Medications Can Impair Senses

Q:  I am writing about my 82-year-old wife. She has lost her senses of taste and smell. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and put on Beta-pace. She also takes Hytrin and Norvasc.

At one time, our internist blamed medication for her poor sense of taste and smell, but nothing was done to change the situation. Now our internist says it is her age, which I do not buy. What is your take on this?

A:  Since the sense of taste depends a great deal of the sense of smell, your wife's main problem is probably the sense of smell. The sense of smell may become impaired with problems of the nose or sinuses (such as allergies), problems with the brain (like head trauma or Alzheimer's disease) or medications.

Both beta-blocker medications, Beta-pace and amlodipine (Norvasc), have been associated with an declining sense of smell. Next time your wife visits her doctor, she might want to suggest a change of medications or an otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) evaluation.

As for whether advanced age alone causes a loss of smell, I consulted Dr. Edmund Duthie, Professor of Medicine and Chief the division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the Medical College. He too doubts that your wife's age alone is the answer. If it were, all older people would have an impaired sense of smell, and this is clearly not the case.

On the other hand, many older people taste and smell only stronger flavors and odors. We do lose taste buds over time, and all the senses seem to decline somewhat with age.

Julie L. Mitchell, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She practices internal medicine at the Froedtert & Medical College General Internal Medicine Clinic – East. Her column also appears in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.