Which medication category is associated with alterations in taste and smell and paresthesia?

• A. Antibiotics
• B. Chemotherapeutic drugs
• C. Diuretics
• D. Miotic eye drops

Answer: (B)

Chemotherapeutic drugs commonly cause sensory neurotoxicity and mucosal effects, which show up as changes in taste and smell and as paresthesias. The taste buds and oral mucosa can be damaged by these drugs, leading to dysgeusia or altered sense of taste, while peripheral nerves may be affected, producing tingling, numbness, or burning sensations in the extremities. This combination—taste/smell alterations along with neuropathic paresthesias—is a well-known pattern with many chemotherapy regimens, especially platinum-based agents and other neurotoxic drugs. Other medication categories may cause taste changes, but they do not typically produce paresthesias systemically to the same extent.