Severe taste disturbances are said to be a rare side-effect of inhaled
corticosteroids like Nasonex. Where can I find out about the specific
types of disturbances and how the disturbance occurs, and if the taste
disturbance ever involves saltiness?

I am a 50 year old male who has been using Nasonex for about four months
twice daily. I am looking for an explanation for a poisonously salty
taste that seems to be coming from my teeth (!). If the tip of my tongue
is against the roof of my mouth, I don't taste any salt, but if I run my
tongue along the back of my teeth, lower or upper, they're like a
veritable salt lick. The taste is almost not present first thing in the
morning after a night's sleep, when my tongue has not been probing
against my teeth. But by late afternoon it is strongest. I can increase
the itensity of the salty taste in my mouth by deliberately moving my
tongue against my teeth. The insides of my lips also respond to the
increased brinyness.

I don't think this is a 'phantom' taste. After several hours, my lips
show visible signs of being parched, and the insides of the my lips are
puffy from the brine. Eventually the back of my throat feels as if I've
swallowed seawater or the worst wonton soup ever, but the taste does not
originate there. This has been going on for about six weeks.

All of the typical simple explanations for dysgeusia don't seem to fit.
I'm drinking the same amount of water I've always drunk and urinating
with normal frequency and color (i.e. am not dehydrated). My gums are in
good health. The taste does not originate in the back of my throat (no
sinus infection). My sense of smell does not seem to be impaired in any
way --but salty tastes are not related to smells, from what I've read.

About twenty years ago I had an impacted eye tooth with a benign cyst on
it surgically removed, and some bone had to be taken away. The surgeon
mentioned that the gap in the bone was bordering upon the sinus.  Is
there any pathway for the corticosteriods to move from the sinus into
the teeth, including the lower teeth? Can they be absorbed to emerge
through the pulp of the teeth or at the gumline? Are teeth impermeable
or porous?

I've stopped using the Nasonex two days ago but the taste is still
there. Not sure if this is or isn't related to the Nasonex, but how long
do corticosteroid-related taste disturbances typically persist after a
person stops taking this type of medication?

regards