Why Did I Lose My Sense of Smell?

"no cause can be identified." -- One cause is Sulfur deficiency. MSM fixes smell and taste problems in a percentage of people. Sulfur is the 4th most common element in your body. It is not included in Vitamins. There is no RDA.

One might be lulled into complacency, having lost his sense of smell, but there is something important going on. When the third person who came into the house told me she smelled gas, I had it checked out. There was a pinhole leak in the flex line behind the stove. I couldn't smell it at all. And when the dog charged a skunk in the back yard at midnight, I had to really concentrate to see if she was sprayed. She was, of course. But it didn't smell like the skunks of old. My impression was altered. Fortunately, my lab loves to jump in the tub for a bath. But at midnight, it wasn't such a joy for me. But, the last thing I want is an intrusive medical procedure to correct aging.

In my case, I seem to have hit a triple whammy. I was put on a medication that had anosmia as a rare side effect, then got the worst case of sinusitis of my life, and went through menopause. Before that, I had a nose that perfumers would appreciate - now, although much of the sense has come back, whole categories appear to be gone for good and many things, like the vegetable musks used in perfumes, smell horrible to me.

I developed anosmia severaI years ago after a bad cold. I was evaluated by an ENT, which included a brain CT, all of which was negative. Interestingly, I also would have phantom smells (for a while, everything smelled like garlic! Ick!). I happened to read in one of my medical journals about a lawsuit against an over the counter zinc nasal spray because it caused anosmia. I had used the swab form of the product when I was sick because my mother insisted that she had heard it was effective. It annoys me now that I did it despite having no faith in it's value, but just to appease her, and I believe that is what caused it. It took years to resolve and my sense of smell has never gotten back to what it was.

I'm 72, and have had a poor sense of smell for as long as I can remember. As a child in the family car on road trips I would be the last to smell a skunk, the first to not smell it anymore. Same with just about everything else for the past 6-plus decades. As a result, if I do smell anything at all I usually regard it as "bad." I can be irritated by cigarette smoke blowing my way from 40 feet. Same with perfume. But I hardly smell most things -- food cooking, perfumes in soaps and detergents, dog poop -- that other people comment on. Am I lucky, handicapped, or a bit of both? I know I don't enjoy eating as much as most people, yet have always been overweight. While not seeming to offer much hope for change, this article has set me to thinking and I'm glad I came upon it.

I joined a group for anosmics (people who can't smell) several years ago. My adult daughter, who lives with us and also has other neurological disabilities) has anosmia. I also had some similar experience, having had parosmia (distorted sense of smell) due to radiation for head and neck cancer. The folks on this group categorize themselves in three main groups: congenitals (like my daughter, born without a sense of smell), virals (lost it due to a cold or other infection, including those caused by meds taken for such infections), and head bangers (anosmia caused by a blow to the head). The group discusses getting by, treatment, and the fact that most doctors don't have a clue what to do about it. Steroid drugs help many people, but usually are not a permanent solution due to other effects. Many recommend smell training, which involves using certain essential oils several times a day. There are also a couple of clinics that specialize in helping people regain smell. Virals seem to have the best luck. Interestingly, congenitals do not view anosmia as much of a problem. A version of the idea that you can't miss something you never had. One of the worst effects of anosmia for those who once could smell is that their sense of taste was so dependent on smelling, so food is tasteless or boring, which can cause either overeating or loss of interest in eating.

About 3 years ago, I came down with a head cold and fever, that lasted for maybe 2 days. When it passed, I was left with a dry cough, and after a few days, I realized I could no longer smell or taste anything. Now after all this time, my sense of smell and taste have gradually and mostly returned, but they are not as strong, as they once were.

I've experienced a significant decrease in my sense of smell due to laryngoppharyngeal reflux (LPR also known as silent reflux). Here's more info: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15024-laryngopharyngeal-reflux-lpr

I loss my taste sense, but can smell everything. Two ENT specialists found nothing amiss. Do you have any comments? ps. i took zinc tablets for 3 months which did not help

I temporarily (few months) lost my sense of smell and attribute it to using an antibiotic ointment that contained zinc to moisten my nasal passages. I didn't realize the harm I was doing. I was in the midwest in January last year and my nose was uncomfortably dry. Won't do that again!

