i myself smoked for 30 yrs and quit cold turkey last feb. i have the smell of smoke problem and now my nose is very keen to everything. i don't know if the smoking had something to do with this condition. yes my husband of 24 yrs smoked and also when i was young my siblings and dad smoked in the house.

I too have these symtems...smoke smell and dizziness...have had all the tests and still no answers. Two years now...dizziness seems to be getting worse.

Hi everyone,
I am so amazed to find this website...I thought I was imagining things and never mentioned it to anyone. I googled it thinking I would never find any results, and here you all are

I was diagnosed with chronic non-allergic rhinitis (which I've had ever since I was a kid) which is a fancy term for postnasal drip and sinus problems. Mine isn't caused by allergies (they tested for everything), but by a nerve reaction to irritants. I'm also very sensitive to medications so doctors hesitate prescribing anything because I've had bad reactions in the past.

I've been "smelling" and "tasting" that stale smokey sensation off and on for a year or two. I'm wondering if it is some kind of nerve damage since I have had such constant, long-term postnasal drip. It's been an extremely cold and dry winter here in Ohio and this smoky smell has been occurring more often. Right now my nasal passages are so dry that I wake up many mornings with a bloody nose, my eyes are constantly itchy, and I have sinus pressure (everyone I work with is experiencing varying degrees of this). I'm also wondering if it's my diet. In the past month, I haven't been eating extremely healthy in addition to experiencing some stress at work.

I, too, have gone to doctors about my postnasal drip/sinuses, but they can't seem to offer relief, so I can't even imagine what they would say if I told them about this

I think my game plan is going to be to monitor my diet more closely and try the pro-biotics that someone mentioned. Also, once the inflammation goes down a little and my nasal passages heal a bit, I'm going to start using the saline spray again.

Sounds like a lot of people on this post have sinus problems or some kind of possible damage to the sinuses. Hope someday someone can nail down exactly why this happens.
Good luck to you all.

I started smelling smoke when I got a cold. But this was only after I had a major surgery. Done a search on health page and came up with this. Hope it may help some of you.


Here are some other causes of altered smell:

Some medications; In general, medications cause a metallic taste rather than a metallic smell. The antibiotic metronidazole (Flagyl) is probably the most common cause of a metallic taste in the mouth and potentially a metal smell.
Exposure to certain chemicals
Pregnancy
A cold or sinus infection
Bad breath
A history of head trauma
Side effect of anesthesia
Migraine

My wife has been smelling cigarette smoke for several weeks now. she has seen the local GP who did some health checks apart from a slight cold she is in good health.

The ANSWER. Is to use a nasal inhaler (vicks inhaler) after serveral days the symptoms have gone.

Hope this may help!

WOW!! Has anyone found any causes??? I've been smelling it for about 4 months. I even went to my neighbor's apartment to ask that they smoke outside. They don't smoke! It seems to be strongest after sunset and lasts for hours. Sometimes anytime during the day too. I think my nose is producing the smell, or some part of my body is doing something. But what??? I'm chemically sensitive so I don't use body products, eat vegan, don't do meds. So what is going on?

It started last October and persisted for a few months before disappearing. I went to my family dr. after putting up with it for a month. I could tell he thought I was crazy, and he didn't seem too concerned about it. He thought it might have to do with my thyroid and ordered some tests. The tests came back normal. After another month, the smoke smell just disappeared. Now it's back. Before, I only smelled at work (both jobs). Now, I smell it everywhere (right now). The only relief I can get is to spray perfume on my wrist and just sniff my wrist for a while. I am a healthy, active 29 year old female. I don't take any prescription drugs. I do get severe headaches often (my dr. wasn't worried about that either) and during winter my right nostril bleeds when I blow my nose. I plan to make an appt. with an Ent dr. if this persists much longer. I'm sorry you all are going through this too, but it is nice to know I'm not crazy!

I have this problem also. I was just thinking that the one absolute thing we all have in common is our computers. After all, that's the way we found each other. I have a laptop and spend a lot of time playing games. I hope we find an answer (other than the computers) Good luck to all!

i had it again on sat 2/14/09 and part of sun.2/15/09. i usually get it when my husband cooks with the gas stove and starts to fry foods.and also when my oven is on. this is definetley an allergy for me. the smell comes my face gets flushed and eyes burn. usually if i'm upstairs with the door closed i can avoid it. also i have hypothyroidism which i got from menopause and somehow i think more and more this is all related also. any women out there with this i would love to hear from them. don't worry all we have to find something on this. we're all not crazy.

