What medications can affect your taste or smell?

Hundreds of medications may alter your sense of taste or smell. Below are examples of commonly used drugs that may cause a change in your taste or smell.

Drugs that can affect both taste and smell:

• Antibiotics: amoxicillin, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin
• Blood pressure medication: amlodipine and enalapril
• Statin drugs (lower cholesterol): atorvastatin, lovastatin and pravastatin
• Thyroid medication: levothyroxine

Drugs reported to affect taste only:

• Pain relievers: aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen
• Blood pressure medications: furosemide, lisinopril, propranolol, hydrochlorothiazide and triamterene
• Statin drug: simvastatin
• Central nervous system stimulants (ADHD/narcolepsy/weight loss) medications: amphetamines
• Diabetes drugs: metformin and insulin
• Asthma drug: albuterol
• Antacids: ranitidine and omeprazole
• Many mental health drugs, including amitriptyline, bupropion, trazodone and diazepam
• Vitamins: potassium and vitamin D2

A common drug that affects only smell is the steroid prednisolone.

Changes in smell or taste

Changes include loss, decreased, increased or unpleasant changes in smell or taste. Some of these changes are a result of the ingredients in the drug, but most are due to the way the drug changes nerve sensation, chemicals or enzymes in the body. It could take months or years for a taste or smell disorder to develop from a drug, making it sometimes difficult to diagnose. According to a 2018 review in the World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, studies and reviews show that more than 350 drugs can cause changes in taste, and more than 70 drugs can cause changes in smell. Many drugs cause both.

• Although some drugs can cause loss of taste (ageusia), the most common changes are a decreased (hypogeusia) or unpleasant/altered taste (dysgeusia).
• Most taste changes are described as bitter, and some as metallic or sour.
• Smell changes include increased, decreased and unpleasant smell.
• It is hard to predict how any medication will affect a person’s taste or smell because different people respond differently.

Older people who take more drugs are at highest risk for changes in taste or smell because they take more types of drugs, and drugs may interact with each other to cause these changes. These changes can be unpleasant and affect quality of life, but the main problem is that they may stop people from taking drugs that they need.

If you have changes in smell or taste that make it hard for you to take a drug, do not stop on your own. Tell your health care provider. Your provider may be able to change the drug for you or suggest methods to improve your sense of taste or smell.

Some practical tips include:

• Chewing gum or ice or oral rinsing to remove unpleasant taste
• Adding food flavorings
• Chewing food well
• Switching between foods while eating