A few years ago, I lost my sense of smell and taste for no reason at all. I was completely healthy at the time and wasn't taking any medication. I went to every kind of doctor known to woman, but no reason was ever found. An MRI showed I had a chiari malformation, but it wasn't ruled as the cause. Eventually after a few weeks, my senses came back, but I can only smell out of one nostril. Oddly enough, that side has made up for the side that doesn't smell, because my senses are almost bionic. I can smell things some people can't. I'm afraid this is all an indication of Parkinsons or Alzheimers.

What amazes me is that, although I smoke two packs of cigarettes daily, my sense of smell has increased so much that a woman using perfume ten feet away will bother me. Don't know why this has happened but it has. And, as well, my taste buds have increased. And, I'm 81 years.

Years ago I suffered from a loss of the sense of smell. Friend's perfumes were intolerable. I had to ask them not to wear fragrance when we were together. Food lost its pleasure, my morning coffee was intolerable, and I couldn't differentiate flavors of ice cream. At one point, upon constantly smelling cigarettes in my living room, I politely asked my neighbor if she would keep her window open when she smoked. She said she hadn't smoked in three years. I was fortunate, it did pass—my sense of smell and taste returned—I look forward to my morning coffee. My heart goes out to those suffering from the effects AND depression that accompany anosmia and phantosmia.

A zinc deficiency may lead to loss of taste and smell https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27178656

This article missed a big one. I had two very good friends, both male (OK, boyfriends) who lost their sense of smell. Both were eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's. I have read that the lost of sense of smell can precede other signs of Parkinson's by many years, by as much as ten years, in fact.

I have been diagnosed recently with Parkinson's and have lost my sense of smell except for some reason Coffee in the morning. I'm 84.

I had the opposite happen. In my 60's, came home from a run to suddenly discover an enhanced sense of smell. Otherwise healthy. Not a bad thing: I can smell flowers on a spring rain just as well as skunk water. It's just...huh, how about that?

I never had a sense of smell, occasionally if I inhale perfume or something strong smelling I can get a wiff of scent but I have never smelled anything good or bad....I just thought it was small talk that people made or for advertising....when I was about 10 my parents took me to the Dr who said "oh well be glad it's not a more important sense"....so much for medical advice. Nothing has improved it....I can feel & taste the difference in my mouth, my vision is sharp so I can look for decaying food and I can get a taste of the smell through my mouth...I will be affected by bad smells or gas leaks but I can't smell them which is dangerous....so the Dr was wrong, it is an important sense, as they all are important in life.

Dadof2 makes a brief reference to his brother losing his sense of smell in an accident. Head trauma, either severe such as may occur in a vehicle accident (my nephew), or even "mTBI" such as a serious sports concussion (my daughter) is another. The latter had a more successful olfactory recovery than her cousin, whose face sustained a massive blow. An interesting and illuminating read for anosics is "Season to Taste" by Molly Birnbaum, whose aspirations to be a chef were denied when she lost her sense of smell after being hit by a car.

Acupuncture partially restored my senses of taste and smell after a horrid sinus infection shut them down. After several followup appointments, I was not exactly back to normal but much better. The reader might run this formula by his/her own acupuncturist and see if it helps. https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/331-acupunctureceusmellolfactorynose

For those of you interested in learning more about Anosmia — loss of the sense of smell — and parosmia - distorted smells — you can visit The Monell Center, http://www.monell.org/research; AbScent, https://abscent.org/; and Fifth Sense, http://www.fifthsense.org.uk/. There are also several active Anosmia and parosmia support groups on Facebook and also one on Yahoo.

