Following throat infection, why is there an altered taste?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 24 year old female. I was at my local out of hours service this morning with an extremely painful and swollen throat. I was told I had a severe case of tonsillitis. I have been given antibiotics. Since then I feel a poison taste running down my throat and had a bit of a relief of pain at the more severe side. It is like something had burst in my mouth, and my mouth tastes like poison taste. I also have been experiencing abdominal pain and pain in my rib area.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.om.

The feeling that something burst and having poison taste in the mouth will be most probably due to release of tonsillolith (tonsil stone) from the tonsillar fossa and associated pus and mucus that come along with the stone. I suggest you antiseptic gargles like Betadine or Chlorhexidine diluted in lukewarm water after each meal for three to four days. You are asked to refrain from taking cold diet, alcohol and from smoking. For the pain Tylenol (Acetaminophen) will be sufficient. If associated cough and fever are there, which can lead to abdominal pain and pain in the chest, you must take the antibiotic. In my practise, in such situations, I institute oral Clarithromycin about 500 mg one tablet twice daily for five days. I also take a throat swab for monospot and culture sensitivity in the same visit. The result of swab comes in two to three days, and the antibiotic can be changed to a more appropriate one based on that.