Hi there, Thanks for your query. Firstly, you have not mentioned your age, since your problem occurs in old age only. From the information available, you are probably suffering from :- 1. A condition called Phantosmia, which is a form of olfactory hallucination . Phantosmia is the perception of a smell in the absence of any physical odors. Causes of Phantosmia :- * Temporal Lobe epilepsy, particularly involving olfactory area of the brain which perceives smell sensation. In most of the cases, there is no loss of consciousness. Since MRI brain is normal, I recommend that an EEG (Electroencephalogram) be conducted to evidence of epilepsy. * Olfactory Migraines :- in which abnormal smells are perceived as an aura, that is, just before the migraine attack occurs. This is a relatively rare condition, but perhaps, you may be suffering from it in view of recurrent headaches with Phantosmia. * Other causes of Phantosmia are :- - head injury, accident - Schizophrenia - Upper respiratory tract infection - Allergic rhinitis (nasal inflammation) - Chronic sinus disease or chronic rhinitis * Causes of Phantosmia in elderly age group :- - Depression or Alzheimer s - As a precursor to subsequent development of Parkinson s. Hence, if I were your treating doctor, my course of action would have been as follows :- # Order EEG. If abnormal, diagnosis of Temoral Lobe epilepsy would have been made -- prescribe a long course of anti-epileptic drugs. # If EEG normal -- diagnosis of olfactory migraines considered -- prophylactic (preventive) treatment would have been prescribed with anti-depressant venlafaxime + anti-anxiety drug + beta-blocker drug. Consult your treating Neurologist and discuss my opinion/recommendations with him. I am sure he will agree with my expert opinion; order relevant tests and- based on the outcome of the tests- prescribe disease-specific treatment. Dr. Rakesh Karanwal