Losing sense of smell and taste
- Thread starter jyearta
- Start date
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.
Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!
- Messages
- 17,355
- Reaction score
- 756
- Points
- 263
Good question! Gradual loss of smell/taste and can definitely be caused by age. But it can also be caused by anything that might damage the olfactory pathways, including brain-related illnesses, injuries, or disorders (Diabetes, head trauma, MS, Parkinson's, etc.). Some high blood pressure medications can also damage the olfactory pathways. Zinc deficiency can cause it. Radiation therapy too. If you have experienced olfactory auras with your epilepsy that might do it. And a least two E meds -- Tegretol and Dilantin -- can alter taste and smell, so they might affect those senses over the long term.
JillT
New
- Messages
- 35
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Best advice, I can give you is, give it a few months. Be especially vigil when you cook in the oven or stove top. Invest in some strong spices and put them on your plate, not everyone else's. Enjoy the fact that you are eating until you are full. If needed eat more often and smaller portions.
Is it just your sense of smell or is it your taste buds as well? Mine was just my nose, and only lasted a few months. Jill
Is it just your sense of smell or is it your taste buds as well? Mine was just my nose, and only lasted a few months. Jill
- Messages
- 5,555
- Reaction score
- 34
- Points
- 213
I have just the opposite. My sense of taste is very sensitive, especially since I've been taking Topomax. I can't handle spicy foods any more. Plus I have Type 1 diabetes and have to take insulin, but don't think that alters my sense of smell/taste.
Welllll it looks like it is more likely my dilantin. Thanks Nak.
This has been the case for many years.
when I was on Keppra, my sense of smell was so POWERFUL, I couldn't stand to smell ANY food, didn't nor could I cook when I was on that medic. I didn't even want to walk pass a restra.
This has been the case for many years.
when I was on Keppra, my sense of smell was so POWERFUL, I couldn't stand to smell ANY food, didn't nor could I cook when I was on that medic. I didn't even want to walk pass a restra.