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- Dysgeusia is a taste disorder. People with this condition feel that all foods taste metallic, sweet, sour or bitter. Many things can cause dysgeusia, like smoking, medical conditions, medication or poor oral hygiene. Treatment addresses the underlying cause, like quitting smoking, changing medication or improving oral hygiene.
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22047-dysgeusiaDysgeusia (Altered Taste): Causes & Treatment - Cleveland Clinic
Dysgeusia (pronounced “dis-gyoo-zee-uh”) is a disorder that distorts your sense of taste. People with this condition often say that anything they eat tastes like metal, rancid or bitter. Dysgeusia isn’t a serious medical condition. But it can affect your appetite and quality of life.
- Poor oral hygiene. If you don’t brush and floss regularly, the result can be teeth and gum problems such as gingivitis, periodontitis and tooth infection.
- Prescription drugs. “Some medications can cause a metallic taste because your body absorbs the medicine and it then comes out in the saliva,” Dr. Ford explains.
- Over-the-counter vitamins or medicines. Multivitamins with heavy metals (such as chromium, copper and zinc) or cold remedies (such as zinc lozenges) can cause a metallic taste.
- Infections. Some temporary illnesses can change your sense of taste, which may leave you tasting metal: Colds. Sinusitis. Upper respiratory infections. The taste usually goes away when the infection does, so take it easy and get well soon.
- Emesis or vomiting. The act of vomiting usually leaves us with a bad, bitter taste in our mouth, most likely due to digestive enzymes that reach the oral cavity.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD or acid reflux. The bad taste in our mouth after waking up in the morning is very likely caused by stomach acid going up the esophagus and reaching the oral cavity.
- Pregnancy-related and other hormonal imbalances. Most expecting mothers experience nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of their pregnancy. Frequent vomiting leaves a bad, metallic or bitter taste in the mouth.
- Taking antibiotics. Medication in general comes with a long list of side effects, some dangerous, some merely unpleasant. Certain antibiotics, for example, can cause either a bitter or a metallic taste in the mouth.
- Age. As you get older, it can get harder for you to notice flavors. Some women can start to lose their taste buds in their 40s. For men, the change can happen in their 50s.
- Medication. Prescription drugs can affect how your taste buds pick up flavors. Or they could put different chemicals into your saliva. Your taste and smell may go wrong if you’re taking
- Illnesses. Your taste could be affected if you have: An infection in your nose, throat, or sinuses. A head injury, which might affect the nerves related to taste and smell.
- Cancer Treatment. If you’re being treated for cancer, your sense of taste might be thrown off by: Chemotherapy. It affects the taste of about half the people who get it.
- You have poor oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene could be one simple reason there is a metallic taste in your mouth, according to Isabel Garcia, DDS, a faculty member and practice leader at Touro College of Dental Medicine in Hawthorne, New York, where she oversees the clinical training of dental students.
- You’re taking certain medications. The most common cause of a metallic taste in the mouth is medications. Antibiotics, antihistamines, over-the-counter supplements, and blood pressure medications are all known for causing this taste side effect.
- You’ve undergone chemotherapy. In addition to nausea, a common complaint of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is a metallic taste in the mouth. Many cancer survivors can commiserate about the ubiquitous “metal mouth” triggered by chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.
- You have liver or kidney disease. Although rare, liver or kidney disease could cause a metallic taste in your mouth, too. According to Dr. Lewis, that’s because these conditions create a buildup of chemicals in the body.
Dysgeusia. What Causes Dysgeusia? What Are the Treatment Options? What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor? Dysgeusia is a condition where a person’s perception of taste is altered; everything seems sweet, sour, bitter, or metallic. Taste disorders are common in adults.
May 20, 2024 · The medical term for a bad taste in the mouth is dysgeusia. Dysgeusia can vary from person-to-person. The bad taste may be: bitter. metallic. sour. salty. sickly sweet. Causes of a bad...
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