Changes in taste associated with intravenous administration of pentamidine (revised)

doi:10.1016/S1055-3290(05)80006-8

Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care

Volume 6, Issue 2, March–April 1995, Pages 41-46

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1055-3290(05)80006-8 Get rights and content

In this pilot study the authors set out to: (a) describe the incidence of taste changes associated with intravenous (IV) pentamidine treatment; and (b) determine the factors that are related to making the taste changes better and worse. A convenience sample (N=18) of adult male outpatients with AIDS participated in this study. One hundred percent of the participants experienced an unpleasant taste after the administration of pentamidine. The largest percentage of patients had a metallic taste (89%, n=16); while 67% (n=12) experienced a bitter taste. These data suggest that healthcare providers need to assess for the unpleasant taste associated with IV pentamidine and develop appropriate management strategies.

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Cited by (4)

Endocrinology of Taste with Aging
2023, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America
Effect of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medications on the sense of taste
2000, Physiology and Behavior
Elderly individuals and HIV-infected patients have a disproportionate number of taste complaints relative to the general population, and these taste alterations are correlated with the use of medications. Clinical reports of taste disorders have been associated with many drugs, including antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medications. The purpose of this study was to quantify the taste effects of 6 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and 13 antimicrobial drugs. The six NSAIDS were: diclofenac sodium salt, fenoprofen calcium salt, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, nabumetone, and sulindac. The 13 antimicrobials were: acyclovir, ampicillin, atovaquone, dapsone, enoxacin, ethambutol, lomefloxacin HCl, ofloxacin, pentamidine isethionate, pyrimethamine, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline HCl, and trimethoprim. These 19 medications were applied topically to the tongues of unmedicated young and elderly volunteers as well as unmedicated HIV-infected patients to measure the direct effect of the drug on taste receptors. Topical application of drugs to the apical tongue surface was used to mimic the situation in which the drug is secreted into the saliva. The main finding was that the taste qualities of these drugs were perceived as predominantly bitter, metallic, and/or sour, although several did not have a taste. Elderly subjects had higher thresholds than young subjects for one-third of the drugs that were tested. Thresholds for HIV-infected patients were statistically equivalent to young controls; however, HIV-infected patients rated the drugs as more intense at four times above the detection threshold than young subjects. Most of these drugs when applied directly to the tongue also modified the taste intensity of other tastants (e.g., NaCl, citric acid).
Taste and/or odour disturbances in pediatric patients undergoing IV flush with normal saline administered by prefilled syringe
2012, Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy
Alterations in taste sensation: A case presentation of a patient with end-stage pancreatic cancer
2001, Cancer Nursing

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Changes in taste associated with intravenous administration of pentamidine (revised)

Pulmonary Effects of AIDS

Pharmacokinetics of intravenous pentamidine in patients with normal renal function or receiving hemodialysis

The Journal of Infectious Diseases

Smell and taste: The chemical senses

Pneumocystis carinii and other protozoa