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Everything tastes and smells chemical like

For over 20 days now EVERYTHING tastes and smells sickly sweet and chemical like. I have went to my doctor and he had no idea..thought it  would go away on it's own..but has since changed his mind and I had blood tests and an x-ray done this week(no results yet) I cannot eat anything (besides drink plain white milk and a little unsweetend applesauce and some marble cheese...everything else tastes so bitter and bad...try to get if past your nose...forget it!
The taste seems to always be there..I have had 3 bouts of strept throat with antibiotics given in a 3 month radius... after this last time..I had smelled cigarette smoke for about 4 weeks(no one around me was smoking at the time...I hate cigarette smoke!! ) Then it changed to this awful, sickly sweet, chemical  taste and smell. Does anyone have any ideas...I am getting hungry!! ha ha!! I have been trying Probiotics,Tried the saline rinse once or twice, using zinc lozenges etc. I am really trying to find something to help! I had a very acute sense of smell before now it's just plain bad. Please help , if you can. I am going to try to get in to see the specialist  after my tests come back. THANKS!!
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648243 tn?1246388918
I forgot to ask you one other thing in my previous comment.  If this is caused by a virus what do you suggest I do. Will this go away, eventually? Do you know of an antibiotic that could be more effective then Clindamycin (if it doesn't help)?  No one seems to think a virus caused this. My dentis says it is dental related. My ENT says he doesn't know for sure.  I believe the virus could have caused a sinus infection that then went into my root. Could I be stuck with this taste/smell problem forever? Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. Lately I've been wearing nose plugs just to be able to eat bread and some other foods.  Even things like toothpaste, shampoo and soap smell really bad or just different. "Peggy"
Helpful - 1
554959 tn?1216060966
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Taste and smell disorders are often related.  Many things can cause dysfunction of these senses.  Viral infections, bacterial infections, nasal polyposis, nerve dysfunction, nutritional/vitamin deficiencies, smoking, neurologic disorders, tumors, and even endocrine disorders.  I agree that seeing a specialist would be helpful.  Getting blood work, a full exam, and an imaging study would help get closer to an answer.  Best of luck.  
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Everything smells and tastes like chemicals! was started.
Helpful - 0
648243 tn?1246388918
I have had a taste and smell disorder for 8 weeks. It first began as a sickly sweet smell. One day my tooth started to bleed  and from that point on most food taste horrible. I could only eat very sweet and cold foods (like milk shakes, anything lemon and sweet, and some tomato soup). I went immediately to a dentist and had a bad root removed. That was 7 weeks ago. I was on Amoxycillin for 10 days and nothing improved. I then went to an ENT and had a CT scan of my sinus. Nothing really showed on the CT, except for a slight thickening of my sinus membrane, and a small object where my root used to be. I then went to an oral surgeon and he has put me on Clindamycin. I am on my 5th day of 10. I am just praying this helps, because after 8 weeks I don't know how much longer I can stand this.  The odd thing is that about 2 months before all this happened I had a virus and went on an antiobiotic. It was about 6 weeks after this virus that I started noticing the bad sweet smell. My daughter (she's 27) also had this virus about 1 month before me and did not take antibiotic. She has since experienced some bad smells (coffee) and also smells the sick sweetly smell. But so far she does not have a bad taste.  Could this just be a coincidence, and my problem is related to the dental issue? ONe other thing. I had an MRI due to another issue with small vessel disease. Resuts were okay, and no brain tumors -  but they did something on my Pituitary could be an Andenoma). In comparing it to an older MRI (1 year ago) they think it shows the same thing with no change in the year. Right now I am scheduled for a 2nd MRI to get a better look. Could any of this be related to my smell/taste problem or again just another coincidence?  Do you think there is a virus out there that causes this and no one realizes it yet? Maybe the virus even caused my sinus/tooth infection.  What do you think? Anything you could suggest would be appreciated. (I am really sorry to hear others are having the same problem) "Peggy"
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I just found this site and am not sure if I am supposed to comment since I am not a doctor...just a plain person with similar symptoms. The difference is that my taste buds are not much affected. I have been diagnosed with anosmia and phantosmia. I lost my sense of smell several years ago. Shortly after that I began having bouts of phantom smell disorders. I have been to numerous doctors and clinics at our local community hospital (I have no health insurance). Most of them have said it is all happening because of my sinus problems. However, two years ago the phantosmia began leading to severe migraines, nausea, and fatigue. I also have the chemical smell (that isn't really there). Two years ago it lasted for most of five months. They keep putting me on antibiotics saying it was all sinus. That never worked...so they would put me on short-term Prednisone. Everytime they give me that it all goes away and I feel great for several months. I just got over another bout that lasted a month and a half. I finally said I needed to have someone find out what was happening to me because I was ending up in bed not being able to do anything. Anyway, today I finally got a doctor in the ENT clinic who is going to try to get someone to help me. He is pretty sure that the phantom smells are one ailment, the sinusitis is another, and the migraines are a third. Hopefully, soon, they will start trying me out on migraine meds. I just wish I could go to a specialist. I can't take anymore of this.
Helpful - 0

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