mine to return.
sarah82816 jake55026
Posted
I feel your pain .. I found the loss and corruption of taste very difficult to deal with and hard to explain to other people. I think everyone thought I was making a fuss and likened it to losing your taste when you have a cold but, for me, it was completely different to this as most food and drink tasted unpleasant. Anyway - the good news is that it will come back even if you find this hard to believe right now. After 6 weeks, I had a minor breakthrough and by Xmas Eve (just in the nick of time) I was back to about 80 - 90% there with just wine and sweet food still not tasting right. After 8 weeks - my taste was just about back to normal and now (3 months on) it is as good as it ever was and I can hardly remember how awful food used to taste.
I hope you recover soon... All the best, Sarah
jake55026 sarah82816
Posted
Thank you so much Sarah, it's great to hear others' stories. I'm only 3 weeks in, I can sweet things so am hoping that I don't lose that too. cheese and savoury flavours seem to be almost invisible :-( can't wait to enjoy a pizza again
thanks for the encouragement!
marilyn25358 jake55026
Posted
Hi Jake,
I too felt alone when I lost my taste to Terbinafine a week ago today. I was 3 days away from finishing a 6 week course of this drug to treat a fungal toe infection. If it wasn't for the reassurance from everyone else on this site then I think I would be a mental wreck by now.
I tried to ring the pharmaceutical company for information regarding Terbinafine and was hoping they could reassure me that I would be ok, but after 28 minutes of being put on hold and being told my call was important I gave up and left a voice message with a return contact number. So far I am yet to hear from them and I imagine that I probably won't.
My doctor however has told me not to worry as my taste will return and not to worry.
So far I have lost 1kg in a week. When I do eat, many things give off a bitterness that I can only describe as having crushed paracetamol floating around in my mouth and then leaves me feeling sick. Other foods just leave me feeling like I'm chewing on a metal flavour.
Next week I am going to see a natural therapist and hopefully she can make a difference. For the time being I try and think about my friends little boy who lost his eye sight and has partial hearing loss to cancer treatment.
marilyn25358
Posted
It was thirteen days after losing my taste to Terbinafine, which left me feeling rather distressed and frustrated and with limited assistance from the people ( Pharmaceutical company) that I thought could offer some sort of advice, that I then sort assistance from a natural therapist that had come highly recommended to me. This lady has been the breakthrough that I had been hoping for. For 1 1/2 hours this lady balanced my Chakra and knew exactly what I was experiencing without me telling her.
The first night I didn't notice any change to my taste besides my throat feeling so much lighter. However by the next morning I decided to try and eat some flavoured rice crackers that only a day ago had no flavour at all. To my amazement I could actually lightly taste the biscuit as well as cherry tomatoes that also days before was just texture without the taste. Bitterness to other foods that I was experiencing has also now past. I was ecstatic to say the least and I truely believe that I am now able to taste foods simply because I was open to ulternative health measures. Yes I was a little sceptical to begin with but I also felt I had nothing to lose. I am seeing this lady again in 3 days time and I am hoping that there will even be stronger results by next week. 🙂
thomas99726 jonathan21989
Posted
I am in the UK. I never took Terabinafin but was given Daktarin for my toe nails fungis.
After two day applying the cream I lost my taste buds, swallowed the yop layer off my tongue. Then my lips puffed up, my teeth slackened and I had a croaky voice. After two days application! My dentice removedfour teeth immediately and told me not to come back to till my mouth was heald. Then my doctor put me put me on Daktarin oral gel for my mouth. This gradually reduced the sweeling to my lips and gums.Then it calmed down my hot sensitive tongue starting from the tip gradually working backwards to my throat. I felt it was chaseing the problem down my throat as my speach was croaking worse, so I stopped taking the gel incase it sent the problem down into my lungs and stomache. Now 18 months later my taste buds are coming back, not quite right yet. I wash my toes twice daily and the redness is reducing but the toe nails are turning dark ane receding, My big right toe nail is nearly down to the quick. I went back to the Doctor, another Doctor in the Practice, about the redness and fungus toe nails and he gave me Daktarin! I am afraid I have no faith in the NHS of the UK and am keeping washing and creaming withCoconut oil. My toes are still bright red but when I stand on my floor tiles, Very chilly, the redness disapears till have to put on shoes. I have read many cures but the latest one scared me. It says that the fungis is deep in ones body and you have to treat the body internally with pills. Side effect - if you get the wrong pills you will lose toes or feet or indeed legs.
