Had Covid 19 and lost your sense of smell?

[Deleted member 43589]

I had the mild version of Covid 19 over a year ago. Wasn't that bad but I feel like some of long covid symptoms may still be around. Having to do some intensive therapies to get rid of a lingering cough. I have also not been able to smell ANYTHING for over a year. This is called Anosmia which is the partial or complete loss of the sense of smell. Here is what is recommended doctors that specialize in the treatment of anosmia caused by covid 19.

• Loss of smell and taste is a troubling symptom in post-COVID patients and in the vaccine
injured. The loss of taste usually follows the loss of smell. Multiple mechanisms may explain the
loss of smell including direct injury to the olfactory bulb. [396] Anosmia is a particularly
difficult condition to treat.
Boesveldt S, Postma EM, Boak D et al. Anosmia - A clinical review. Chemical senses 2017;
42:513-23.

Anosmia-A Clinical Review - PubMed

Anosmia and hyposmia, the inability or decreased ability to smell, is estimated to afflict 3-20% of the population. Risk of olfactory dysfunction increases with old age and may also result from chronic sinonasal diseases, severe head trauma, and upper respiratory infections, or neurodegenerative...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

• Oxytocin nasal spray. Oxytocin receptors are highly expressed on olfactory neurons as well as
limbic structures. Oxytocin nasal spray has been demonstrated to improve the sense of smell in
patients with schizophrenia. A dose of one puff in each nostril two times a day for a total dosage
of 16 IU per day is suggested. Oxytocin must be avoided in pregnancy.
Lee MR, Wehring HJ, McMahon RP et al. Effects of adjunctive intranasal oxytocin on olfactory
identification and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia: Results from a randomized double blind
placebo controlled pilot study. Schizophr Ews 2013; 145:110-115.

Effects of adjunctive intranasal oxytocin on olfactory identification and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia: Results from a randomized double blind placebo controlled pilot study

Deficits in olfactory identification have been widely reported in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and are associated with negative symptomatology. Ad…

www.sciencedirect.com

Olfactory training appears to be a promising therapy for patients with post viral olfactory loss to
partly regain their sense of smell.
Sorokowaka A, Drechsler E, Karwowski M et al. Effects of olfactory training: a meta-analysis.
Rhinology 2017; 55:17-26.

Effects of olfactory training: a meta-analysis - PubMed

The neural plasticity of the olfactory system offers possibilities of treatment in terms of stimulation of the sense of smell, and different studies have suggested effectiveness of smell training, i.e., daily exposition to certain odors. To obtain reliable and precise estimates of overall...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

• Nasal corticosteroids appear ineffective and are not recommended for the use of anosmia.
Rashid RA, Zgair A, Al-Ani R. Effect of nasal corticosteroid in the treatment of anosmia due to
COVID-19: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study. American Journal of
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery 2021; 42:103033.

Effect of nasal corticosteroid in the treatment of anosmia due to COVID-19: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study - PubMed

The use of nasal betamethasone to facilitate the recovery time of acute anosmia is not advised. In addition, age, smoking status, the duration of anosmia at presentation, and the co-presentation of ageusia with anosmia are important determinant covariates for the recovery time of anosmia...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I have to admit it is kind of good at times not being able to smell, especially when I have to clean the cat boxes but I think it is time to try to solve this one. So I ordered some Oxytocin nasal spray from of all places WALMART. So I will do the 2x day treatment and see if I can smell again.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

Quick post as I am travelling. I lost my sense of taste and smell for about a week several years ago. Why I don't know. I kept sniffing eucalyptus oil to see if my smell was returning and I later discovered that eucalyptus oil has some sort of healing property, so that may be something to look into. Senses came back after a week (and like you, I used the week to get rid of some liver powder that I could not eat in any form when I had a sense of taste/smell.) I later heard a podcast where the mechanism was claimed to have been determined but I can't remember what it was, but I remember something about long-term "micro-clotting" so perhaps that is something to look into. Good luck with it.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

I got the oxytocin spray today and am giving it a try. This stuff burns like crap. If this doesn't work I will give the eucalyptus oils a try.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Here is an update after 2 weeks of use. I am slowly starting to be able to smell things again. Its bee so l9ong that my brain does not connect the smell with anything that I recognize. Today I thought I smelled chocolate, my wife was using her vape. First time I had smelled this in almost two years. I think I am getting some results from this nasal spray.