For those of you who quit smoking, I wonder if it is maybe your body/mind reproducing a familiar smell. The body has an amazing ability to fill in gaps. Try covering the top or bottom half of all the words on this line. You'll still be able to read them. One time I had a cat that died and I kept thinking I saw it out of the corner of my eye. I'm not suggesting that you are crazy but that your mind is simply doing what it is trained to do: fill in gaps. If you recently quit smoking, it is possible that this is part of your experience of withdraw. I thought of this when someone mentioned they noticed it when someone was cooking. Maybe certain smells that share a couple similar molecules, trigger a memory response in your sensory receptors. Just a thought. I also suspect that there could be other reasons and all of you that smell it might not be experiencing it for the same reason. This is really interesting though. Has anyone read Oliver Saks (The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, An Anthropologist From Mars)? The brain does some amazing things sometimes with our senses in otherwise normal people. I hope no one is offended by my thoughts, it is just a speculation, and again, I don't think anyone is crazy. I'm not a doctor, just a curious human. Sometimes when I have to pee but hold it, I swear I get a taste in my mouth that makes me think my kidneys have stopped working, but when I mentioned it to my doctor she said there is no physical reason for this. I guess I'm the crazy one

I also have been smelling smoke for about a year when no one is smoking around me. My eyes also burn and I thought it was due to my contacts. My eyes burn when I read but do not bother me otherwise. That is not as annoying as the smoke smell. I hope someone finds out what it is & suggests a treatment! It helps to know I am not the only one who has this.

Well, what we all suffer from is the same thing...we all smell smoke. Most have had sinus problems and allergies, a few have thyroid problems, two had brain tumors, and a few have had numerous additional health issues.

The commonality between all of us is Sinus problems and are exposed to computers. It is masked when cupping hands over the nose or fabric. Like one post wrote that water taste funny sometimes like a chemical in it--this too only happens when I drink water in the middle of the night. Some swear that using a nasal rinse works, yet some state it doesn't work. One states that using Tea Tree Oil on a moisten Q-tip in the nostrils worked and another that fluconazol worked for them. Yet no one has written back to share if they also tried the two latter remedies to see if it worked for them.

For my own diagnoses, I am leaning that it is in the nasal cavity and not in the brain. To have a distinct smokey smell and not any other, I am leaning that it is a fungus. The remedy given to me was to try is a nasal spray with Oregano. I have ordered a bottle and will write back if it works or not. At least I am told it will cure my sinus problems of a stuffy head all the time. The only short term relief I get is by inhaling steam for 10 minuets, then after an hour it comes back.

In addition to smelling Cigarette Smoke, like someone if constantly blowing it in my face, (read on-line that tobacco sometimes has fungus in it) I lately have been having ringing in the ears and non-wax drainage; and almost like eczema on my hands. The doctor said that it was caused by poor nutrition. Hummm, I take vitamins and eat organic fruits & vegs. I have increased my meat intake to every other day instead of once a week since then. All my lab work came back that I am healthy. I honestly don't think doctors know much outside of text book diagnoses.

I have had a sweet tooth and have been eating more sweets than usual...this is why I am leaning towards fungus. Bacteria and fungus loves sugar. Will write back either way if this Oregano product works. Until then, I hope a cure will be found and recognized as a real symptom.

i am considering all your theorys except i don't use a computer on weekends only during the week so i don't know if it pertains to me. i do however like the fungus idea and am curious to know how your spray works for you and if then where we can get it
debby

I never smell smoke, but wake up in the night sometimes with a strong sickening smell that lasts for several minutes. I try covering my nose or breathing through the pillow or blanket, but it's still there. I thought maybe it was from the dog and got my carpets cleaned, but I even smelled it in a hotel out of town. It is strong enough that it wakes me up. No other symptoms. My doctor gave me an antibiotic to "try" to see if it's a sinus infection, but she is concerned and wants me to see a neurologist. WELL, that scares the you know what out of me! I tried to get an MRI once and got so clostrophobic, that I know I'll need to take something to relax me. I pray it isn't anything other than a sinus infection!!!

Please tell me someone knows something now its feb.2009 I just found this site, this is killing me and everyone around me thinks I'm crazy.It's a burning fume smell in my nose all the time.

