Taste Loss After Taking Topamax And Ultram For Back Pain. What Can Be Done?

Posted on Mon, 11 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 11 Nov 2013 Answered on

Tue, 3 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have experienced about 70% taste loss after taking Topamax, and Ultram for back pain. My back pain is gone, but now I cannot taste anything except salty taste! I saw my Pain Mgt Specialist, and he said he'd never heard of such a thing! Obviously he is not well versed in medicine! Can you help me get my taste back? This happened to me about 20 years ago when I was given a drug by a psychiatrist. He told me to stop the meds and he gave me an RX for a tiny pink pill (which cured my tasted in about one week). Do you have any idea what he gave me? I know it works! Medications Include: Topiramate 25 mg Meloxicam 50 mg Tramadol (200 mg) and a variety of psychiatric drugs

Answered by Dr. Preeti Parakh (5 hours later)

Brief Answer: Topiramate can cause loss of taste sensation. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to Healthcare Magic! You are right in saying that topiramate can cause loss of taste sensation. You can show this link ( WWW.WWWW.WW to your doctor. It is the case report of a child who lost his taste and smell sensation with topiramate and was able to regain it when the drug was stopped. Also inform your doctor that you have had this in the past as well so that he will agree to stopping topiramate and prescribing something else if needed. Regarding the pink pill, I guess it must have been a tablet containing B-complex vitamins as these are necessary for a healthy tongue and any deficiencies can cause damage to the lining of the tongue, causing altered taste sensation. Hope this solves your problem. Please feel free to ask if you need any clarifications. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar