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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

#121

Post by Angostura »

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…

I feel for him. About 20 years ago, I had a bad bout of flu which nixed my sense of smell fro about 6 months. Eating was quite simply a chore. I didn't know whether I was drinking tea or coffee.

Then one day someone made me a cup of tea and I rhapsodised about it being the best, most flavoursome cup of tea ever and I realised I had my sense of smell back.

I wish him a full recovery.

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

#123

Post by treprinum »

hinkley wrote: post #94
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 un…

Try a nasal spray with lactoferrin - that one breaks down bacterial biofilm, getting to places where other sprays can't.

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

#124

Post by mancerayder »

dumbfounder wrote: post #119
froh wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

fascinating. the receptors for hot / chili are in your tongue and not in your nose. mind to elaborate how you can't eat chilly any longer?

He probably doesn’t know how. But it’s an interesting point. I never thought about it before, but the event I went through had a similar link between taste and smell, and in hindsight I now don’t get why. In college I made a bet with a friend that I could hold dominos wings hot sauce in my mouth for 10 minutes. At the time, the wings from dominos were actually very spicy. It was painfu, I spent about 30 minutes washi…

It feels like damage like that is (speculation from reading about covid effects and causes) often neurological.

Maybe the intense overload of the pain receptors triggered some immune reaction that damaged nerves as collateral damage?

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

#125

Post by mancerayder »

tomjakubowski wrote: post #114
froh wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

fascinating. the receptors for hot / chili are in your tongue and not in your nose. mind to elaborate how you can't eat chilly any longer?

In the name of science, go ahead and stuff some diced chilis in your nose and report back.

You can probably already find that on TikTok.

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

#126

Post by mancerayder »

I'm someone with an extremely sensitive sense of smell.

When I had COVID (the first time) at one point my sense of smell became corrupted. I didn't realize it at first. For days I smelled a tangerine smell in my apartment (where I was mostly holed up in those days). I kept thinking that they were cleaning the building carpets with some sort of new cleaner, and it was coming in the vents.

After days of this I opened the window and smelled this smell much more intensely in the wind. Then with some experimentation I realized, it's me not the world.

I worried that everything would smell like that forever, but luckily it came back. Something similar happened with smoke, where I felt like certain smells (coffee, for example) smelled like someone was smoking. Another confusing experience.

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

#127

Post by dm03514 »

pjot wrote: post #58
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…

Around 15 years ago I broke my nose which eventually led to a loss of taste and smell. Around 8 months ago I had surgery on the internal structures of my nose which in addition to allowing me to breath again, I can also taste and smell. The experience has been completely mind blowing. On the flip side I can no longer order the spiciest of spicy Thai and Indian food from my usual restaurants. The owners poke fun at me…

I noticed this too, after losing my sense of smell/taste in june 2022 I've been able to easily tolerate spice that I wasn't able to tolerate prior.

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

#128

Post by boring_twenties »

Arete314159 wrote: post #115
orra wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some blood antibody tests can distinguish between viral induced antibodies versus infection induced antibodies. However, antibodies decrease with time. (We have memory T-cells etc for long term immunity). Whilst I am not an expert, I would be very surprised if virtual induced antibodies were still detectable. What you describe: it is very possible you had COVID, but it is also very possible you had a bad flu. There a…

Do you have any more info on this? I have not heard of such a test.

Back then the Red Cross would do free antibody tests for anyone who donated blood. There were two. One could not distinguish between antibodies from an infection vs. vaccine, and came back in a day or two. The other did, and took longer.

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

#129

Post by autoexec »

hinkley wrote: post #94
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 un…

"Mace your boyfriend's dad" wasn't the medical advice I was expecting to see here, but I guess I can't blame anyone for being willing to try it. Not being able to taste anything for years would be terrible. I'm not confident that it works, but either way I look forward to seeing the videos if this 'one weird trick' catches on.

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

#130

Post by autoexec »

lamontcg wrote: post #102
actuallyalys wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That does seem plausible. The fact that most people had prior immunity by the time Omicron arrived (whether from infection, vaccination, or both) could also play a role.

It is more likely prior immunity. Everyone now has enough antibodies and T-cells so that even if we get infected it isn't anywhere near as likely to escape outside of the respiratory tract, and the anosmia-affected neurons are mostly protected, even though you can still get sick.

> even if we get infected it isn't anywhere near as likely to escape outside of the respiratory tract

That hasn't stopped the virus from spreading with increasing effectiveness and each time it moves to a new host it has a chance to mutate into something we aren't able to defend against, or something that brings new harms. The loss of warning signs letting us know when we're infected is a bad sign.

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