In 2006, I had successful back surgery to move a nerve that had wrapped around a transverse process which had pretty much put me out of commission with a weak leg and lots of pain. But I quickly noticed that I barely smelled anything anymore, although my sense of taste is only slightly impaired. When I mentioned it to an acquaintance that happens to be an operating room head nurse, she told me that it often happens when a tube has been inserted through the nose for the surgery, since you are put on your stomach, that the olfactory nerve is often damaged in this situation. It might, or might not, regenerate itself. After 13 years, I’m assuming it’s a not. I do worry, since I live alone since my husband’s death; he always knew when something was “off” in the house; my friends and neighbors are learning to sniff around when they visit!

I lost my sense of smell and it stinks. ; )

When I was 55, I developed a bad cold with nasal congestion. I used that decongestant that hides behind the pharmacist's counter and lost my sense of smell. My ENT prescribed a course of prednisone and I developed what the she called a "phantosmia"--a pervasive smell of cigarette butts! I then saw my allergist who opined that the ENT had the right idea, but extended it to three weeks. After two weeks my phantosmia abated and I began to smell normally again. Knock on wood, 12 years later I can still smell & taste!

17 years ago, I had inflammatory breast cancer, and was on chemotherapy. I remember one day I passed gas and thought, “ I guess my gas doesn’t smell anymore. At least there’s one positive thing about chemo!” Later I found out it wasn’t my gas that didn’t smell, it was my nose that couldn’t smell!! After about a year and a half, I slowly begin to regain my sense of smell. It’s about 50% of what it was prior to chemo.

An operation to relieve a painful condition may have hastened the loss of both taste and smell, but, regardless the cause, they are gone. Along with so many other abilities which have faded away the losses, like it or not, have to be accepted. If we are fortunate we maintain much, if not most, of our health before we join the feathered choir..

It’s happening so we can tolerate the current state of governance in our country.

I have had anosmia now for 15 years. That's a fancy word for 100% loss of smell. ;) Surprised the author did not use this medical term. Anyway, mine is due to chronic sinusitis and polyps. I have had 4 surgeries to remove the polyps. I'm hoping the last surgery a few years go did the trick and results in no more recurrence of the polyps. Sense of smell is the sense that gets no respect really. Often people don't believe me. Which I find frustrating. Other times people will actually say "What great way to lose weight!" That can be even more frustrating! Argh. Smell is the "pleasure" sense. Very very important for all sorts of things including sex, memories, taste and more. In some ways it could be argued that it should be our strongest sense regarding staying alive. If you are an anosmiac (sp?) due to sinusitis/polyps don't give up hope. Getting your sense of smell back, just like any sense once it's lost for an extended period, can be very difficult. But, there are a few new treatments geared towards people like us that show promise in getting some of sense of smell back. Contact a respected Smell and Taste Clinic near you to ask about. Sometimes, like 2 or 3 times a year, I almost get a whiff of something; coffee or gas usually. My partner almost tears up because I react so emotionally. Imagine a blind person getting to "see" for just a split second after years of blindness. I sincerely think it must be the same emotionally for us who cannot smell. Good health to all.

I lost my sense of smell and taste from a toothpaste, Crest Pro-Health. My dentist said that it was a side-effect that some users experience.

One thing not noted in the article are zinc longenges. People who use a nasal zinc spray have been noted in Mayo Clinic studies to have lost the sense of smell.

I lost my sense of smell from daily use of an otherwise effective steroid nasal spray. For months prior I could smell a funny but pleasant odor, similar to burnt sugar. I thought it was the heating system because we had the heat on high for a sick family member, but it was really an odd symptom of my sense of smell dying off. After I realized I couldn’t smell the ocean I consulted my doctor who casually informed me that loss of smell was a not uncommon side effect of steroid nasal sprays. She said I was “lucky” to still have my sense of taste. I felt bad about the loss but have adjusted to it over time. One plus is that my family no longer asks me to check the milk to see if it smells sour.

Several years ago, after a bad cold, I lost my sense of smell and lost my ability to enjoy the taste of food. I couldn't even smell a dead skunk if I was parked right on top of it! I went to my physician and was prescribed a steroid medication to no avail. After two years of meals tasting like salted cardboard, I woke up one morning with the idea of going to an accupuncturist. So, I made an appointment. After about ten minutes of treatment, I asked the accupuncturist, are you burning incense? Which she was! Needless to say I was a very happy man. I would encourage anyone who suffers from this malady to see an accupuncturist and, avoid those nasal inhalers at all costs!

