Howdy,

though I am technically out of treatment (less than a week), this message belongs here. Googling about "how to regain taste buds after radiation?" I came upon several suggestions that "zinc hydrate" is useful both during and after head and neck cancer treaments. Consulting my pharmacist, he steered me to Zinc Gluconate tablets.

Because I've had issues with tablets getting stuck, I use a mortar and pestle to grind this and two other meds. Then I either mix that with water and drink or mix into ice cream. I figured this gives a more topical application of the zinc to the buds themselves, perhaps a stronger dose than receiving it internally.

And every morning I've been having cereal with blueberries that I cannot taste. Weirdly, the day after the first zinc dose, while having cereal, I had one isolated note of strong blueberry flavor, then flashed back to "radio silence" or darkness on the palate.

I wondered if it was a brief placebo effect, or could I get that little neural flicker from one dose? Has anyone tried zinc to reawaken your taste buds after radiation therapy?

John D.

I'm not sure you could definitively measure such a response to conclusively prove anything from a scientific perspective. I'm curious if knowing or not knowing that would be beneficial. Focus on what happened and pour everything into replicating the results. If you can make that happen, your taste will be improved.

This might help understand the process and zinc was the only substance that withstood double blind trials still had mixed and inconclusive results.

http://web.mnstate.edu/provost/Biol...inical%20Problem%20of%20Taste%20Loss.pdf

I have had success with zinc for limiting duration of the common cold (you must start immediately when symptoms show, and continue dosing until symptoms improve). It would turn a ten day cold into a 4 day one.

I may fall short of scientific proof here, but that little flash of flavor was a godsend in that moment. It's one thing to be fairly confident taste will return. It was quite another to experience it, even if only for a second.

The doctor suggested extra zinc to perk up the testosterone which was down a little in the bloods. I haven't noticed any particular taste changes since I started taking it, but taste is recovering pretty well.

Before taking any meds, even over the counter supplements or herbal remedies always ask your doctor. Some things that are seemingly innocent can interfere with treatments and create some big issues.

I'm sure interested. Try a blind experiment. Get someone to mash up several days of the tablets and something else like aspirin if the colors match. Then take one set and note any taste. Take the other set and record your findings. Then ask which was which. If nothing else, it will be something to take your thoughts somewhere else for a bit. :-) Don

You don't even have to go through all that, Don. The clinical trial said, in essence, it may help some and that's why oncologists suggest it. If it doesn't work within a month max, I would move on to something else. Nothing has been proven for anything regarding taste buds.

I have read what Uptown is saying. It may or may not help. I used to take zinc, pre-cancer, probably what OzMojo is using for to increase testosterone. I think I had more luck with clams, yohimbe extract lol. Also, I have read zinc can cause odd taste too, mouth ulcers, be toxic, so checking with your doctor, reading up on it is probably best.

Fair enough. I guess if it makes you feel better take it, even if it is the placebo effect.

Candid camera is back. I caught a clip recently where they had folks take a puff of some marijuana and a puff of this really strong MJ. They were all acting high until told none of it was MJ. LOL

There's a lot to be said for the placebo effect. If you think it will help you, it often does. Particularly when it comes to fairly intangible things like energy levels. Taste is a particularly finicky thing during all this and your mind's attitude plays a big role I think. Bottom line though, run everything through your doctor. Two reasons, one to make sure its safe, and the other is to give the mind a firm basis to back the belief it will help you.