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Prednisone and sense of smell

Posted , 13 users are following.

nick67069
nick67069

Good news!  I have noticed pleasent change... After reducing from 5mg to 4.5, I have regain some sense of smell (and taste).  Before PMR I would say I had very sensitive sense of smell, better then average. Amost all of it was gone.  Now it is slowly coming back. Anyone else had similar experience?

1 like, 23 replies

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  • Silver49
    Silver49 nick67069

    Posted

    I have not had a problem with this and still have a heightened sense of taste and smell. I am glad it is returning for you as it is one of life's pleasures especially when it comes to food. It's a strange condition when we are all affected in different ways but still have many similar experiences both with PMR and the steroids.

  • brisum
    brisum nick67069

    Posted

    I have just been diagnosed with PMR and noticed a reasonably dramatic lack of taste with Prednisone.. vegetables taste pretty normal but things like chicken or steak seem to need a lot of salt which really doesn't do much much.I hope it comes back - already started tapering to 9mg in the AM and 5mg at night.  I feel almost normal (lol) with joint pain and it's only been 2 weeks on steroids. Sense of smell seems normal.

    • EileenH
      EileenH brisum

      Posted

      Do try to keep the salt down - together with pred it tends to make you retain water so you get pufy and it contributes to weight gain. Cutting carbs helps too - and also with the fat weight gain with pred. I know it may be hard - but it is worth it
    • Michdonn
      Michdonn brisum

      Posted

      Hi brisum, do not rush your taper, it is not a race. Taper too aggressively and you might flare. Good luck, think positive with a smile. Smiling 🙂

    • Rimmy
      Rimmy brisum

      Posted

      This may or may not be related to Pred but as Eileen says quite important not to overdo salt in the meantime. Interesting however you say your sense of smell is OK as taste and smell are interrelated and usually both are both affected together. Anyway hopefully it passes soon.

      Best wishes

    • EileenH
      EileenH brisum

      Posted

      A bit of a google for "GCA and lose of sense of taste" brought up quite a few links - including a letter in 1988 describing 2 cases where smell/taste sensations were the forerunners of GCA.  There are other threads on here where people describe changes in ability to smell/taste.

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