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No sense of smell, am I alone?

I've read many comments from people that certain scents are a trigger to their migraines. I have a very different situation. About 20 years ago I lost my sense of smell, not just partially but totally. I can stick my nose in a bottle of Clorox and smell nothing. To me the world smells like cardboard.

Does anyone else with migraines have this problem? Has anyone heard of this as a side effect of medication related to migraines?

  1. Hi HFites,

    Anosmia is the lose of our sense of smell and can be caused by infection, head injury, dental procedures, sinus and/or nasal problems and other things. In fact my plumber was at my house the other day and said he had this. After a bad respiratory infection as a child he lost his sense of smell. Probably a good thing for a plumber!

    There are medications that can be linked to anosmia and include antibiotics, antiseizure, medications used for heart conditions and/or blood pressure control and others.

    I've not heard this happening with migraine, but that certainly doesn't mean it isn't possible.

    Nancy

    1. I lost my sense of smell after having a mild migraine. My sense of smell did return, but it took two weeks and is not as strong. The migraines that I get often cause me to lose control of bodily functions along with the other horrible more common symptoms. It's like I have a norovirus along with a brain hemorrhage. I wouldn't be surprised if they caused brain damage, but this particular one was truly mild for me and still I couldn't smell anything. I usually have triptans with me, but didn't and so I believe the issue was from the migraine and not from meds.

      1. I have a similar problem. I have a very poor sense of smell. I'm not sure when or what the cause, it just seemed to happen gradually. However, I am triggered by scents. I don't think the two are related.

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