TERBİNAFİNE INDUCED TASTE LOSS : A CASE REPORT

Purpose: terbinafine is an antifungal agent that belongs to the allylamine class. it was introduced in 1991 and has become widely used, both topically and systemically. taste disturbance is a rare side-effect occurring in 0,6-2.8% of patients taking the oral form of the drug. we report a rare case of taste disturbance following oral terbinafine treatment. material and methods: a 43-year-old man presented with history of taste disturbance following oral terbinafine. he was taking no other drugs began treatment with oral terbinafine 250 mg daily for onychomycosis in june 2012. one month later he develops a metallic taste in his mouth. this was shortly followed by complete loss of taste. results: : his taste returned to normal six weeks after stopping the drug. conclusion: taste disturbance is a rare side-effect taking the oral form of terbinafine. terbinafine remains an effective treatment for the dermatophyte infections however patients should be warned about this uncommon adverse effect.