new member

[angie howes]

hi to you all.
My name is Angie and i gave up smoking 2 years ago. and have been vaping since this time with no fags at all.
i am concerned though that my sense of smell and taste have got almost none existant.
i have just cooked my partner a bacon sandwich and couldnt smell a thing.
i have asked my doc if vaping and loss of taste and smell are connected and she said no. but i have my worries. all food tastes bland and the same. i can differenciate between sweet and savoury but nothing else.
any insight would be welcome.
TIA.

 

[djsvapour]

Hi @angie howes Welcome
Sadly, some people have permanent loss of taste or smell. Smoking is a factor but I have known smokers to bounce back or never get improvement after quitting. I knew a lady who tried to quit smoking aged about 50 believing her senses would improve, but they never did. NHS England do not list smoking as a normal cause of "anosmia".. some people just get it.
2 years without smoking is a terrific effort - be proud of your achievement.
Vapers tend to experience issues in the early days after quitting smoking, but most get on an even keel eventually.
In all my reading and listening to vapers, very few report thinking vaping has caused negative effects in relation to smell and taste. I think your Doctor is right. 2 years is long enough to be smoke free and recover if you were going to recover.
I wish you luck with everything.

 

[OttoBahn]

My first thought/suggestion. Make sure you're hydrated. Vaping (for me at least) is dehydrating and often leads to loss of taste

So..drink water - whether thirsty or not, and see if things improve.

 

[stols001]

Can you taste your ejuice at all? If so, I might consider going to unflavored for a bit, see if your tastebuds recover after a few months of that.... That's extremely unfortunate that you are not tasting or smelling and the only way I could see vaping contributing to that is if you vape a LOT and somehow your tongue could get coated with ejuice. Of course, I vape a LOT too and that hasn't happened to me. I'm just throwing ideas out there, and I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. Some folks just don't do well with artificial sweeteners and strong juices, so IDK.

Best of luck, I'm sorry this is happening it must be amazingly frustrated. I've heard that acupuncture can be used for lack of smell/taste (my mother is one, she's always telling me what it can be used for). She says she's seen "improvement" in the past, so I guess that might be worth trying if you are really desperate (I would be) but it's not entirely inexpensive to do.

Anna

 

[MJCSD]

Hello and Welcome to ecf

 

[Carl2]

It's been a year and a half of vaping rather than using tobacco, my lungs have improved quite a lot, my sense of smell has improved a bit, I'm not sure if my sense of taste declined. Probably 40 years of smoking tobacco.

 

[stols001]

Are there any medical treatments for this condition?

Anna

 

[classwife]

@angie howes - I am curious please, do you take Zinc supplements by any chance ?

 

[Thayamax]

You mention that you've been vaping for 2 years, but you didn't say whether your loss of taste has been happening since you started vaping or if it's a more recent occurrence? If it's recent, it could be vaper's tongue, which goes away on its own.

 

[stols001]

If it is recent, just do a search on Vaper's tongue, and you will come up with all kinds of remedies. But the main thing is, it passes. But, if you aren't really tasting FOOD, I'm doubtful that it IS that, since even with vaper's tongue most folks can taste SOMETHING.

Any changes in your eliquid recently though?

Anna

 

[Letitia]

Hello Angie. Welcome to ECF. I did not get a lot of taste back, I did recover some taste sensation back. Sympathies for not being able to smell bacon.

 

[suprtrkr]

HI and welcome

 

[BrotherBob]

hi to you all.
My name is Angie and i gave up smoking 2 years ago. and have been vaping since this time with no fags at all.
i am concerned though that my sense of smell and taste have got almost none existant.
i have just cooked my partner a bacon sandwich and couldnt smell a thing.
i have asked my doc if vaping and loss of taste and smell are connected and she said no. but i have my worries. all food tastes bland and the same. i can differenciate between sweet and savoury but nothing else.
any insight would be welcome.

Welcome and glad you joined.
From what I have read, poor smell and taste are closely associated. Might want to consult with a doctor and see if there is a remedy or explanation.
Could check into:
UK Forum

 

[gofishtx]

Welcome and like others have said if your loss of taste and smell is recent, then I doubt it is related to vaping. It could be anything from environmental allergies, changes in medications to some other health concern. Surely something you should consult your doctor about and like someone else said, stay hydrated. Good Luck

 

[Carl2]

I'm thinking the smoking tobacco has been the reason for your loss of taste and smell, I rephrase the question and ask the doctor if he feels smoking could cause a loose of smell and taste.