Bupropion usage caused me loss of smell. Will I regain it?

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Bupropion XL is a well-known antidepressant and the dosage is usually to start at 150 mg once daily and then increase to 300 mg once daily after a few days. I see that you took the medicine for about six days and then discontinued due to your sense of smell being affected.

Hyposmia (complete or partial loss of smell) is a relatively rare side effect to some medication like antidepressants. It is not a known side effect to Bupropion but altered chemosensory function affecting taste and smell can potentially occur.

Are you on any other medication which when combined with Bupropion could have contributed to this hyposmia? Did you have any running nose or allergy? Discuss with your doctor who prescribed the medication for a review. You may need a physical examination including ENT examination to check your nasal passages for any cause like polyps which may have triggered this anosmia? Sometimes scan may be needed depending on the physical examination. If there is any congestion or allergy, antihistamines may help. Did you try smelling strong scents or flavors? Are you able to see any difference?

It makes sense that you have stopped Bupropion. The temporal onset of hyposmia coincides with starting this drug. Stopping it will help to alleviate the loss of smell and hopefully your sense of smell should return over time. It is important to check with your doctor for an examination to rule out any other causes that may have contributed to your hyposmia. Discuss with your doctor about taking multivitamin supplements to aid in recovery.

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It is positive that you are able to identify stronger scents albeit weakly. Keep trying to use stronger scents and see whether you are able to smell it better in the coming days.

Though you may not have a cold or congestion, it will be safer to see your prescribing doctor for an ENT check (to rule out conditions like polyps) and a neurological examination (to rule out any pre-existing mild deficits) which may have made you susceptible to develop hyposmia.

Antidepressant induced hyposmia is expected to resolve with discontinuation of the medication but it is difficult to predict the course of recovery. If you have no other pre-existing underlying conditions, your sense of smell should hopefully come back gradually with time.

I hope this helps.

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