Is this an autistic thing or do I potentially have something else going on?

Sensitivity to smells is an autism thing. I have it, and it has grown significantly worse over time. I won’t go into smelly stores like candle shops, perfume shops etc. I can’t stand it.

Either way, not just you.

A little thing i use to alleviate it at least in trains: it has gotten a lot more acceptable to wear masks in public thanks to Corona and i use that whenever a smoker or a sweaty person sits close to me in a train. The ffp2 ones block smell really well

Sensitivity of senses can also be a symptom of migraines. Sensitivity to light or sound are more common, but it can also be the case with smell.

https://www.migrainedisorders.org/osmophobia/

https://migraine.com/migraine-symptoms/sensitivity-to-smells

(Only skimmed through the links. They seem fine.)

I would assume there are many other possible physical reasons for a heightened sense of smell.

Unfortunately our bodies age and things can develop that you haven’t had before. It’s always good to question and even better to know what causes (unpleasant) things and maybe even find a cure or just means of improvement.

I don’t mean to say this is the case for you. Just some anecdotal very general thought/advice: On the other hand sometimes trying to find the exact cause can turn into a rabbit hole and at some point it might consume so much time/energy with little to no improvement, that it makes sense to accept it and make the best of it.

Hope you can find out what causes it for you and that aren’t bothered too much by it and can maybe even get some positives out of that dog type “super power” :-)

I’ve always had it, but I get more sensitive if general inflammation is activated.

Yesterday I was on a plane and someone was painting their nails or something. I couldn’t even see who it was but I’m still feeling it.

Perimenopause may cause sensory issues, smell being among them.

Can relate having auhd. It just causes migraines. Can be a real turn off for sex

If it’s just recent. You could be pregnant, recovering from trauma or have an infection of some sort.

Do autism signs often appear for people only as adults? I haven’t heard of that and would like to know the answer

I have issues especially with cologne or perfume. It varies, too, sometimes worse than others. It’s like I get a spritz of something nasty right up my nose.