Loss of smell and taste : Hi all, I was... - Asthma Community ...

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Loss of smell and taste

Seastar66 profile image
28 Replies

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with asthma in the summer after previously only having had hayfever and other allergies. My asthma has not been good lately so I'm using inhaler and also nasal sprays. I've noticed that I can't smell or taste anything at all these past weeks. I dont have Covid symptoms so I'm wondering could it be asthma and /or the treatments I'm taking ?

Thanks

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Seastar66
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28 Replies
twinkly29 profile image
twinkly29

Have you had a covid test? Loss of smell and taste are key covid symptoms. If it's been going on weeks it might not be that but, if you still have the symptoms and haven't been tested you need to be really.

Seastar66 profile image
Seastar66 in reply totwinkly29

I had one in the summer and was negative. I had been coughing for weeks. The GP diagnosed asthma

Seastar66 profile image
Seastar66 in reply toSeastar66

Thanks. I've ordered a home testing kit

twinkly29 profile image
twinkly29 in reply toSeastar66

That's good. A test only shows the result as of the time it's taken so while you may have asthma/asthma may have been the issue at the time, any change in covid-like symptoms should be checked. Hopefully it will be negative!

starveycat profile image
starveycat

Since developing asthma I have a heightened sense of smell as twinkly29 days I would get tested for vivid good luck

Seastar66 profile image
Seastar66 in reply tostarveycat

Someone told me the inhalers can adversely affect taste and smell. Have you heard of that ?

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador

A loss of smell or taste can be the only symptom some people with COVID get. Go get yourself tested! Good luck

google.co.uk/amp/s/www.toda...

Seastar66 profile image
Seastar66 in reply toEmmaF91

Thanks I've ordered a home testing kit. Im sure its linked to something else though

Seastar66 profile image
Seastar66 in reply toEmmaF91

Test came back negative which is good . I've stopped using the nasal spray and use a sinus rinse instead to see if that helps

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply toSeastar66

Sinus rinse to see if that helps. If you find you have a runny nose or are snoring etc, it could be that you have something like nasal polyps. Equally if you feel like you have ongoing allergy issues you may benefit from an antihistamine or something.

Nasal sprays can cause this loss of smell/taste, so if you’re on a prescribed nasal spray tell your doc that you’ve stopped it (as I’ve seen that you’ve done that!).

It’s definitely something that needs investigation until they’ve found what’s causing the issue!

Good luck

Lien-Ju profile image
Lien-Ju

Hello there! I had light asthma when I was a Covid and I was infected by Covid in March. I lost smell (not taste) and since my asthma is worse than ever. I used inhalers and other things (singulair) it doesn’t change anything. It looks like asthma but it is not asthma in my opinion.

Rattle profile image
Rattle

Hi SeastarI have asthma and bronchiectasis causing me to cough every day and also chronic sinusitis, which has made me lose my sense of taste and smell for most of the last 2 Years.

Both asthma and sinus issues are linked to hay fever and allergies.

My sense of smell and taste occasionally improve when I am on steroid nose drops or antibiotics but I have found that one of my prescribed nose sprays (Dymista) makes both smell and taste disappear within days. I have never had that happened from my asthma inhalers (Pulmicort, Bricanyl)

Maybe it is your nose spray too ?

Jashlee profile image
Jashlee in reply toRattle

Exact same thing with me. I have been to and Ear Nose throat specialist and he place me on nasal steroids and it does help, but the side effects are not good.

The Dr’s said it is my immune system that is over reacting to allergens causing swelling in my nasal passages that block of my olfactory glands making me unable to smell. My ability to smell does come and go, but mostly not able too smell. It really sucks. I have another appointment with him this month to see what else can be done.

Dizzart profile image
Dizzart

I had a really bad virus in March which was so bad that although I had a very slight problem with breathing declared copd/asthma as they don’t know which , it left me with horrendous breathing problems. Along with other odd problems which are fading now , I’m pretty certain it was covid as it was so sudden. No one believed in long covid at that time and I had No Loss of Smell. so ???????

Heythereguys profile image
Heythereguys

Hi. My smell and taste were messed up for ages. Think it was a dose of covid. The smell side is still not 100 percent back to normal. Started smelling cigarette smoke every where for a week or 2 then it changed to a sickly sweet type of smell when I smelt anything with a strong aroma. Now I still get the sweet smell occasionally on oranges or sometimes for the first few smells of fresh air. Crazy what a virus can do.

