Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Loss of taste

free2beme6060
free2beme6060
I seem to have lost my sense of taste for a lot of food. I can taste things like spaghetti, sauerkraut, things with a lot of spices. But eggs, chicken,beef,fish, most of my fav vegetables all taste like cardboard. So needless to say I am having a hard time eating because most things are so bland.
I also smell smoke a lot and there is nothing there. I have gotten up during the night to check and make sure the house is not on fire. Very bizzare!!
Anybody else had this problem?
deleted_user
deleted_user
Maybe have your GP test your zinc levels.
I had lost my sense of taste a while ago and they found I was deficient in zinc. I think it could also affect your sense of smell.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Nexium? A friend had issues with taste and smell ude to Nexium.
2scicrazed
2scicrazed
My mother had that problem when she was on MTX for breast cancer. Are you taking MTX?
stephgas
stephgas
as far as taste, i felt like that while on mtx. so many foods just didn't seem to taste good - like you, i still tasted spicier stuff and added a lot of pepper to things. i seemed to taste very salty things better as well. but i never felt like i 'wanted' anything particular. i don't recall any changes with smell. sounds like a call to your rheumy and/or pcp may be in order.
free2beme6060
free2beme6060
I take MTX and Nexium, will ask my PCP today when I see him. Thanks for the replys!
deleted_user
deleted_user
This is a shot in the dark, so take it with a grain of salt...

When I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed this summer, one was very close to a nerve in my lower jaw. During the recovery process, I had severe inflammation in my TMJ (possibly also due to RA?), and the most noticeable symptom was a complete loss of taste. I recall eating a spoonful of raw sugar just to see if it was all in my mind...nope, no sense of taste at all. I was terrified that I'd be stuck like that; it's very tough to eat when nothing has taste.

However, once the swelling went away, my taste came back. I could hypothesize that your RA is affecting your TMJ and potentially pressing on a nerve that's related to taste, as the case was with me.