Metal Taste

[Carolynn]

My husband keeps waking up in the middle of the night with a metallic coppery taste in his mouth. Occasionally it happens during the day as well. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

 

[pb&bananas]

I don't know for sure, but if he takes medicine at night before bed, that might be causing it. I take medicine at night before bed and sometimes I'll wake up with a metallic taste in my mouth, too. It sucks because water doesn't do anything for it!!

 

[xenon]

I have had that metal taste once or twice. I found it to be using chemicals of one kind or another. Treated pine was something I can remember being one of the causes. Does your husband deal with any kind of chemical?

 

[shaunche]

I have experienced this metal taste when running long distances at high intensity, I always wondered what it was. I assume it is iron but I'm not sure what was actually causing it. There are many potential causes, most are harmless, you would need to see a doctor to determine whether something more sinister is causing it.

 

[freshfoodie]

I think it is usually caused by low iron. Maybe your husband could try taking an iron supplement for awhile and see if the symptoms abate. If not I would suggest seeing a doctor to find out what is going on.

 

[SifuPhil]

There could be a lot of causes for this. A lack of zinc or B-12, eating too much fish, food or medication allergies, upper respiratory tract infections or (most commonly) a problem with oral hygiene.

A few things to try (other than a trip to the doctor) would be to take extra care when brushing teeth (including brushing or scraping the tongue), the use of baking soda or salt in mouthwashes before bedtime, and drinking homemade lemonade or citrus juices.

 

[Carolynn]

Thanks for the tips and advice guys. He is on quite a few meds for diabetes and unfortunately since he was laid off we have no insurance. A trip to the doctor is pretty much out of the question right now. :/

 

[Waynefire]

This could be indicating numerous things. However, he should get it checked out to guarantee it is nothing major. It could also be the medication he is taking causing him to have a sensitive taste or he may be biting his tongue or cheek while sleeping and making it bleed a little and not even realize it.

 

[Waynefire]

This could be indicating numerous things. However, he should get it checked out to guarantee it is nothing major. It could also be the medication he is taking causing him to have a sensitive taste or he may be biting his tongue or cheek while sleeping and making it bleed a little and not even realize it.

 

[chabella]

Filling issue or an early abscess are my two best guesses. I have deal with both before and neither are fun, have him get checked out at the dentist ASAP. Catch the issue while its small.

 

[Youlovejordan]

Does he have any dental issues or has he had any fillings? It could be anything or he can try to scrub his tongue to see if that works.

 

[ohiotom76]

It could possibly be a gum disease too I would imagine. I switched dentists one time and the new one told me I had it, and he couldn't believe the old dentist didn't catch it. They had to irrigate all my gumlines with a medicine. Tongue scrapers work, but I find they tickle the heck out of me when I use them, lol.

 

[srj]

I get this often in the morning too. It goes away when I take a few glasses of cold water.

 

[dashboardc33]

It is most likely that he is deficient in a mineral or vitamin that his body needs. I used to get this all the time when I needed work done on my teeth. I noticed this taste was occurring more often when I needed a cavity to be filled. Does your husband have poor teeth or need dental work?

 

[writer811]

A couple of my relatives have had this same problem before. The first one, my aunt, had hers from eating lots and lots of seafood. Fish and crabs and other things like that. The second one, my sister, had it because she wasn't getting enough iron in her diet. Or getting too much, I'm not sure. But lots of things cause a metallic taste, so don't get overly worried just yet.

 

[TheHerbMan]

Is he having toothaches? If so, what he has is an absinthe tooth. I've had this happen to me before, generally before I start getting excruciating tooth pain. If he does start to get tooth pain, you need to schedule an appointment with a dentist right away.

If you can't afford a dentist at this time, which is understandable, the best method would be to gargle peroxide (by itself) and also gargle salt water individually 2-3 times a day for 3-4 days.

Hope this helps.