Loss of taste & smell

[mohamedrm]

Hi guys,

I reached this forum by googling loss of taste and smell due to vaping and I found this thread here: Dramatic loss in taste and smell of EVERYTHING since vaping
that really quite accurately describes exactly whats going on with me now. However the thread there is old and closed, so I couldn't discuss the matter there.

I was a light smoker, and I've switched over to vaping using 3mg and 0mg eliquids. My first "try" of vaping was using a friends and at the time it offered great flavor, and everything.
When I got my own kit, I had some issues with the coil at first and later figured out it burnt and that was causing a burnt taste for awhile. There's also the offchance it may've burned my tongue as well (perhaps from liquid spitting?) but I never sensed my tongue being constantly burnt. Few tries later, I've managed to get the taste for the eliquids back but it was weak. I had tried different flavors some of them being minty. A week or so into vaping and I lost the taste completely. I blamed it on vapers tongue and decided to try out new flavors, but then I noticed that I've lost my sense of taste for everything and not just vaping. My sense of smell has also greatly reduced and while not completely gone I can barely smell anything.
I've taken it easier since then, vaping perhaps every 2-3 days and stopping in between but it hasn't improved at all still.
I'm not sure what it could be or how to treat it - and most of the doctors I've been to haven't been very helpful. I do have a problem with my sinus, which may've been triggered even more by vaping as I do sometimes get coughs with phlegm which didn't occur before vaping, butthey've all attributed the loss of taste to my sinus and tried to treat it (which after 2 months still hasn't been useful) - but I've had that problem for years and its never affected my taste this badly and the only factor I find different is that I started vaping.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

Not sure what to say and I don't want to just opinionize. But, I hope you can stay away from the stickies.

Good luck and good health

 

[Cheallaigh]

I would honestly suggest you see a doctor.

 

[Bonskibon]

Have to agree with seeing a Dr. and making sure nothing else may be going on.

 

[mohamedrm]

Thing is I've been to a couple of doctors and none have really pinned a reason on it. I just wanna know from the vaping community what are the odds of this being the cause? As I've seen from the other thread I linked his issue was mainly due to vaping, no?

 

[Cheallaigh]

other than bouts of vapers tongue, people are actually more likely to get heightened flavours, from quitting smoking. I personally have never read that vaping ruins your taste/smell.

 

[djsvapour]

Millions of people vape. Other than not tasting some liquids for a period after quitting smoking and generally suffering from the dreaded vaper's tongue, there is not much in e-liquid (the liquid or aerosol/vapor) that can cause these symptoms, unless there is something in the PG vapor or the specific flavor component in the liquid.
Most people report an unsurprising improvement in taste and smell which just gets better and stronger as the months and years pass by.
I am not unsympathetic, but unless you can identify which (if any) of these is the culprit, you might blame vaping (in a general way) and that is not the experience of many, many people.
Truth is, if you have really stopped vaping other than every 2-3 days, then there is logically something else going on here.
Some smokers lose all sense of taste and smell over the years. You called yourself a light smoker, but there could equally be something in tobacco smoke that has bought you to this situation.
I wish you luck. Please don't go back to smoking.

 

[mohamedrm]

Thing is, until I have completely stopped smoking my taste was fine, and the first few days of vaping too. What I'm wondering isn't about the side-effects of vaping and making it out as the culprit, but I did face issues with spitting liquid and burning a coil while fumbling around at first - I'm just wondering if this could've lead to my tongue being burnt somehow from the continuous hot liquid which could've caused this, or if anyone else faced the same issue basically. Idk how "serious" the spitting liquid could even be and if its capable of burning my tongue enough to make it lose taste while attempting to recover.

 

[Cheallaigh]

unless every single bit of your tongue and inside of your nose is burnt, you're not going to lose it. you actually taste more with your nose than with your tongue.

 

[Imfallen_Angel]

Could be your body adjusting to being smoke free.. everyone has different side effect to your body rebuilding itself.

So could be your taste buds and sinuses went into overload as the gunk and tar from smoking was clearing itself out.

I've heard some people talk about it taking a month to be "normal" again, during which, lots of withdrawals from the crap (not the nicotine) that cigarettes have.

People assume that it's just the nicotine, but there's more than that of which your system goes in shock once you quit smoking. We are talking the shakes, and several other symptoms.

Give it a couple of weeks (as long as it's not putting your health in danger) and hopefully it'll balance itself out.

And vaping shouldn't be "hot" it should be warm, so lower your wattage, you might have caused some damage should you went with "way too hot"(but that's very improbable as to have the vape that hot, you'd know it and be going outch outch outch with every drag). but vaping even very warm shouldn't be dangerous in the least... eating hot soup and such would be more hazardous.

And... you might be reacting to the PG, as some people do have an allergic reaction to it... so try liquids that are higher in VG.