I've lost my sense of smell but not my sense of taste. Somewhere I read an article that linked together the following: female, over 60yrs. and on the blood pressure med, lisinopril. I take 10mg daily. My PCP said there was no evidence. I was put on a short burst of steroids, regained my sense of smell--but only for a short time. I don't know what knocked it out again. I also do inhaled steroids (QVAR) daily.

I have an unreliable sense of smell. Sometimes it seems I can't smell much of anything or I can't identify smells. Other times I seem to be acutely aware of every single little odor. Sometimes when I am subjected to a strong odor it will stay with me well after the source of the smell is long gone. And sometimes I smell things that aren't there at all. Sometimes this can get pretty stressful.

When my now 18 year old grand-son was a baby in diapers. I was holding him close totally enjoying the moment when my son-in-law interrupted with an " Oh my GOD can't you smell that..it is lethal" and ran away holding Maxy away from his body to go and change him. That is when I discovered my sense of smell was impaired. It was pointed out to me in the same vein that my little dog did fart sometimes and that I must check my refrigerator for forgotten leftovers hiding behind jars .The strange thing is that I will smell some things like vanilla ,coffee and make an effort to "retrain " my nose by paying attention to perfumes and other good smells. The only clue I can imagine is having a large front tooth abscess that even caused bone lost. I have learnt to live with it!

I don't know if this will be of any help to the discussion, but several years ago I developed zonal epilepsy. It took some time for it to be clearly diagnosed and for my treatment drug level to become optimal. During that time I developed parosmia, which can be associated with epilepsy, and causes an altered perception of smell. Now that my Tegretol dose is optimal and I have no more seizures, my sense of smell is not quite normal, but pretty good. I believe epilepsy can affect smell in other ways too. You could have zonal epilepsy and not even know it, because "seizures", often called absent seizures, can be as mild as just drifting off for half an hour or so.

When my youngest was 7, just in the weeks before Superstorm Sandy, he had an aedeno virus and bronchitis. At that time he completely lost his sense of smell and taste. Inside his mouth he cannot even tell if food is hot or cold. This has not improved in over 6 years. We took him to doctors more times than I can count, even into New York to specialists. None could do more than guess. Finally, I said to him: "If you want to stop going to doctors, we can, and we can pick it up later if you want." He said "Dad, I'd really like to stop." So we did. Meanwhile he learned to enjoy food by texture, how it feels going down, and how it sits in his belly, and he eats mostly like a normal teenager, though he does like healthy food as much as junk, sometimes more--and eats like the bottomless pit most teens are. He's also grown out of his pre-teen propensity for catching every rhinovirus that goes through the school so he's not out sick much. But he cannot taste or smell anything.

Years ago I lost my sense of smell during a very bad cold. For months I felt almost blind, since I'd had a terrific nose before that. It was very disorienting. I'd pretty much resigned myself to the new condition when walking along a busy sidewalk one day I stopped dead in my tracks. Pizza! Over the next several months my sense of smell continued to return.

Good article on an overlooked problem. Years ago, in my 30s, due to sinusitis and nasal polyps I fully lost both taste and smell. I quickly lost interest in eating and began rapidly losing weight; I wasn’t overweight so my health and energy began to flag. Plus it was quite depressing. Surgical removal of the polyps plus aggressive allergy treatment cured the problem. Now I see a friend in her 80s having the same issue, likely for different reasons- she also has daily, obvious memory loss and spatial confusion (eg driving three miles in her hometown before realizing she was not on the road she thought she was). I’ve encouraged her to find out if she has any treatable sinus issues but she doesn’t want to find out she doesn’t.

All of the causes listed here are natural malefactors. What about long term, chronic use of over-the-counter and prescription drugs? Especially nasal antihistamines sprayed into the sinus? I remember Zicam nasal gel was taken off the market when a successful lawsuit proved a causal link to the permanent loss of smell in some (enough) users. That was, I believe, about fifteen years ago.