When I take acetaminophen (usually Tylenol, usually extra-strength gel-tabs), about 15-30 minutes afterwards I become aware of a strange smell. This has happened to me as long as I can remember, and it happens EVERY time I take it. I have always figured that I can smell the drug (or whatever causes the smell) from the blood vessels in my nose. Since the reproducability of this ‘experiment’ is perfect, and the time lag is pretty much what I’d expect for transfer of drug through the stomach into blood, I’ve never questioned my assumption, even though others I’ve told about this may look at me funny or just don’t believe me.
A few questions:
Is my assumption that I can smell things in my blood ridiculous?
Has this ever been reported? Has this happened to any of you, with Tylenol or anything else?
Is it the acetaminophen that I smell, or something else, like a binder or the outer coating of the pill?
I’ve searched the SDMB and Googled, but have found nothing. Dopers?
I get this same thing when I eat, drink or chew anything with Nutrasweet in it. It usually takes about a week before I stop noticing it. The only idea I have as to what might cause the smell is that I may be allergic to it. The allergy makes my nose more sensitive and I begin smelling things that I wouldn’t normally. If your wondering what it smells like. Imagine eucalyptus and camphor without the intense bite. And no you can’t smell anything that you have acclimated to like your blood. For example other people’s snott has a smell but you can’t smell your own snot, seriously.
I get the exact same thing with acetaminophen. In medical school I never read or heard anything about it. It isn’t listed in the side effects of acetaminophen in the PDR. I don’t think it is the binding because I get the same thing with Tylenol, Excedrin, Theraflu, and even liquid form. Haven’t tried suppositories, though. Perhaps you could do that experiment for us.
I take it as some kind of neurologic reaction, either in cross-reaction with an odor receptor (for iron or metal) or something centrally.
Yes! I get the exact same reaction to Tylenol (or other acetaminophen products). I noticed it a few years ago, but that’s when I started taking Tylenol on a more regular basis.
I mentioned this phenomenon to my wife, as well as my co-worker (whom I usually bum Tylenol off of when in a jam) and they both looked at me like I was nuts. So I never bothered to mention it to anybody else… thinking I was alone on this. Good to know others experience the same thing (god, I love this board).
Let me add this to the description: It’s not an entirely unpleasant smell; I actually kind of enjoy it. If I HAD to describe the aroma: Maybe a bland, salty/metallic odor. It’s not very strong, but definitely noticeable. Cool.
My guess: The nose is picking up a trace chemical in the blood vessels.
Out of curiosity to Jake4… are you a sensitive smeller/taster? Do you dislike many flavors that other seem to enjoy? For instance, Cilantro (yuk! soap!)?
edwino: No thanks, buddy. I have noticed the smell when taking other drugs, too, but my memory of those isn’t as concrete as those of taking Tylenol, so I didn’t put it in my OP.
kevsnyde: My gf thinks I’m strange, even more so when I mention the Tylenol smell. Word to the Dopers, indeed. You and edwino both mention metal – my smell is slightly metallic, but nothing at all like, say, the taste of Cold-eeze or other zinc medicines. I don’t mind the smell at all; if my (our) intuition is right, it means the drug is in my system and working, so it’s a comfort.
As for my smell/taste sensitivity, it’s tough to gauge that relative to other people, but I don’t think I’m particularly sensitive. Cilantro is one of my favorites, and doesn’t taste at all like soap to me. If that’s what it tastes like to you, you have my sympathies.
I can also smell acetaminophen. The sensation feels buried deep in my sinuses, and it’s slightly metallic and warm. It’s not just a typical smell; it’s similar to breathing ozone. It’s not really unpleasant, but if I’ve been sick for a few days, I’ll start using other pain killers to avoid the smell.
I always noted that when I took Tylenol as a youth (which I rarely did - back then we used St. Joseph’s children aspirin, but that’s a different rant) the first dose very often made me woozy or groggy, and if I dozed Id be in a cozy semidelirious daze. I could fight it off (though having taken the usual youthful risks, like driving when I was barely able to stay awake, I wonder how accurate my appraisal was), but I usually welcomed it because it helped me rest.
The effect was diminished or absent on the second dose, and didn’t occur again until the first dose after several months abstinence. I assumed it was due to the induction lag in some liver enzyme that my body didn’t happen to ‘stock’ normally.
In medical school, I found tangential mention of such effects, but no reliable studies. The attendings thought I was nuts for even asking. On further questioning, it turned out they’d all heard, and dismissed, such reports from patients without bothering to note the details – and they felt a medl student should “know better” than to experience such [ignorant?] layman effects. – It’s bad enough that patients don’t follow their neat mental paradigms. From a student, it’s downright treason!
