Dealing With an Altered Sense of Taste
Dysgeusia is a taste disorder that causes foods to taste weird.
In most cases, this altered sense of taste goes away on its own.
A virus like COVID-19 or the common cold can trigger dysgeusia.
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It can also be a side effect of chemotherapy or other medication.
Dysgeusia is common during pregnancy and with certain vitamin deficiencies.
It typically goes away once the underlying cause has been resolved.
Dysgeusia is not dangerous or life-threatening, although it does impact your quality of life.
This article discusses dysgeusia symptoms and causes.
It also explains how dysgeusia is diagnosed and treated.
Taste is mediated by taste receptors in your mouth.
These nerves send signals to the sensory area of your brain, allowing you to recognize the taste.
The taste sensation typically elicits a positive, negative, or neutral response.
A disruption in your sense of taste can result from damage or impairment in any part of this pathway.
Dysgeusia can interfere with enjoying all or some foods, but it rarely causes nausea.
And dysgeusia often causes aversion to certain foods.
Associated Symptoms
With dysgeusia, you may also experience other symptoms.
These symptoms are typically related to the cause of your dysgeusia and are not because of taste distortion.
Associated symptoms include:
Related Terms
Dysgeusiais a distorted sense of taste.
Ageusiais a total loss of taste.
Anosmiais a partial or total loss of smell, which can also affect your sense of taste.
Aliageusiais when things that usually taste good suddenly taste unpleasant.
Hypogeusiais when you have a hard time tasting sweet, sour, salty, or bitter flavors.
Phantogeusiais when you taste something bitter or metallic when eating something that should not contain those flavors.
This can cause food to taste metallic.
Causes
There are numerous causes of dysgeusia.
Medications
Hundreds of medications can cause dysgeusia.
Chemical Exposure
Chemical toxin exposure can impair your sense of taste.
This can happen due to an accident, surgery, or after a severe infection.
Complications
You might develop a decreased appetite when you experience dysgeusia for a short time.
You may lose weight, even if this problem lasts only a few days.
Pregnant women who experience dysgeusia often lose several pounds.
However, in a healthy person, appetite is restored once dysgeusia resolves and most people regain weight.
Some people lose weight permanently.
Several diagnostic tests can be used to evaluate taste.
Some of the examinations involve measuring your response to exposure to certain tastes.
Other tests evaluate your nerve function.
You must be tested for nutritional deficiencies if you have dysgeusia for longer than a few months.
Often, nutritional effects are not easily detected within the first few weeks.
Specialized blood tests can measure vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and potassium levels.
If you have a nutritional deficit, this has to be addressed and corrected.
A few treatments can help reduce your sense of taste distortion.
Nutrition
Typically, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be corrected with supplements.
Taste Sensation
A few strategies can be used to help diminish your altered sense of taste.
Some healthcare providers and dentists suggest using artificial saliva products.
Dietary strategies can help alleviate some GI conditions.
For example, fiber and raw fruit and vegetables can combat constipation.
And if you have any food intolerance, the resulting bad breath can exacerbate your dysgeusia.
If your smoking habit is the cause of your dysgeusia, then smoking cessation can help.
If you are taking medication that causes dysgeusia, your healthcare provider might change your prescription.
You may need treatment to correct the cause of your taste distortion.
For example, constipation can be managed with diet and stool softeners.
Allergies can be managed with antihistamines or steroids.
It is often resulting from a temporary condition such as a cold, allergies, or pregnancy.
However, it is sometimes sparked by something long-term such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease.
Chemical exposure and nerve injury can also cause dysgeusia.
In many cases, treating the underlying cause will make the dysgeusia go away.
A Word From Verywell
Dysgeusia treatment mainly focuses on treating the underlying cause.
Or, it may help to reduce the drug dosage if the taste impairment is related to a medication.
Having an accurate diagnosis of the cause of dysgeusia has a significant impact on the management of taste impairment.
2019 May 1;24(3):e319-e325.
Clin Case Rep. 2019 Mar 22;7(5):877-880. doi: 10.1002/ccr3.2111.
