I hate being on antibiotics

[Tama]

So I ended up going to er again and was in and out in like ten minutes. I actually have a dental appointment but what happened was, my gums decided to blow up again before I could get there.

I'm fine now, it's going down, but I have a problem I didn't have with amoxicillin before.

My sense of taste is almost completely shot. I can't seem to enjoy any food because it all tastes muted. Does anyone have any foodie suggestions to make what I eat "taste" more?

[Kittish]

Spice it up. Garlic, black pepper, chili pepper, onion, basil, oregano, rosemary... Just don't try it much with salt or sugar.

[Tama]

I've noticed sugar doesn't work. First I ate some yogurt. Then ice cream. No increase in flavor. Thanks

[tSubh Dearg]

I saw a programme where the chef, Heston Blumenthal, had a go at designing meals for airlines to serve. When at altitude and in the pressurised cabin, people's taste buds are effected and we can taste much less, but you obviously can't overdo the salt or sugar to give flavour so instead he used stuff from the umami flavour profile, like soy sauce and anchovies. These made a huge difference to what people could taste in the meal. He also mentioned that having a clear nose helps you taste better.

[Sapphire Silk]

Swelling in the mouth can impact the cranial nerve responsible for taste (CN 9 or the glossopharangyal nerve). I have no idea if that's why you're having trouble with taste. It's not a common or known side effect of amoxicillian that I can find in my resources, but there are other antibiotics that do that. Usually a metallic or bad taste is involved.

I suggest you call your pharmacist and discuss the taste issue with him. If he's stumped, call your doctor and let him know what's going on.