Hi Lorraine – sorry to hear that you’ve been hit by this. Particularly cruel for it to return just for a week. I was lucky enough for it only to last several weeks, and I didn’t try any therapies in that time. Might be worth checking out the Fifth Sense website though.
Sincerely wishing you a swift recovery,
Matt

Hi Larry. Really interesting to hear about your experiences with anosmia, and especially what helped fix the problem. You’re right about it being no joke. Fortunately my sense of smell and taste came back after just seven days, but it was enough to scare me. My livelihood depends on it after all. But it’s great to have your input here in case other sufferers come across this post. M

Lost my sense of smell and taste using Zicam cold spray many years ago. Of course the company denies that this is possible although the FDA in 2009 LOUDLY told the public to stop using Zicam Cold Remedy (with zinc).

My 2 senses were gone almost completely for 8 or 9 years. I don’t remember because I thought it was gone forever. I could smell coffee beans, cinnamon and I say Tequila but probably not and not really taste any of these. Everything else was like nothing. Natural gas, car exhaust, cut grass, rotten food or cookies baking in the oven were undetectable. It was like being blind lacking two senses. Nose blind is no joke to those with anosmia.

In 2010 I started taking something for sleep deprivation. I’d fallen asleep at the wheel 30 some years earlier and almost died in the accident. Didn’t care to do that again. Within a day or 2 of taking the medication my smell and taste were back. There was no doubt that this medication had done this.

The medication…, Ritalin. There are a couple of stories online of people using Ritalin for sleep deprivation and this is why I requested it. If you can get your doctor to write you a prescription, it’s totally worth a try. The med is cheap and has a very safe history of use for most. What have you got to lose?

I even had a National Health Institute doctor interested in 2010, head of clinical studies no less. He wanted to speak with the ENT surgeon at U.T. San Antonio that I’d gotten interested in doing a clinical study. He flaked out and never called the NHI doctor. Dumbass.

Just recently got the idea rejected from a doctor heading a newer group supposedly working on a solution to anosmia. She just figured it must have been a coincidence. NOT! After 8+ years of no smell or taste and it comes back at the same time I use a central nervous system stimulant? Duh! It doesn’t take a Lassie to figure this one out. Sometimes professional can be so stupid. Too smart for their own good and yours.

One more thing. My doctor left to another state and no one else would prescribe it. I thought I’d go back to senseless again. Somehow the meds got my system to reconnect some of my senses over the 2 years I got to use it. I have retained approximately 80 to 85% of my original sense of smell and taste. WAY better than none.

Since the medical community won’t help you, I’ll just try to get the word out by myself. So, try it if you have hope. If it does work, awesome! If it doesn’t, it can’t hurt and it was worth a try. I hope you can find a doctor willing to work with you.

Good luck.