Can vaporub cause smell&taste loss?

[lashellie1975]

I have been using vaporub for nasal congestion a few months now&i may be addicted but is only thing i know2take.i am afraid may be causing my smeller and tastebuds to stop working.would this contribute to it?

[Sunes]

...it may very well be the case....Vaporub has a synthetic fragrance/minth and I strongly advise you to Google all the ingredients and see whats' natural and what's not. Knowing life there is nothing Natural in it and yes,...synthetics  will make a havock in your system.
Find something suithing and better than vaporub in natural food store.Why do you use this so often? for what?
Hugs,Sunes.

[Sunes]

Why do you have nasal congestion?
Is it due to seazonal and food allergies?
Hugs,Sunes.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Vicks vaporub contains:

Active Ingredients:
• Camphor 4.8% (Cough suppressant and topical analgesic)
• Eucalyptol 1.2% (Cough suppressant)
• Menthol 2.6% (Cough suppressant and topical analgesic)
Inactive Ingredients
• Cedar leaf oil
• Nutmeg oil
• special Petrolatum
• Thymol
• Turpentine oil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicks

Menthol and essential oils may give rise to hypersensitivity reactions including contact dermatitis. Ingestion of menthol, camphor and essential oils may cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea drowsiness and coma.

As such loss of smell and taste have not been reported with vicks vaporub.They are due to various other pathologies.

But if you are getting addicted to Vicks, then pls stop it.

Regards and take care.

[Sunes]

Cedar leaf oil could be the allergic culprit...turpentine oil also...
Definition

Cedar leaf oil is a sweet-smelling oil made from some types of cedar trees.  Sometimes allergic reactions will accur due to vapours in sensitive people
Poisonous Ingredient
Thujone (a hydrocarbon)
Where Found:

Some homeopathic medicines
Thuja oil
Some furniture polishes

Symptoms

Airways and lungs
Breathing difficulty
Throat swelling (may also cause breathing difficulty)
Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
Loss of vision
Severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
Vomiting
Low blood pressure that develops rapidly
Nervous system
Skin
Burn
Irritation
I understand that this oil is put in minute amounts but minute amount can give allergic reaction also.

[bee599]

Yes, my mother put Vicks into her nose nearly every night when I was growing up. She had a deviated septum and some breathing problems and she felt the vapors made breathing easier. Unfortunately, she also discovered that it permanently affected her sense of smell. It's really a problem these days because if she has BO, she doesn't know. And if she THINKS she has BO, she douses herself with enough perfume to clear a stadium.

She can't smell anything. We really worry about her starting a fire and not knowing about it.


She claims to still be able to taste, but I sometimes wonder.