Why Does My Mouth Taste Like Metal?

Question: I have a metallic taste in my mouth. What is this from and how can I make it go away?

There are several reasons why your mouth could takes like you’ve just eaten a roll of quarters, and while this may seem like a cause for worry, most of the reasons aren’t serious causes for concern. The medical term for an altered sense of taste in the mouth is dysgeusia.

One of the most common causes of dysgeusia is pregnancy, when the body’s hormonal changes can make tastes altered. Certain foods and drinks can combat the metallic taste, such as citrus fruit or lemonade. Another reason you may be experiencing a metallic taste in your mouth could be related to the drugs you are taking. Certain antibiotics, anti-thyroid and some neurological drugs are known to cause dysgeusia. Cancer patients undergoing chemo or radiation have also reported the metallic taste in their mouth for weeks or even months at a time.

Dysgeusia can also be a result of vitamin or mineral deficiencies. When the body lacks B-12 or zinc, the mouth is known to take on a metallic taste. Other common causes could be due to how you take care of your mouth. Those that smoke or have poor dental hygiene are at a higher risk of experiencing dysgeusia. Oral infections and gingivitis cause the gums to bleed, and when the iron from blood is broken down in the mouth a metallic taste often results.

The most serious cause of dysgeusia can actually be life threatening, however. Clupeotoxin poisoning will leave a metallic taste in the mouth and results in death in 50% of cases. This poisoning occurs after consuming plankton-eating fish like herring, tarpon, bonefish or sardines.