Hobson's choice? No thank you. Where are the Doctors who know how to treat toe nail fungi?
babros jonathan21989
Posted
Hi Jonathan and others
I live in Africa and i was prescriped Ketoconazole 2% together with terbinafine. But as i am reading your posts, i hate to see that happening to me especially where there is lack in good doctorsor specialised dermatologists, and also i think i have a mild condition of Seborrheic dermatitis. My question is " Is there a safer alternative", as i am afraid, that if something goes wrong I have to be "evacuated on emergency" seeking medical help in the UK.
I am British, 61 years, not sure of my BMI
robin03471 jonathan21989
Posted
I know this has been years since you've experienced this. Mine is just starting. May 30, 2017, I lost my taste. I was taking this med for about 5 weeks., and wham. Taste gone, well unless you count the extreme bitter metallic salty mess I live with day in and out. I can't eat. Everything tastes morbidly disgusting. I, unlike a lot of people on the thread have a high bmi. Which in the past 3 and a half weeks, is changing. I've already lost over 30 lbs. But my inability to keep anything down, is starting to scare me. I tried zinc, that made it worse, I'm taking the alpha lipotic acid, no change so far. I keep reading everyone's stories, because it's about the only thing keeping me going.
dee93947 robin03471
Posted
Hello Robin:
Hang in there. Many people feel your pain due to taking this drug. I think though if you are not able to keep anything down, you need to see a knowledgeable internist -- preferably one who has seen this reaction before. If they haven't, they may look at you like you are crazy. Luckily, my internist had a 70 year old patient who experienced this rare side effect (only 3% of users) and it took him two months for full taste to be restored. The same was true for me, only I'd say it took 2 months and one week. And soft drinks and wine still don't taste right. And my loss of taste occurred on April 23, 2017 so I'm just a little bit a head of you. I've been talking to another gal from the Netherlands who is one week behind me. Have you tried nutritional drinks such as Boost or Ensure? Boost has a dark chocolate flavor that is downright good. I also could drink fruit and vege smoothies which I either made at home with ice cream/fruit or purchased at our local Juice Bar, which are popular everywhere. I could also taste some whole foods such as pears, peanuts, carrots and brocolli. It seems to vary from one person to another. And some of the best advice I got was to continue to try different foods and drinks until I found things that I could taste and tolerate. Everything will be slightly off but to maintain your nutrition and weight, you will need to find something healthy to eat. Typically, people gradually start finding that they can taste more food and drinks until one day you will suddenly realize you are tasting most everything. O HAPPY DAY! I believe you will recover because most people do. It's extremely rare that someone doesn't and even then, I think it's probably only a reduction of taste. How old are you? That plays a role in who is impacted the most too. And the longer you are on the drug, the longer the reaction will last. I think people who have only been on the drug for five weeks have recuperated. I also suggest trying to distract yourself from the problem because it can certainly take over your life, if you let it. I did and now I regret not relaxing more and just accepting that it would take time. I was just so freaked out. One day at a time and keep trying different foods and beverages. Keep us posted as to how you are doing. This site and thread really have helped a lot of people. It's just a shame that the drug is still on the market. I'm assuming you were on the 250 mg dosage? I think that's important to know too. And do you have any other mitigating health issues; diabetes, hypertension, asthma, etc. That may slow down the recovery too. I will pray for you because I know how you feel. I know how difficult it is. Try to stay positive and even if you only find three things you can eat, keep eating that over and over. Some day you will be eating normally.
