Olfactory hallucinations - anyone?

[noobiedoobie]

Does anyone get these? Mine is a strong smell of burning ash. It does my head in. I think it's when I have eaten a lot of zinc (chicken, lamb etc.) my smell just ramps up. I'm also a bit under the weather.

Atm, my house smells like it's burning down!

I do have psychosis. I am perfectly normal, though!

I think an appointment with your GP would be worth getting. Hallucinations of any type can be indicative of all sorts of conditions. Put in an e-consult with your surgery, just to rule everything out.

I have this regularly, as in daily! Different smells, sometimes cigarettes, sometimes food, make-up, perfume, a log burner. I’ve had it ever since I can remember. It’s surprisingly common, I even started a thread on it, a couple of years ago!

I've had them before. I occasionally get a smell of fresh cigarette smoke - neither DH nor I smoke and it's not filtering in from elsewhere.

I also get a very strong smell of school dinners - like tinned mince, sometimes. First time it happened DH and I were searching the bedroom in case some cat had wandered in and been sick! I was told it is a kind of migraine. I felt very lucky to get off with weird smells instead of the horrible headaches some people get.

It's surprisingly common @noobiedoobie , I've replied to at least one thread on here about it before, so there are several of us around!

I get a burning smell too. It did used to be more of a petrol-type smell, but it's a smokey one now. I developed it at a time of extreme stress, and had it pretty much constantly for about 18 months, but now I only get it occasionally.

For me it's definitely related to stress, but what a bizarre thing for the body to do - I thought "I already know I'm stressed, thank you nose, how the hell is this helping?!"

Oh yes! In fact the other day I had been out and it was dark when I got in my car to drive home. On the motorway I was convinced that there was a guy hiding in the back of my car that was a heavy smoker. Obviously there wasn't but I asked friends I'd been out with and who traveled same way if they had smelled smoke. They hadn't. This was when I researched it. I had been moaning to my son about smoking in the house for years, he always denied it.

Now I believe him!

It first happened in the pandemic and I was convinced my neighbour was smoking on the balcony and the tendrils of smoke were wishing their way into my flat. I checked all the windows etc. Thought I had a crazy sensitive nose for cigarette smoke.

Now I know my brain is just making it up! Hate it though. Why can't I smell flowers or lavender or roses 😂 not a dirty ashtray.

*wisping

I would get this checked out by a Dr, smelling things that aren't there is not mainstream normal.

A family member used to experience smells that weren't there. It went on for a few years and the doctors said it was her sinuses.

Turns out she had a tumour growing (she's fine now).

I'd get it checked out if I were you.

I have had it after a cold/ flu, which is apparently quite common.

I've had this a couple of times as a precursor to a migraine, (smell of cooking onions) but never otherwise. A very weird experience!

I get it occasionally, it only started since I had Covid.
Doesn't happen often, but occasionally I just smell a burnt smell.

Interesting! I had a minor anxiety moment in a concert recently where I could definitely smell burning. But no one else reacted, the smell was only noticeable AFTER I started having intrusive anxiety thoughts about things going wrong there, so I told myself I was imagining it.

The first four posts and OP's replies I swear I saw, word for word, the other week. Two of the posts in particular I remember very well. Clearly I didn't because the posts are by several different posters. But the weirdness!

Anyway, OP, yes sometimes I smell things that no-one else can. I just figure life is weird. Olfactory sense is not well understood.

I get a burning, smoky smell sometimes. I think it might have something to do with inflamed sinuses.

Yes, me. Thank you, Long Covid.

Going on 3 years. I lost my sense of smell entirely for about a year. Then the weird phantom smells started. Always something unpleasant - burnt plastic, burnt sugar, ammonia, cheap vinegar (that one was fairly easy to mask, temporarily, with salt and vinegar crisps). Always very strong, and changing from one day to the next.

Then they changed to slightly more ‘pleasant’ smells, like chocolate orange (let me tell you, chocolate orange ‘flavoured’ lentil soup etc is not nice). Then my brain started trying a bit harder to fill in the blanks. One time I was looking at pictures of faux orchids online, and I could smell roses. Thanks brain, at least you’re trying!

Now I just don’t trust my sense of smell at all. Whenever I can smell something, it’s always really strong, but I never know if it’s real or not. Just had another cold and the burnt sugar smell came back for a few days too.

I'd forgotten about the burning plastic @IaltagDhubh , I used to get that one too! Very bizarre.

Omg I thought it was just me! Like an acrid smoke smell so strong it feels like there's ash in my throat.

Long time sufferer, mostly attributed to migraine.
I have found a good sniff of quality peppermint oil helps. Sometimes dab it under my nose. I use the Miaroma one from Holland and Barrett.

Like someone else mentioned, it can also be a symptom of a tumour, so it may be worth seeing your GP to rule anything else out.

Exactly. You'd think the nose might produce some lovely lavender or rose or cut grass or sliced lemon at times of stress to soothe us all.
Nah, cigarette smoke. Just what we need.

I thought it was just me too! I sometimes get a horrible burning engine oil sort of smell. I'm not surprised it can be related to migraines as I get them as well, and I'm quite an anxious person too. Very strange.

Interestingly I can seem to mask it with perfume so that is good to know.