Sense of Taste

Has anyone found that there is an association of CPAP treatment and a loss of the sense of taste.

I have been on CPAP for several years and am now discovering I seem to have lost some of my ability of taste of many items.

I don't know if there is any impact of the CPAP on this problem. I have a apnea doctor appointment in early July and will pose the question to him.

In the meantime, any comments or suggestions?

Thanks,

Vin

Vinsan wrote:Has anyone found that there is an association of CPAP treatment and a loss of the sense of taste.

I have been on CPAP for several years and am now discovering I seem to have lost some of my ability of taste of many items.

I don't know if there is any impact of the CPAP on this problem. I have a apnea doctor appointment in early July and will pose the question to him.

In the meantime, any comments or suggestions?

Thanks,

Vin

Hi Vin!

Look for signs of GERD.

Analyze your nightly data for times of over breathing.

Have a great week!

Todzo

Vinsan wrote:Has anyone found that there is an association of CPAP treatment and a loss of the sense of taste.

I have been on CPAP for several years and am now discovering I seem to have lost some of my ability of taste of many items.

I don't know if there is any impact of the CPAP on this problem. I have a apnea doctor appointment in early July and will pose the question to him.

In the meantime, any comments or suggestions?

Thanks,

Vin

Hi Vin,

Have you been taking anything recently such as meds that might be a culprit? Also, as an FYI, I discovered that using Listerine caused me me to lose my sense of taste. So you might also want to look at dental rinses if that is an issue.

I hope you find some answers as I know losing your sense of taste is not a good thing.

49er

Warning: some holistic cold treatments have been blamed for loss of smell or taste, due to exposure of mucus membranes to zinc.
Some older formula denture adhesives were also found to contain zinc, and affected taste receptors.
The effect was, I believe permanent.

a few years ago i lost my sense of smell but didn't realize it at first. then i noticed i had lost most of my sense of taste. your taste buds can sense the 5 basic tastes like bitter, sour, etc. the pain sensors in the tongue sense spicy hot. so long story short, i have no sense of smell and only can taste the basic tastes. i can't taste specific tastes because thats where the sense of smell comes in. the thing is i think i taste things because i know what they are supposed to taste. in a blind taste test i can identify things by texture so i think i taste them. a real taste test is with baby foods that all have the same texture. we tried 5 different baby foods and i couldn't identify any of them.

I also have no sense of smell. The loss was gradual. I never had a great sense of smell but now its really gone. It makes me very sad.

pandatx wrote:I also have no sense of smell. The loss was gradual. I never had a great sense of smell but now its really gone. It makes me very sad.

it's harder to tell your taste is gone. do the blind babyfood test. you may be surprised.

Never heard of CPAP causing this, but maybe this guy will know:

viewtopic/t88612/Expert-Interview-Dr-A- ... relli.html

pandatx wrote:I also have no sense of smell. The loss was gradual. I never had a great sense of smell but now its really gone. It makes me very sad.

I haven't had one for as long as I can remember. I am not sure why.

Any ideas as why you lost yours? Was it due to your sinus surgery?

It is sad. I think it really hits me when I am with people and they comment on a specific smell that is pleasing. Unfortunately, I have found it hard to explain to people my situation so I don't even bother except in rare situations when I needed to alert someone for various reasons.

49er

I have been on the CA-Pac machine for close to a year, My mouth tends to dry out due to the fact I open it at night. I went in to get a chin strap to help keep my mouth shut but they said i can't use it with the full mask. I have noticed for a couple of months now that my taste buds are gone and I have no since of smell. I remember what things taste like so I keep trying to eat them. I don't know if this is a permanent thing.

There are people who have used chin straps with full face masks.
I think they wear the chin strap outside the mask.
The people who said it can't be done are all wet! ---and I ought to know!

Gran wrote:I have been on the CA-Pac machine for close to a year, My mouth tends to dry out due to the fact I open it at night. I went in to get a chin strap to help keep my mouth shut but they said i can't use it with the full mask. I have noticed for a couple of months now that my taste buds are gone and I have no since of smell. I remember what things taste like so I keep trying to eat them. I don't know if this is a permanent thing.

This is my first experience on an Internet information site- I started using a CPAP machine in October of 2014 and by November I found that my sense of smell was impacted. Coffee smells like burning electrical wire and that odor is also associated with other things like grilling meat. My building was evacuated due to gas odor from a leak and I took no notice and recently I walked past a dead skunk without smelling the usual strong odor. My sense of taste is also affected but not gone.
Does this condition gow away?

That's not normal - you should take your machine to the dealer and ask a) if in fact you got a NEW machine or not, and b) to look it over because something inside may be burning when it shouldn't be (nothing should be, of course).

A sudden dramatic change to your sense of smell or taste may be related to a stroke or similar problem.
Please see a doctor--ASAP!

Chunky's right - do get checked out.