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Loss of tase and smell misdiagnosis?

RichardHawkings

RichardHawkings

Active Member
Hi guys

I've been living in a very dusty polluted part of the Philippines for the past year, and about 2 months ago I realised I coudn't taste anything. Or rather I could taste - sweet, salt, sour etc but no flavours and no sense of smell. I'm now back in the UK some 5 weeks and I'm surrounded by nature - gresh cut grass, elder flowers, spring rain - but I can't smell any of it.

I saw a new GP about this today, as I'm aware of a number of possible causes aside from environmental, but she started off with asking me what meds I'm on, reached for her BNF and concluded it's a side effect of metformin that has taken three years to suddenly manifest and I'm to get a blood test with a view to changing dosage and meds - yet I've been on metformin 1000mg bd for three years with no side effects at all, and indeed no illnesses of any kind.

Anyone else experienced this? She was running late and it was only 9.30am, so I'm concerned she reached for the quickest possibility without considering options.

Yours

Worried of Milton Keynes
 
I had to give up taking Metformin since it made everything taste like burnt plastic. I looked up the Patient Information Leaflet to find the side effect is Taste Disturbance. I don't remember losing my sense of smell.

As I started reading your post I made a mental note to ask you if you were on Metformin. I believe it could be the cause of your problem but we will only know for sure when you have been off it for a while.
 
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A few weeks on Metformin and everything tasted strange - tea and coffee in particular - but all foods were distressingly unpleasant.
I still cannot drink tea - I used to work for Allied Lyons as a storage tester, taste was my skill - and I think that it is psychological, but it took some time for all the rest to come right. Several months should do the job - though I just binned the tablets and have just used diet to get normal results.
 
Thanks all. I'm thinking more on this and I fear she latched on to the word 'taste' and didn't hear me say I had no sense of smell. Probably my fault as I should have led with this. I explainred this further but she'd already got the book out. Do doctors nowadays rely on the BNF for a diagnosis?
 
Squire Fulwood said:
I had to give up taking Metformin since it made everything taste like burnt plastic. I looked up the Patient Information Leaflet to find the side effect is Taste Disturbance. I don't remember losing my sense of smell.

As I started reading your post I made a mental note to ask you if you were on Metformin. I believe it could be the cause of your problem but we will only know for sure when you have been off it for a while.
Click to expand...
Yes I’m on Metformin
 
Every thing tastes strange to me except chocolate in fact I have only been able taste strong tasting or spicy foods any where near properly for sometime now it's the same whether taking metformin or not.
 
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