Ruzuz profile image
Ruzuz in reply toHeythereguys

Hi there. Did you have covid? Is that why you smelt smoke?

Heythereguys profile image
Heythereguys in reply toRuzuz

Hey Ruzuz. I never had it confirmed as covid myself but the wifes friend had the same problems with her smell just before myself and my wife had ours.. then I started hearing on the news that it is also a symptom of covid. This was back in June 2020.

MostlyWhiteRose profile image
MostlyWhiteRose

it sucks 😕 I've had no sense of taste or smell for over 2 years (nasal polyps is my cause but no surgery on the horizon for some time, understandably) - I eat food because I know I need to but there is no joy in it, the lack of sense of smell is sometimes scary as I don't notice things burning, we were evacuated from work a few months back as everyone could smell fumes coming through the vents, not me, I would have just gently gone to sleep! 😐 Hope yours returns soon 🤞

Edit. I was hospitalised early Jan following constant cough for a month, tickly, couldn't catch my breath, peak flow to 230 from a usual 580-600... pulse ox of 92. Week of nebulizerers etc in hospital then a good 3 months to get to anything like my normal fitness (I still realise when out in the cold I'm not fully fit almost a year on) was never told, but suspect it was Covid back then, so I guess this may exacerbate the smell/taste on top of polyps but I wouldn't know 🤷‍♀️ meh.

Jashlee profile image
Jashlee in reply toMostlyWhiteRose

You story is exactly the same as mine, but my ability to smell comes back for short periods of time and just as quickly is gone again. Nasal polyps are my issue as well. I have be place on a steroid nasal rinse, it works but the side affects are to harsh for me so I stop using them.

MostlyWhiteRose profile image
MostlyWhiteRose in reply toJashlee

oh no 😒 what are the side effects of the rinse? I have a spray but it makes no difference 🤷‍♀️

Seastar66 profile image
Seastar66 in reply toJashlee

I have stopped the steroid spray to see if that helps. I use a sinus rinse now ( no steroid) and 10 my of citirazine ( anti-histamine). Seems to be helping

Rattle profile image
Rattle in reply toSeastar66

I use the sinus/saline rinse too, find that very helpful

Keem59 profile image
Keem59

I'm the same, but at times it all comes back.

Kekememe1 profile image
Kekememe1

Hi. Yes nasal sprays will definitely cause loss of smell and taste. I've had allergic asthma for many years and it's gotten progressively worse.The allergies cause the nasal swelling which then causes the loss of smell, then taste, even after taking prednisone, once it left my system, I couldn't smell or taste. The only thing that's helping me to smell and taste for a long while is Budesonide rinse. My ENT prescribed it for me. My allergist was useless. It's just a vial of Budesonide in 240 ml of H2O and saline water mixed together through a spray bottle. Ask your doctor about this. I've been slacking off, doing only one time per day. I really need to get back to twice per day.

twinkly29 profile image
twinkly29 in reply toKekememe1

I'm not sure it's a given that they do - I use nasal sprays and don't routinely have issues with smell or taste.

cairneyh1 profile image
cairneyh1

Hi Seastar66. Sorry to hear that you are suffering loss of taste and smell. I developed allergies/rhinitis when I was about 45. At 50 I was diagnosed with late onset asthma. When I was 54 I became really ill and lost my sense of smell and taste. Doctors couldn’t explain it nor could ENT specialists.

Without going into too much detail and scaring you ( the impact on me was horrendous) I had to go to A&E and after several days was diagnosed with a type of Vasculitis called EGPA. I only mention it because late onset allergies and asthma are precursors of this condition. A consultant explained to me that it is nasal polyps (which I have) that was causing my loss of smell and taste. When on high doses of prednisone the polyps shrank and I was able to smell and taste better. But I have lost my sense of smell and taste for about 4 years now. It would be worth asking your GP to refer you to ENT to check for polyps. I hope things improve for you.

Harry

Keem59 profile image
Keem59

HiDid you go to see about these issues your having?

Seastar66 profile image
Seastar66

Hi all. I had a Covid test that was negative yet one of my son's was positive - I cant believe i was not affected. Maybe I didn't take the swab correctly. But I have also stopped the steroid nasal spray and now use a nasal rinse instead. I have also started on cetirizine antihistamine. My taste and smell have come back completely im very glad to say. Thank you all for your advice

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