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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Greg on October 6, 2000, at 21:03:22
Ever since being dianosed with depression, I have had this strange aroma thing taking place. About once a month for a period of two to three hours I get this smell of burnt buttered popcorn. It starts off smelling like regular popcorn, but the deeper I breathe the more intense and burnt it smells. It gets so bad that I almost get sick. I've had it happen at work, at home, in my car, all different places. It's happened with all the different combos of meds I've taken. I get the smell for about 10 seconds, then it disappears for a minute or two and then comes back. After two or three hours it goes away altogether.
Has anyone else had experiences with strange aromas? Someone please tell me yes... I hate being alone. This is driving me crazy....er.
Greg
Posted by Racer on October 7, 2000, at 2:30:33
In reply to Burnt Buttered Popcorn....seriously, posted by Greg on October 6, 2000, at 21:03:22
I haven't had burnt buttered popcorn, but with high-anxiety depression, during the worst parts of it, I have a difficult time eating because everything smells and tastes like petrol...
And on the drugs, I get overwhelmed by real smells around me, which are suddenly so very strong and noxious that they make me sick. Otherwise ordinary smells: bananas will give me dry heaves, some other fruits can make me sick up, and so on.
Not to mention, I can smell the people around me, but (at least according to my SO) apparently can't smell that my cats have missed the litterbox.
Smells get weirded out by the drugs for me too. I guess that's all I wanted to say...
(Oh, and my own smells are different, too. I don't always 'know' myself by smell when I'm on ADs, though usually I'm very very sensitive to the 'normal' scents around me. As in, when I'm not medicated,, I can distinguish between all three of my cats by scent, I know my mother or my friends in the dark by scent, I can pick my horse out of a herd blindfolded by scent. I'm more like an animal this way, don't ask me why, but I'm very sensitive to smells.
Are you usually sensitive to smells? Or is this new with the drugs?
Posted by medlib on October 7, 2000, at 4:05:14
In reply to Burnt Buttered Popcorn....seriously, posted by Greg on October 6, 2000, at 21:03:22
Greg--
You might be interested in the URL that stjames suggested to Stace in the "Unreality" thread (near bottom of the meds page). Unusual odors are one of the symptoms dealt with on the questionnaire. I thought that Note #7 of the Interpretation was thought-provoking as well.
The dynamic nature of your odor experiences was suggestive, to me. On the other hand, this "shot in the dark" is quite likely way off the mark.
Well wishes--medlib
> Ever since being dianosed with depression, I have had this strange aroma thing taking place. About once a month for a period of two to three hours I get this smell of burnt buttered popcorn. It starts off smelling like regular popcorn, but the deeper I breathe the more intense and burnt it smells. It gets so bad that I almost get sick. I've had it happen at work, at home, in my car, all different places. It's happened with all the different combos of meds I've taken. I get the smell for about 10 seconds, then it disappears for a minute or two and then comes back. After two or three hours it goes away altogether.
>
> Has anyone else had experiences with strange aromas? Someone please tell me yes... I hate being alone. This is driving me crazy....er.
>
>
> Greg
Posted by dove on October 9, 2000, at 13:50:13
In reply to Re: Burnt Buttered Popcorn....seriously » Greg, posted by medlib on October 7, 2000, at 4:05:14
The Subsyndromal Epilepsy test: http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/isse.html
What kind of score on that test would suggest Subsyndromal Epilepsy?
I have "aroma/odor" episodes, with no probable or physical source. I was dxed with epilepsy long ago, but every diagnostic test has been negative, including full neuro work-up with various EEG's and MRI's. I even took Tegretol for a while, which turned me into a zombie.
On the other hand, I do have "Classical Migraines" and am dxed with bipolar. And I have been taking Neurontin for the last couple months. Which is doing *something*, I'm just not sure what exactly that *something* is. I do feel different, and not the stable kind of different, and not the angry kind, just "off".
I scored 100 points on the "Thought and word interruptions" little box, my lowest single category score is 33. Anyone else want to try the test for curiosity's sake?
Question for Greg: Do you *only* experience the aroma while taking AD's? Have you ever noticed it without the meds?
~dove
Posted by medlib on October 10, 2000, at 2:38:37
In reply to Re: Subsyndromal Epilepsy, posted by dove on October 9, 2000, at 13:50:13
Dove--
This test is one doc's way of eliciting possibly connected symptoms; it doesn't have a validated score range like the Ham-D depression test, for example. The author just suggests that a high score (3) on a single item or a number of positive responses should raise the index of suspicion for an epilepsy dx. What I found particularly interesting about this test is the explanation that nearly all the drugs we depressives rely on are proconvulsant--that is, they *raise* the risk of seizure/epileptic symptoms.
My son has epilepsy--tonic-clonic seizures with aura; he has never had an abnormal EEG or MRI, no discernable epileptic foci, etc. He's been on Tegretol 1200 mg/day for over 17 years and hasn't had a seizure in 12 years; he still has auras, occasionally, if he forgets a med dose. (BTW, during that time he's earned a BS in Math and an MSIS--both 4.0--and worked full-time. Another unwarranted stereotype bites the dust.) Tegretol knocked him out, too, to start with. He describes his short-term memory as "Swiss cheese," largely due to Tegretol, but he's obviously learned to compensate.
There are many other anticonvulsant drugs available now which are less sedating (like Depakote, Neurontin, Lamictal, etc.)--it's a matter of individual fit and tolerating initial side effects--rather like AD's. My view on Rx's for any variety of epilepsy is that one should take them only if they're needed, and then as little as needed, to prevent intolerable symptoms. Unusual odors alone, even if frequent, wouldn't fall in that class, for me. But, if I'd scored positive on this test, I'd sure think twice about high doses of any psych med other than anticonvulsants.
Dove, have you tried any of the other anticonvulsants? Has Neurontin or anything else you've tried helped your migraines? Have you seen the Medscape migraine tx update article? (I have tx-resistant double dysthmia and severe migraines, but not epilepsy.)
Well wishes--medlib
> The Subsyndromal Epilepsy test: http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/isse.html
>
> What kind of score on that test would suggest Subsyndromal Epilepsy?
>
> I have "aroma/odor" episodes, with no probable or physical source. I was dxed with epilepsy long ago, but every diagnostic test has been negative, including full neuro work-up with various EEG's and MRI's. I even took Tegretol for a while, which turned me into a zombie.
>
> On the other hand, I do have "Classical Migraines" and am dxed with bipolar. And I have been taking Neurontin for the last couple months. Which is doing *something*, I'm just not sure what exactly that *something* is. I do feel different, and not the stable kind of different, and not the angry kind, just "off".
>
> I scored 100 points on the "Thought and word interruptions" little box, my lowest single category score is 33. Anyone else want to try the test for curiosity's sake?
>
> Question for Greg: Do you *only* experience the aroma while taking AD's? Have you ever noticed it without the meds?
>
> ~dove
Posted by NikkiT2 on October 10, 2000, at 7:58:23
In reply to Burnt Buttered Popcorn....seriously, posted by Greg on October 6, 2000, at 21:03:22
Greg hunny...
Youn know I get wierd tastes and stuff all teh time! I go through times where everything tastes of nail varnish remover, and I also smell that alot (kinda like Pear Drops.. a smell I detest!!) .
I also think I get that wierd burnt popcorn smell.. it's a sweet - too sweet, smell. I think you once told me it might be due to our depression lifting slightly and us smelling stuff we'd never taken notice of while ill!!
Now you've mentioned it, I can smell the sweet smell again - it tends to come on when I'm warm (which in the current London weather isn;t very often!!)
Nikki x
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