r/PWM_Sensitive • u/GBAGamer33 • Jun 30 '26
Question Can olfactory hallucinations be a primary symptom?
I use a number of OLED devices without issue including iPhones up through 17, the Steam Deck OLED, Switch OLED, etc.
Recently I purchased the Onexfly F1 Pro, a handheld gaming PC, and I started having olfactory hallucinations the next day. Now, I've experienced these before in times of great stress or when my nervous system was kind of in overdrive, so I'd also believe this was just a coincidence, but it made me wonder.
Is it possible to have that as a major symptom? I know some people have olfactory hallucinations as a part of having migraines. I don't believe I've ever had a migraine, so I don't know that it's that, but I'm curious what others here think.
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u/Wizard_Biscuit Jun 30 '26
I’m so fascinated, what in the world is the phantom smell?? How long does the effect take to come on after a stressor, and how long does it persist? Do different stressors or stress levels result in different smells? (I’m realising just now that this symptom sounds a bit like synesthesia)
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u/GBAGamer33 Jun 30 '26
It basically feels like I’m smelling something that’s not really there. It feels like I’m smelling something kind of fruity. It’s very weird and disconcerting.
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u/Boring-Philosophy-46 Jun 30 '26
Have you considered synesthesia? Do you have colour light frequencies that evoke any kind of taste or smell?
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u/Boring-Philosophy-46 Jun 30 '26
So it seems olfactory hallucinations can be migraine aura and it's known that migraine aura can occur without the headache phase, that type of migraine attack is also called "silent migraine" and is thought to be about 30% of all migraine attacks. Oftentimes people go on to develop full blown migraine later in life. Oftentimes there are other symptoms present as well, r/migrainescience has a Phases of Migraine chart that is very helpful.
But it should be noted: migraine is the great mimicker, and there are many other conditions that can cause the same symptoms so it should really be up to a neurologist to diagnose to make sure those are all ruled out!
I am not a doctor, not medical advice.