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Anyone else with Altered Taste All Day Long?
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) | Last Active: Sep 15 10:54am | Replies (49)Comment receiving replies
@neisie13 , I’m not an authority on functional disorders, but have explored them since I have been desperate to help my conditions. I was a relatively healthy person until I got a number of odd things which sent me to the neurologist, ENT, and subsequently rheumatology and allergist. My symptoms did scare me and I was anxious, so I sought therapy. I was prescribed Gabapentin at one time and I tried it for 2 weeks. I liked it a lot, but it caused blurred vision and I had to stop taking it. Otherwise, I would have continued it. It didn’t affect my bitter taste though. I was also prescribed Lexapro, but tried talk therapy without meds and it worked out ok. I had a lot of anxiety. Talk therapy really helped me. I am now so much better and don’t have anxiety flares. Even though I recently suffered the loss of my Dad, my anxiety has been manageable. I do intend to reach out to my therapist for a few sessions to discuss that. But, I’m in a good place. Oh, my neurologist prescribed me Klonopin, low dose, for times I needed it. I used it conservatively and it was very helpful. It had no impact on my taste issue. (I was experiencing a lot of other symptoms that occurred suddenly and was evaluated for conditions like MS, Parkinson’s, etc. Paresthesia in hands and feet, body wide fasciculations, sudden hair shedding, sleep disorder, plus smell/taste issues,)It was like a tsunami. I was simultaneously working with my endocrinologist and primary to keep blood sugar managed. I wear a pump with integrated cgm for automated insulin delivery. Pretty good management. Better now.
So, functional to me means they don’t know exactly why you have a symptom…..you just do. So they treat the symptom. It doesn’t mean it’s imagined. Is it caused by anxiety? I’m not sure that matters. If you treat anxiety and it helps, then it works. But, idk. There are functional doctors.
Oh, in my reading, I have wondered if there is a possible connection between burning mouth syndrome and my constant bad taste issues. If you read about burning mouth syndrome you’ll see why. Bitter taste can be a part of it. I never had the burning though.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/burning-mouth-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20350911
Replies to "@neisie13 , I’m not an authority on functional disorders, but have explored them since I have..."
I do have burning mouth also.
Okay now I finally have time to answer. It's been a busy day today with just odds and ends and crazy to say but now I have to put in my retainer before I do errands otherwise I am so miserable...Luckily one of my retainers is clear so no one can really tell I have it in but it still affects my speech a little so I only wear it when I don't have to talk to anyone I know or I am not in a social situation, which these days are few and far between anyway. Your last sentence was about burning mouth and I don't have that either. I have read about it but those are just not my symptoms. I have the altered taste part of it but not the painful tongue or any pain. Sounds like my issue is more functional now that you've explained what that means. I have the symptoms or altered taste, but no one reason for it. Dry mouth seems to be the big reason given over and over but nothing used to treat dry mouth helps me at all so I really don't think that's it and neither do my doctors at this point. Glad again that you have found help with talk therapy and can use it when you need to and so glad you are feeling so much better. I have tinnitus in both ears so years ago I was put on a low dose of Xanax but as much as I'd like to increase it a lot because of all this anxiety now over this taste issue, I know it is very addictive so I won't go up in dose and no one has recommended that anyway. I was put on several SSRI's a few years ago for anxiety, etc. but they made my ringing 10 times worse which upped my anxiety so that was a waste. I may try the Cymbalta generic again though since it is supposed to help nerve damage and it is not a true SSRI...and is better for your brain than Gabapentin which is supposed to cause Alzeheimers and I don't want that!!! I am not taking a super high dose but still it's not worth it if I can find something better. The gaba is not helping the taste issue anyway though it is a wonder against my daily morning headaches. I would like to find out why since it might at least explain what caused the headaches that I had every singe morning at 5 a.m. I'm just so disappointed that it's not helping the taste since the rheumatologist really thought it would..Did all those conditions that you were tested for like Parkinsons, all happen after you got Covid?? Just wondering since so many people have had terrible after effects after having Covid besides the smell/taste problems! Thanks again for providing so much information and again so glad you are feeling better....
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Thank you so much for your detailed post. I have to do some errands this morning but I'll reply when I get back because you have really given me some interesting information!!!