 

[djsvapour]

When a vaper uses a powerful atomizer (RDA, in my case) and a wide(r) bore drip tip, then from time to time some liquid will 'pop/spit'. It's not nice, and probably not healthy for your tongue but yes, it can happen. Effects are not lasting though; it's certainly less damaging to taste than sipping a too-hot coffee.
I think you can rule this out. It's happened so many times I've lost count.
Does you tank have a name? Are you running higher power than a normal e-cig?

 

[mohamedrm]

I think my liquids are 80/20 or max VG. Could one of the PG allergies cause taste loss? Are there other symptoms I could look for? I've read abit into PG allergy/sensitivity to rule it out but apart from sore throats, etc. which I don't experience I saw nothing about loss of taste.

I'm running an eLeaf iStick Pico with Aspire Cleito tank (at around 40-45W).

I'll try some more doctors and see if I reach any new conclusions.

 

[djsvapour]

I think my liquids are 80/20 or max VG. Could one of the PG allergies cause taste loss? Are there other symptoms I could look for? I've read abit into PG allergy/sensitivity to rule it out but apart from sore throats, etc. which I don't experience I saw nothing about loss of taste.

I'm running an eLeaf iStick Pico with Aspire Cleito tank (at around 40-45W).

I'll try some more doctors and see if I reach any new conclusions.

Yes, in fairness 40-45 watts is fairly powerful vaping. I more or less draw the line around 40w and that's only a few times a day for entertainment. I have vaped 100w just to see.
I found PG very hard work in the early days. My biggest issue (ever) was some flavor concentrates that bought me out in a rash. It took a while to work that out.
People often give reasons for not vaping max VG, as they do for high PG. I don't really follow much of these trends, since pure VG is like inhaling sauna steam to me. I was sent (to review) some 100% PG liquids 2 years ago. They tasted good, but it was almost invisible vapor.
80/20, 70/30, 60/40 are all common VG ratios. High PG will spit worse i.m.o.

 

[classwife]

I do have a problem with my sinus

With sinus troubles your sense of taste and smell comes and goes - you probably never noticed it before.
Stay well hydrated, it will help.

 

[skoony]

Thing is I've been to a couple of doctors and none have really pinned a reason on it. I just wanna know from the vaping community what are the odds of this being the cause? As I've seen from the other thread I linked his issue was mainly due to vaping, no?

I really do not know how to say this.
Go see another Doctor and,another Doctor and,as many Doctors
as it takes to figure out what is going on.
The chances of vaping having anything to do with your symptoms
(other than unmasking something else) are zero and next to none.
An allergy to something in the juice 'may' be a cause however,aside
from that most other causes are from more serious issues.Please
note you have been exposed to everything in e-juice in other forms
whether you know it or not.

what causes total lack of taste and smell - Google Search

Most if not all of everything in e-juice you have been exposed to one way or another
and, it is very unlikely one would develop symptoms related to these things when
one starts vaping with out prior problems.

Regards
Mike

 

[RedRobin]

I want through vapors tongue, l find brushing my tongue helps me, with loss of smell.that is strange. Sounds like sinus problems,.you should try if you haven't those breath right strips .Sorry to heat that, must be rough

 

[BrotherBob]

Hi guys,

I reached this forum by googling loss of taste and smell due to vaping and I found this thread here: Dramatic loss in taste and smell of EVERYTHING since vaping
that really quite accurately describes exactly whats going on with me now. However the thread there is old and closed, so I couldn't discuss the matter there.

https
Welcome and glad you joined.
Might like to read:
://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/dramatic-loss-in-taste-and-smell-of-everything-since-vaping.504326/

 

[5PR1NK5]

Hey, I have too experienced this, I had a bout early last year that lasted nearly two months! Came on after a succession of colds, a few months after I quit the stinkies.

Extremely frustrating and depressing, cannot taste of smell a single thing! Vape, food, drink, nothing! I could deep sniff a pot of mustard and bearly catch a wiff! Occasionally it would come back 20/50% and I could vaguely make out sweet/bitter tastes.

I have just caught another nasty cold and it's knocked it out again about 75% but I have more knowledge now! It's Chronic Rhinitus, basically the small tubes of your nasal passages become irritated and inflamed, blocking particles reaching the sensory area there that picks up smells and taste. I don't know exactly what causes it, they usually become inflamed/blocked to a degree when you catch a cold hence why your taste/smell is different/skewed and not it's best but rarely totally lost. Maybe thick eliquid lines the passages and worsens the problem? Idk? What you need to do though is use a nasal spray like Beaconase used for allergies and gradually over a couple of weeks it will clear up.

I'm not blaming or quitting vaping though, I don't even know if it contributed to the problem, I guess only time will tell.. One things for sure though, I'll never be going back to the cigs! Good luck!