Why can I still taste and smell the things I’ve eaten days later?
I CAN still smell or taste things days after eating them, which is very unpleasant. Both my GP and my dentist are mystified and I really don’t know where to turn. What could be causing this?
LOTS of people will resonate with being able to smell or taste something they have eaten recently, or even after a few hours. But being able to do so for days afterwards is quite unusual.
Phantosmia is the term for smelling something which isn’t really there, and there may be several reasons behind it. Firstly, check with your pharmacist to see whether any medication you are taking could be causing it. Alternatively, smells and tastes that linger could also be due to tooth decay, so another visit to the dentist may be in order.
Smell and taste are closely connected. Having indigestion or acid reflux can make you burp a lot, and this may bring the smell and taste of food back into your nose and mouth. If you have any symptoms of burning pain in the stomach, then a short course of medication, called proton pump inhibitors, may help.
Similarly, rumination syndrome is a condition where food you have just eaten rises back up to the throat, which can result in a persistent taste or smell, or food could be getting stuck in a pocket in your throat, known as pharyngeal or esophageal pouch, instead of going to the stomach.
There could be other reasons for lingering smell. Soft, painless growths in the nose called nasal polyps can lead to an offensive smell. Even having a cold or allergies can lead to changes in smell, as can smoking.
Changes in smell can also be down to serious neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or stroke, so it is important to see your GP.
I TOOK statins for 15 years, but stopped five years ago because I read they can cause dementia. My cholesterol has crept up and I have type 2 diabetes, so I was thinking about starting again, but I don’t want to lose my memory. What should I do?
STATINS are prescribed to help lower cholesterol, and with it the chance of having a heart attack or stroke. There were concerns that memory loss was linked to taking statins, but research appears to have debunked this.
However, it’s not clear whether it is the cholesterol itself that increases the risk of dementia or if it’s other factors that are more common in people who have high cholesterol, such as high blood pressure, or a combination of these things.
In fact, research has shown that taking a statin to prevent cardiovascular disease could actually reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s, which is the most common type of dementia, by almost a third.
When prescribing statins, your GP will consider many factors that could increase your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke, as well as cholesterol levels. These include age, body mass index (BMI), your blood pressure and whether or not you have conditions such as type 2 diabetes or chronic kidney disease. It is likely that someone with high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes would benefit from taking statins.
It would also be a good idea to discuss any other concerns you have around memory loss.
Whether or not you decide that statins are for you, lifestyle factors like quitting smoking and cutting your alcohol intake can help prevent dementia.
I’VE had severe tinnitus for two years that just doesn’t go away. The noise is worse at night, which is stopping me from sleeping. I’ve been prescribed benzodiazepines to help me sleep, although I know I shouldn’t take sedatives for too long. Would anything else help?
TINNITUS can make life miserable. The constant ringing, buzzing or whooshing noise may affect either one or both ears, but there are a number of treatments that can help reduce its effect.
Sound therapy, which involves apps or machines that emit white noise – the sound of rain, running water or similar constant soft sounds – is one option. It doesn’t get rid of the tinnitus, but works
by distracting the brain, especially at night.
Tinnitus is also linked with anxiety and depression, which can be helped through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – a talking therapy which can help you to deal with the symptoms.
Although the cause of tinnitus is unknown it is associated with hearing loss, so getting hearing aids can help some people. It is also linked to diabetes and thyroid conditions, so it is worth getting checked for these.
Medications, such as certain
antibiotics and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen, can also trigger tinnitus.
Taking sedatives such as benzodiazepines is unlikely to help in the long term. Over time they become less effective and you need to start taking a higher dose to have the same effect. They can also cause side effects such as confusion, slurred speech and concentration problems.
It is best avoid stopping them suddenly as this may lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and panic attacks.