Antibiotics & altered sense of smell? - Allergies Message Board

Tranzwarp · 05-21-2005, 07:49 PM

I'm on Biaxin XL for a rather nasty sinus infection, and have been experiencing tongue discoloration (slightly brown colored) and an awful smell that seems "stuck" in my nose. Am I off the deep end?

I've read that Biaxin can cause an altered sense of smell, but I'm not sure if that means everything smells horrible, or if something else is going on. The med also warns of possible fungal infection (of the tongue, I think). Could this be culprit? It is truly nauseating, and is driving me nuts.

reader1 · 05-22-2005, 04:22 PM

Yep. I hate biaxin. It gives me terrible thrush - a yeast infection of the tongue. Eat a lot of yogurt with acidophilus and live cultures or take some acidophilus to help. Avoid sugars. FYI, I always refuse biaxin when a doc tries to prescribe it to me for that very reason.

There's another type of antibiotic that I like a lot for sinus infections - the fluoroquinolones like Avelox - they are mostly for those of us who've had to take a LOT of antibiotics and for whom Z-packs and others don't work anymore. I love them; they can have a lot of side effects but the only one I've had is that I get a metallic taste in my m outh.

Tranzwarp · 05-23-2005, 01:11 PM

Hi, reader1. You obviously have some history with sinusitis. Thrush...that's exactly what I was thinking about, but couldn't recall the name.

I think I'll join you and swear off Biaxin. Seems to work for the infection, but Thrush is no picnic.

Thanks.

sneezydiva · 05-23-2005, 07:16 PM

After my sinus surgery I got the same thing, a terrible smell that seemed stuck in my nose. It smelled like rotten fruit. My ENT disagreed with me, but I think it was some infected mucus stuck in there. I was finally able to irrigate it out. It was the nastiest thing I've ever blown into a tissue. So keep taking your antibiotic, it has obviously helped move some stuff out of your sinuses!

chigs489 · 05-24-2005, 10:53 AM

Avelox is extremely dangerous. I took it and ended up with nerve damage, vasculitis, tendinopathy, GI issues, and other problems. I lost 30 pounds in one month and had to go to physical therapy for 4 months to recover. I racked up 30k in medical bills thanks to this medication (insurance covered it).

Floroquinolones are chemo-therapy, not antibiotics, and their side-effects can be fatal.