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New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

nature.com

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Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#91

Post by nerevarthelame »

avar wrote: post #28

Have there been studies on the potential advantages of loss of smell and/or taste from COVID-19? Westerners are too obese, and presumably part of that's to do with the enjoyment people get from unhealthy foods. Whereas if you can't taste anything food's basically differently textured fuel of varying temperatures. You'd have to desire to eat e.g. yogurt with added sugar over one without.

Loss of smell is a well-studied disorder long before COVID-19 ever came around: "However, some reports (Mattes et al., 1990; Mattes, 1993, 1995) are contrary to the earlier suggestions that anosmics do not experience problems related to their food intake. These authors report that ~14% of anosmic patients experienced a body weight gain exceeding 10% while ~6.5% experienced a loss of at least that amount." (https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/24/6/705/320339)

Some people might with diminished (but not completely eliminated) senses of smell might compensate by eating more of certain flavors that they CAN taste. Also worth noting that there are tons downsides, ignoring the obvious lack of sensory pleasure most people get from food. They are less likely to smell rotten and spoiled food, smell smoke from a nearby fire, etc.

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#92

Post by gagege »

bilsbie wrote: post #50

Have they studied if this helps with parosmia? Basically smelling unpleasant orders instead of normal smells once your smell returns. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parosmia

This happened to my wife. It was torture for her for the first year. It's been almost 3 years now and she's just barely starting to enjoy food again. Most things taste fairly normal for her, but a few things, like mint, onions, and garlic, (which are in everything, unfortunately for her) are still wretched.

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#93

Post by lwhalen »

Supermancho wrote: post #89
dekhn wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The response to spicy food is not all psychological. It's due to activation of heat receptors by capsaicin. Note: many factors affect the subjective experience of taste sensation.

I have been put into atrial fibrillation by the aggravation caused by spicy food from a popular indian restaurant in north Seattle. I had to get cardioverted. Was it due to stress? Was it due to the sustained rise in blood pressure? Was it caused by GI? It doesn't matter. I have to avoid it now, for safety.

I, too, have dined at Taste Of India, and paid the price. I'll do it again too!

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#94

Post by hinkley »

dannyphantom wrote: post #23

Oooh yes yes - this is such wonderful news! Literally weeks before the world changed my boyfriends dad had begun to explore the world of cooking; he was so happy when we would bring him to niche little grocers to try things he had never known about before and trying all the food - but after his infection, and for the last 2 years - nothing. No taste. No smell. We try to make up for it by encouraging him to make stuff…

One of the rarer side effects of using Zicam nasal spray is loss of sense of smell. Somebody experiencing this reported that they accidentally restored their sense of smell by being exposed to pepper spray.

There are nasal decongestants out there that are essentially dilute capsaicin in suspension in saline (as a sufferer of sinus infections I have tried most things at this point). It's not pleasant, but it's less unpleasant than eating food that's way too spicy, and nowhere near as bad as getting wasabi fumes up your nose.

If memory serves there are several other ways that capsaicin can unstick the nervous system. Might be worth a try.

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#95

Post by joecool1029 »

Ajay-p wrote: post #47
oweiler wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I caught Covid I had very high fever and was in constant pain, but nothing was as bad as losing my taste. Can totally relate.

The saddest burrito in my life was when I had COVID. My doctor said I should take Zinc but that did not make it come back any faster.

Weird, I remember when there was an epidemic of anosmia caused by zinc containing nasal sprays/gels: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16467707/ Guess oral supplementation is ok?

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#96

Post by Podgajski »

jamespo wrote: post #90
Podgajski wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you take any supplements after your first infection?

I tried taking regular zinc + other vitamins before, during and after covid. Did nothing from what I can tell.

Well if your loss of sense of smell went away after your first infection how can you say the zinc did nothing?

You could say the zinc cured your sense of smell.

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#97

Post by hinkley »

llama052 wrote: post #24

Girlfriend has lost her entire sense of smell after covid, I'm really hoping the future has an answer to that. It's taken the joy out of a lot of things she enjoys, especially cooking. She's seen a few ENT doctors and they all claim it's not coming back without any clear solutions.

There's a story that one of the founders of Ben and Jerry's had no sense of smell and that's why they pay so much attention to mouth feel.

Internet says it was Ben.

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#99

Post by naasking »

Probiotic6081 wrote: post #98
naasking wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you have to drive to the grocery store more frequently and release more CO2? Why?

just walk or ride a bike.

As someone who bikes regularly, let me just say that you clearly don't understand the distances involved in America, particularly rural and suburban areas. Which makes sense if you're bringing a European bias.

Re: New pill helps Covid smell and taste loss fade quickly

#100

Post by simondotau »

Podgajski wrote: post #96
jamespo wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried taking regular zinc + other vitamins before, during and after covid. Did nothing from what I can tell.

Well if your loss of sense of smell went away after your first infection how can you say the zinc did nothing? You could say the zinc cured your sense of smell.

He could also say the peanut butter sandwiches he eats in the morning cured his sense of smell. I mean they probably didn't, but there's as much evidence either way.
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