Loss of Taste and Smell from Covid or something else?

Well, then I guess I still have Covid if this is true. I had Covid back in December of 2022…it can’t still be in my system now could it? Nobody is going to know the answer to that…😞

Hi Celia16,
Could you tell us more about your Vitamin B12 supplemenation? (Dosage, brand). Do you think it could be helpful in treating this disorder after Covid has already resolved? Thanks!🙏

I’ll share my experience, but I can’t say it would work for anyone else. In fact, my doctors aren’t certain what happened. They are still learning too.

First of all, I had several things going on around the time I got symptoms…..including post covid syndrome and B12 deficiency.

It’s important to get the B12 number before you start taking it. And, it’s important to get direction on how much to take from a professional trained in deficiencies. Some people don’t process it well and need injections or sublingual tablets. For people who are deficient, they may need large doses for a long time. I’m on 1000 mcg per day indefinitely per my neurologist’s instruction. I use a regular brand that I buy at Walgreens (Sublingual). Ill PM u the name.

My initial Smell Tests results taken by ENT was very poor…abnormal in November last year. I also had terrible constant bitter taste. Last month, I was retested and scored substantially higher! Normal results. The ENT was shocked. He isn’t sure if it was me taking the B12 supplements or covid clearing my body. I DID do scent retraining, but not on a regular basis.

I knew my taste improved, because food started tasting so delicious.

I am still seeing the neurologist and soon a Rheumatologist for a Sjogrens eval.

I wonder if I’ll ever get answers. I still have constant bitter taste.☹️

Thank you, Celia16. So Interesting! But, oh dear! Another 🐇 hole….and I’m collecting more ailments than a dog has fleas!

My journey with parosmia & anosmia began in May, after what I presumed to be a mild cold. Just felt generally crummy. It coincided with an old root canal acting up slightly. (It wasn’t the dang root canal—had it checked out at the endodontist.) I developed an odd taste in my mouth that no amount of brushing or flossing seemed to help. Then water took on a strange unpleasant aftertaste. It did not matter if it was seltzer, or filtered, flavored or from a bottle — yuck! The only thing that tasted somewhat normal to me was milk, especially chocolate milk. This went on for 2 or 3 months.

I went to a botanical garden and was shocked that I could barely smell any of the flowers. The pine trees too lost all their lovely fragrance. On the plus side, I could no longer detect certain bad odors, but then how would I know if the milk or cheese has gone bad?

By mid-summer, this loss of scent evolved again. OK, water now tasted alright, but the malady had migrated to new scents. All my dairy products (cottage cheese, yogurt, packaged cheese) that came in a plastic container now took on a horrid smell, something like burnt plastic. It did not matter where it was purchased, or which manufacturer. And, oh, no! EVEN COFFEE, my morning salvation!!!!! The scent of fresh coffee beans is enough to make me gag.

What is so curious is that the problem is not a static one. It migrates! Prior to this, I had an absurdly well- developed sense of smell, kind of like a bloodhound. (In fact, I could detect cigarette smoke from a block away; active gas leaks no one else could smell; know who had been in a room just by a faint scent left behind….!). Could a pre-existing hypersensitivity to smells predispose one to it going off the rails with Covid? 🤔

I dearly hope this is but a temporary olfactory hiatus. Life has lost so much of its fragrance and nuance! Very depressing to think how gray the world might stay.

I would definitely get your vitamin levels checked, specifically B12 before you take any. After you take it, the results are what’s in your system, but not body, my doctor says. There’s a tribe of people who suffer with the deficiency. Can find online.

Your story is tragic. Most people don’t realize how distressing smell/taste disorders can be. It’s something that I never imagined would happen to me. And, this bitter taste could be permanent! I just don’t know what lies ahead. Please keep the faith though. It may return.

Prior to my taste/smell disorder appearing, I also had received several dental procedures….root canal, wisdom tooth extraction and a bone graft. Discussed that with my ENT. AND, I had taken an antibiotic the day I got the strong metallic (later turned bitter) . As well as used a topical antifungal.
So, there are many potential culprits.

The reason I suspect the B12 is that I’ve improved since taking it. My digestion has also improved. And, my foot numbness is less. My neurologist says it may take 12 months or longer to see significant improvement. (I also had hair loss and skin rashes. Also attributed to covid and/or B12 deficiencies. Which or both? Hmmmm…..

Oh, about the same time, I also used to have a phantom smell. It appeared out of nowhere…was like fabric softener, except I don’t use any. It scared me.

Thank goodness I still enjoy my coffee and food. Love my coffee!😍

What are your next steps?

So, your doctor prescribed you the 1000 mcg of B12 supplementation? I’d be curious to know the brand. I also have had bouts of a bitter taste in my mouth. I just had my 5th Stellate Ganglion Block injection and the bitter taste in my mouth starts in the middle of the afternoon…odd, but it’s a bitter taste which is something! I have B12 supplements that are Gluten Free and the dosing on the bottle is 3000 mcg, I haven’t take any in over a year, because my multivitamins contain B12. I would also be very curious about this test your ENT did. What did the test involve? Just smelling certain scents? I’m curious because I purchase a smell retraining kit with different essential oils and I can’t smell any of them. I guess that would make my test scores poor as well! I saw my ENT and he didn’t give me a smell test, but looked down my nose for polyps with a scope and didn’t find anything. I’m at a loss here.

I am right there with you! I haven’t tasted or smelled anything since December of 2022! I so get the way you describe the way you’re feeling (the world is gray). I’ve had 5 Stellate Ganglion Block injections and they aren’t really helping me with my taste/smell, but I feel they are helping calm my nerves. I’m with you and pray that it will all come back to us and the world will be right again.

At this point…..next steps are limited to simply putting one foot in front of the other 🙃!

I had never thought of having my B12 levels tested (didn’t know it was a thing!) — but gosh, it might yield some clues. Unfortunately, none of my current doctors is at all nutritionally oriented, they all go by the traditional medical playbook. (My rheumatologist even resisted having my Vitamin D levels checked!)
I know, I know, time to find some new docs! Would you recommend any home testing kits?

Curious thing about that dental work you had. The mouth is the gateway to the immune system. My autoimmune disease seems to have been kickstarted by a bad root canal infection several years ago and there is a link to dental issues and the Vagus Nerve. Among many other functions, the Vagus Nerve also plays a role in taste! So I was intrigued by the work of Dr. Mikolaj Raszek of Merogenomics on YT. He has posted on the use of a Vagus nerve neuromodulator in Long Covid and its successful treatment of brain fog, fatigue, anxiety and depression in women — but alas, no effect on the loss of taste or smell. Back to square one.

So true! It feels like life has careened off center these days, and that feeling is compounded by losing a foothold in the sensory world. Do Stellate Ganglion Block injections ever help with these taste/smell problems? I am not familiar with them…..

Yes, the sensory world is certainly off balance for me as well.
To answer your question about whether or not the Stellate Ganglion Block injections work, they really haven’t so far, but am told that it will. I’ve had 5 and my last one was this past Monday and so far nothing has changed. The injection I had last was on the left side of my neck and I feel I got more relief on the left side than on the right. My sinuses are always stuffed up and more so on the left side, but he injected the right side.🤷‍♀️. I asked my doctor if I should continue to get the injections and he said that since I don’t have many bad side effects from it I should. The side effect I have is that my eye on the side they inject droops a little and I usually get very stuffed up on the side they inject, but this time I didn’t get stuffed up, only the drooping eyelid, which is now back to normal. I think I may post the question on this site and ask if anyone has gotten relief from the injections. It should be interesting to see how many…good luck to you and I will continue posting any result I have.