I am a smoker and I smell smoke all the time. I thought I was losing my mind or it was my imagination. I recently had a hip replacement and I am wondering if that has something to do with it. Even when I go into a non-smoking house or building I smell smoke. It is really annoying. I find that I am smoking more now that I did before cause I keep smelling smoke. I just want it to be gone.

what is epicac?

I want to share my experiences so far as promised in my earlier post 02-2009, but first I should get the following statements over with. I am not a medical professional, nor do I claim that the following is a cure, nor am I giving you any advice. Nor do I encourage you to follow what I have done. With all products, I encourage you to follow exactly the manufacture's suggested daily dosage and heed their product warnings. I do not receive any financial benefits for any products mentioned. I am only sharing my experiences only. Finally, always consult your doctor before taking any health products. Now that is out of the way, I thought I would update you on my progress since only a couple people have ever written back to inform us what has helped them.

The NAHS Sinu Orega Aromatic Spice (P73) Nasal Spray was back ordered; however, they went ahead and shipped the NAHS Oregamax 90 Caps. In not wanting to wait for the spray, I went ahead and started taking Oregamax in the morning, lunch, dinner, and before bed. [REMEMBER TO FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURE'S SUGGESTED DOSAGE AND DO NOT TAKE THE AMOUNTS I HAVE LISTED] The following day, I took the same amount in the morning. I know this is just one day, but I had to share how I felt when I woke up this morning. My head always feels stuffy and no matter how hard I try to clear up, it doesn't change. I didn't realize the effort I was making to breath until today. This a.m. I did not experience the morning body stiffness. I am still stuffed up, but not as bad--in fact I do feel some relief and I am breathing easier...I never realized that I was straining to breath before. The cigarette smell is now just a hint and not like someone is constantly blowing smoke in my face. I wished the spray had arrived because I am curious if the combination of the two would work faster in getting rid of this aggravating smell for me.

I was only expecting to experience some sinus relief in a week or two, not overnight. As promised, I will update you in a couple of weeks on my experience as to whether or not this stuff works for me in getting rid of this acrid cigarette smell.

I also smell smoke. I am 16 and I've never smoked, and never will. Both my parents smoke, but I'm never around them when they smoke. I just randomly smell it anywhere, when I'm nowhere near my parents. I went on a trip 6 hours away from home and I still smelled it in a charter bus filled with other 16 year olds and no one who smokes. I googled it in since I was wondering if anyone else experiences it, and found this. It's been going on for a while (several months, maybe even a year? I'm not sure). When I was on the trip, I tried telling myself that I couldn't smell anything, that I just smelled normal air and no smoke smell, and surprisingly, it worked most of the time. A few times I could still faintly smell it, but when I told myself I didn't smell anything, it mostly worked. Maybe its just something mental? I don't know, but I'm really curious.
And for me its not completely the same smell as cigarette smoke, but thats the closest smell that it smells like.
Anyways, good luck to all that have this same annoying smell!

.....but I do smell mold/mildew and fried wiring.

I agree with time2go, that for the most of you this is sinus related. I am not a doctor, but have had sinus issues ever since I had an abscessed tooth that caused a sinus infection - and a mean migraine - that was about 16 years ago.

For years, on and off, I would smell mold/mildew, or fried wiring at random times. It would usually pass in a few minutes to a few hours. About six months ago, I started bicycling to work, and started to notice that when I did, I would get a bad mold/mildew smell in my nose - especially after I jumped into a steamy shower. It started to concern me, so I have spent all evening on the web - which led me here.

I suppose I don't smell smoke so much, because I smoke. However, there are times when I am at work, where no one smokes, that I smell it - but not when I have been smoking. I can't attribute it to my sinuses, but it really fits in with what the rest of you say.

Some observations I have made; most everyone that has posted, has some sort of sinus issue or symptom. Scratchy eyes and throat, bad tastes, ear problems, headaches/migraines, congestion, tinnitus, and nausea/vomiting can all be associated with the sinuses. The problems for the most part appear to come from allergies, sinus polyps, injury, and medications.

My remedies are none. Sometimes a neti pot works for me, but due to my inconsistency, I have no advice - it is cheap and may work. As far as sinus headaches, the only two things that work for me are sudafed and alcohol - but that doesn't help the smell.

Goodnight all, the sinus headache is starting - which tend to be in the evening, otherwise they really get bad. At least the smell is going away - for now.