Effects of drugs on olfaction and taste

Although an estimated 90% of physician office visits result in a prescription being given to a patient, the effects of medications on the chemical senses of taste and smell are underappreciated. According to the Physician's Desk Reference, hundreds of drugs are associated with one or more side effects, albeit in a minority of patients. The specific mechanisms involved often are understood poorly and there is a dearth of information. This article reviews the major medications reportedly associated with chemosensory disturbances, the likely physiologic causes of such disturbances, and rational approaches to mitigating drug-related chemosensory disturbances.