[To be fair, these were good, empathetic doctors whom I respected. The job just tends to breed some odd attitudes, if you’re not careful]
But hope springs eternal. It’s about time for my annual personal review of the common analgesics[li] anyway. Maybe this year…[/li]
Some laymen think we docs know exactly which over-the-counter analgesic to use for every ache and pain, but aside from a handful of guidelines, there’s really shockingly little data or consensus on specific choices. Every year, I go on a forlorn quest for definitve data
When I take Tylenol, I smell something wired in my nostrils, and it’s an annoying smell and it only happens when I take Tylenol, I thought I was alone on this one untill I read this message board, is there something missing when tylenol types it side affects idk, but this is wired and it only happens to me out of all my siblings in my house!! CAn it be a short term allergic reaction???
When I take acetaminophen (usually Tylenol, usually extra-strength gel-tabs), about 15-30 minutes afterwards I become aware of a strange smell. This has happened to me as long as I can remember, and it happens EVERY time I take it. I have always figured that I can smell the drug (or whatever causes the smell) from the blood vessels in my nose. Since the reproducability of this ‘experiment’ is perfect, and the time lag is pretty much what I’d expect for transfer of drug through the stomach into blood, I’ve never questioned my assumption, even though others I’ve told about this may look at me funny or just don’t believe me.
A few questions:
Is my assumption that I can smell things in my blood ridiculous?
Has this ever been reported? Has this happened to any of you, with Tylenol or anything else?
Is it the acetaminophen that I smell, or something else, like a binder or the outer coating of the pill?
I’ve searched the SDMB and Googled, but have found nothing. Dopers?[/QUOTE}
I DO NOT HAVE ANY MEDICAL TRAINING’
with that said, I have been using Acetaminophen for over 25 years,
but I recently have been getting a sicken order after usage of Acetaminophen in my sinus.
My senses are telling me that the Acetminophen is thinning my blood and that I have some internal bleeding because of thinned out blood so I am smelling my own blood.
This is what I think is happing to ME. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS YOUR PROBLEM.
You do not “smell things in your blood”, but I suppose it is possible that having a drug in your system could affect your sense of smell, most likely by affecting the olfactory areas of your brain (although I suppose it is possible that the olfactory sense receptors in the nose cuold be affected directly.
Acetaminophen (a.k.a. paracetamol) does have a smell. It seems to me it smells a bit like mold. But I have never myself noticed the sort of olfactory aftereffect of taking it that the OP describes. Perhaps it happens for some people, though.
Why are there no aspirins in the jungle?
Because the acetaminophen.
I have just taken aspirin for the first time in a while and remembered why I stopped taking it as a painkiller. It gives me weird sensations in my nasal passages and airways/lungs. I thought I would try looking this up online and found this post.
It was actually Excedrin migraine tablets that I just took. I would describe the feeling as a tingling but it also could be described as being able to sort of smell something that’s not there. I used to describe this ‘smell’ as like being able to smell Germolene (UK produced anti-septic cream) - a similar smell to Bengay. I wonder if it is a mild allergic reaction. Whatever, it makes me think twice about taking aspirin products again because I do not like this feeling. It feels/smells quite unpleasant to me.
Sorry if this post is “an old zombie” but I just had to reply, as anyone I’ve mentioned this to thinks I’m crazy. Yes, yes, yes! I have a hard time describing this to people, because it’s not exactly a “smell”, it’s like a smell-taste sense in my sinuses. I can also “taste” saccharin there if I inhale it. And I also sneeze when I look at a bright light. I have a feeling it has something to do with sensory nerves being in a slightly odd place in our heads - I know they say the bright light sneeze has to do with the optic and sneeze-response nerves being oddly close together. I also have a slight hard palate deformity and a fistula running from my mouth up into my sinus cavity, so I know everything in there is a bit “off”. Perhaps for the Tylenol smellers, our smell or taste nerve runs so close to a blood vessel that it is affected? To anyone still listening out there, do you share this?
Since I was a teen (ok more than 26 years ago)acetaminophen has had this effect on me. I have met exactly one person in person who shares this weirdness. It usually kicks in about 15-20 min after taking it and best I can describe it is like roses without the sweetness, or even a bandaid -like smell. It feels warm and occasionally is accompanied by an almost drowsy comfort for a short time which really helps when the pain is affecting my sleep. Sometimes the smell fluctuates in intensity and even turns my stomach a little. Not sure what makes us so special that only a few experience this!
I smell it too.
I searched it tonight because I always smelled it for a while.
There has been a strange smell in the house, and I wonder too, if it
from taking a lot of Tylenol lately.
Pook:D
I realize this post began 16 years ago… BUT, I have the exact same effect with ANY products containing acetaminophen. Within 15-25 min I instantly get this smell/taste in my nose and mouth. It smells like what crushed up acetaminophen smells like and I also get a slight cloudy/grogginess in my head (very slight), but it happens every single time!! Doesn’t matter if its with excederin, cough syrup, other brands, etc… If it contains acetaminophen I can taste/smell it instantly around the 15-25 min mark! It has been like this for as long as I can remember (I’m 28 years old).
I have noticed the smell when taking other drugs, too, but my memory of those isn’t as concrete as those of taking Tylenol, so I didn’t put it in my OP.