From the Guidelines
Medications known to cause taste disturbances include antibiotics, cardiovascular drugs, antifungals, anticonvulsants, chemotherapy agents, and psychotropic medications, with the most recent evidence suggesting that triptans, such as sumatriptan, can cause unpleasant taste as a common adverse effect 1.
Medications Causing Taste Disturbances
Some of the medications that can cause taste disturbances are:
- Antibiotics like metronidazole, clarithromycin, and tetracyclines
- Cardiovascular drugs such as ACE inhibitors (lisinopril, captopril), calcium channel blockers, and statins
- Antifungals like terbinafine
- Anticonvulsants including phenytoin and carbamazepine
- Chemotherapy agents
- Psychotropic medications such as lithium and SSRIs
- Antihistamines
- Antithyroid drugs (methimazole, propylthiouracil)
- Certain respiratory medications like albuterol
- Triptans, such as sumatriptan, which can cause unpleasant taste as a common adverse effect 1
Mechanisms and Effects
These medications can cause dysgeusia (altered taste), hypogeusia (decreased taste sensitivity), or ageusia (complete loss of taste) by interfering with taste receptor function, altering saliva composition, or having direct effects on taste nerve pathways 1.
Clinical Considerations
Taste disturbances typically resolve after discontinuation of the medication, though recovery time varies. If experiencing taste changes while on medication, it's essential to consult with a healthcare provider before stopping any prescribed treatment, as they may adjust dosages or recommend alternatives when possible 1.
From the Research
Medications Known to Cause Taste Disturbance
- Antihypertensives, antimicrobials, and antidepressants are common classes of medications associated with taste disturbances 2
- Approximately 170 drugs have been associated with taste disturbances, either when used alone or in combinations 3
- Antibiotics can cause taste and smell disorders, with six antibiotics detected as signals that induce these disorders 4
Specific Medications
- Azithromycin and clarithromycin are alternatives to conventional macrolides and have been used to treat various infections, but their potential to cause taste disturbances is not explicitly mentioned in the provided studies 5, 6
- However, the study on antibiotic-induced taste and smell disorders suggests that macrolides like azithromycin and clarithromycin may be associated with these adverse effects, although this is not directly stated 4
Mechanisms and Risk Factors
- Zinc plays a key role in drug-related taste disturbance, and the zinc-chelating capability of drugs may contribute to this adverse effect 3
- Patient background, including gender, hypertension, mental disorder, and cancer, may be associated with an increased risk of developing taste and smell disorders due to antibiotic use 4