dee93947
Posted
If you have a horrible sour and/or salty taste in your mouth and/or numb/burning tongue sensation, try Biotene and ACT mouth wash. I would also suggest chewing gums and mints or Tums/Rolaids. But, you may not be able to taste those items. It took me nearly two months to be able to chew gum again because I couldn't taste it. The mouth wash helped. Especially at night when you are trying to get to sleep. I also took a low dose of elavil (10-20 mg) to sleep some nights because the taste was so irritating it kept me up. Hopefully you will have an understanding physician. Make sure you tell them about the patient.info site and the hundreds of people who have shared about their similar experiences. It is also well-documented in medical journals. I know because my husband is an internist and it is also listed as a side effect on the pharmacist's info that you got with the medication when you picked it up. IF your physician or PA doesn't believe you, show them this site. I will vouch for you. Some of them are so unaware of this particular issue that they will think you are making it up! What a shame!
diane17442 jonathan21989
Posted
I'm exactly the same. Had a blood test to check my liver first. I don't read effects leaflets as would never take anything. I took for about 5-6wks. Stopped last Thursday. Living on cantaloupe and water at the moment. Everything seems slimy in my mouth.
sarah49213 jonathan21989
Posted
This forum has literally kept me sane. I took terbinafine for six weeks before I figured out what was causing a major case of depression, fatigue and a very itchy rash. Then I lost my taste and developed a salty, bitter taste in my mouth that made me want to throw up every time I tried to eat. Food only tasted salty or bitter. This happened during what could be described as the perfect storm. I attributed by depression and fatigue to the loss of a loved one and caring for my granddaughter after a very serious nine hour surgery. When my taste became an issue, I assumed it to be dental and sure enough I had a tooth under a cap that was not healthy. I took care of the tooth, my granddaughter got healthy and I still did not improve. That's when I tried to determine what had changed in my life, hit upon the medication and found this forum. I've been off the medication for four weeks after taking it for six weeks. I still have limited taste. The only things that taste somewhat normal are luncheon meats with all of their sodium, ham, Italian sausage, olives, onions and dijon mustard. Makes a heck of a diet. Actually, I force myself to eat healthy and I have always tried to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. It does take effort. I enjoyed two handfuls of popcorn on Monday before my taste disappeared and the salty taste came back. My tongue burns and for a while my gums were so red and swollen, it hurt to brush my teeth. That has corrected itself. I'm assuming from reading these posts that during this transition it is normal to have taste come briefly and go away again. Although I'm nowhere close to having normal tasting, the few bites of popcorn were wonderful. I have hopes, thanks to this forum, that I will be able to taste again in a matter of weeks. I hope all of you who are suffering have a full recovery- the sooner the better.
diane17442 sarah49213
Posted
Hi Sarah
I'm into wk 2 of being off the tablets. Like you I took it for 6 wks. Didn't realise at first my taste was going. The first wk I lost 5 lb this week 3. I can't eat much atal. It all tastes rancid and slimy!!! Living on runner beans and mug shots.
The annoying thing is smelling something cooking and being hungry!!
Like you burning tongue and salty taste. So fed up.
sarah49213 diane17442
Posted
Diane - It has gotten better in the last week. Less salty - more sweet at times. My fatigue is gone and the horrible feeling of depression has let up. Difficult as well as I have always been a glass half full person. As I have been able to taste a few things such as dijon mustard, I create a half sandwich with something healthy, such as baked chicken, and use the mustard to make it edible. I'm improving - so will you. Try, if at all possible, as the days go by to eat some healthy things just to keep your body strong as well as to jump start those taste buds. I really know how difficult that will be as I almost gagged on food for weeks and my stomach hurt. We will get better. In a few weeks, I hope to post a more positive message and I hope you will be able to as well.
diane17442 sarah49213
Posted
Hi Sarah
I tasted the sweetness of my melon last night. Thought great! Today back as it was. Went and saw nurse about my nail and being referred to podiatry. She said if taste lasts 2 more weeks see a doc as could be sign of something serious, but I think too much of s coincidence for that.
I'm doing slimming world so eating healthy when I do eat!!!
Glad your is returning. It says taste loss rare in the leaflet. Maybe not so rare after all.