# Intranasal odor of acetaminophen **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626 "2003-12-03T02:24:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/21 "2018-01-29T05:08:50Z")
> [@kaylasandage](#): > > I realize this post began 16 years ago… BUT, I have the exact same effect with ANY products containing acetaminophen. … Welcome to the Dope, and please stick around. You have made your entrance with an exceedingly rare grace lacking in almost all 1-post-only folks who Google-and-revive (people referred to here as drive-byes): you’re aware of the continuity of conversation. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/22 "2018-01-29T06:33:41Z")
WAG. Could y’all be smelling the drug coming out of your blood thru the lungs. Think alcohol breath. One of you folks that can smell this, need to see if you can smell it on someone elses breath. ---
**Author:** ![Sassycat47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sassycat47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassycat47)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/23 "2018-02-19T06:26:15Z")
I experience this phantom smell only when taking any form of acetaminophen too. I am relieved not to be the only one. I never detected this smell until after I had gastric bypass surgery in 2011. It took me over a year to figure out what it was. The “odor” I detect comes on after only about 5 minutes and is an acrid and pungent smell that reminds me of the smell of bleach that gets mixed with ammonia… liked what happens when I do that accidentally while cleaning. It stops smelling after about a half hour to an hour after taking it.That is the closest smell to me. I figured that this was some very weird and very uncommon side effect of the surgery but never found any mention of it anywhere for people who have also had this surgery. i found that after the surgery other medications and anything alcoholic seem to hit me much more quickly and thought perhape that was the reason. On another note, another medication I took briefly last year and recently stopped had an odor as well… like the smell of a dumpster. The medication was a migraine medicine called Trokendi. Once I stopped taking it, the smell stopped. ---
**Author:** ![iceiso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@iceiso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iceiso)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/24 "2018-02-20T14:34:36Z")
I’ve worked in manufacturing facilities that produce APAP. The powder has an acric/pungent smell that I’ve been told is due to the acetic acid (~vinegar) and ammonia reagents. In an ideal world, the powder is washed to remove these excess components, but in reality, there will always be trace amounts. The components that don’t give off much smell in tablet form since the powder is pressed and coated. My WAG is that once the coating dissolves in the stomach and the tablet disintegrates, the responsible components make the way back up through the esophagus and into sinuses. ---
**Author:** ![Reader23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d26b3c/32.png) [@Reader23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reader23)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/25 "2018-06-26T16:47:36Z")
Notice a not unpleasant smell when I breathe after taking Excedrin. Interesting it had this effect on so many. I also noticed after taking Batrim it smelled like I was in a cloud of roses. Very strange. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/26 "2018-06-26T20:23:33Z")
Acetaminophen has been shown to create a histologic reaction in the nose. So it could be that you are “smelling” the mucosal reaction. > **[Association between chronic acetaminophen exposure and allergic rhinitis in a...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5391484/)** > > Several population studies demonstrated an increased risk of allergic rhinitis in patients exposed to acetaminophen. However, no histologic studies have been conducted to assess the relationship between acetaminophen exposure and allergic rhinitis.In... ---
**Author:** ![Anosmia84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Anosmia84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anosmia84)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/27 "2018-09-10T23:04:09Z")
I haven’t had a sense of smell since 2001 or so, but I can absolutely taste and smell something that srikes me as floral whenever I take anything with acetaminophen. Lilacs from my childhood is the closest scent. Or Flonase nasal spray I tried for a bit as a kid (except Flonase was just like shoving a lilac bouquet into your sinus cavity!). Most of my sense of taste and smell relies on memory so most new foods don’t taste like much and some smells may just feel like someone pushing on my third eye. That’s it. About 10 years or so ago I noticed the taste and smell with acetaminophen so I know it’s not a memory _smell_ but something mistranslated by the brain not linked to a memory of the pill. Some ideas about my loss of smell are: 1. truly giant nasal polyps that are so big they startle seasoned ENT’s 2. a deviated septum that was discovered, but never corrected before the polyps came along 3. or my mismanagement of an under active thyroid. I hope this adds something to the discussion. Good luck guys! ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/28 "2018-09-10T23:12:12Z")
Huh, I guess Tylenol _does_ do something after all. ---
**Author:** ![Chris48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@Chris48](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris48)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/29 "2019-03-17T02:11:06Z")
It’s strange for me when I take eztabs the red coated ones with in 15 minutes I can smell the drug go through me. It sounds stupid but it’s like the smell of bacon or hardwood burning! I agree with the one person it’s like they smell roses I can relate to that! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/30 "2019-03-17T03:52:45Z")
Wow! How many times can a zombie thread be revived? This many! It’s something I had never heard of either, not with APAP anyway. I’ll ask some colleagues if they have. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/31 "2019-03-17T05:44:10Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Wow! How many times can a zombie thread be revived? This many! Who knew that acetaminophen was the active ingredient in zombie cucumber? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/32 "2019-03-17T21:32:11Z")
I put the call out on Facebook and got feedback from a couple of pharmacists, an RN, and a few other people. They hadn’t experienced it, and none had heard of this side effect, which of course doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Amber9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Amber9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber9)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/33 "2019-05-17T02:15:34Z")
I can also smell my I.V. when it starts. It is very similar to the smell of the tylenol when it hits my bloodstream. I don’t know what’s in a standard I.V. drip but whatever it is has a similar olfactory effect on me. Has anyone else experienced this? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/34 "2019-05-17T05:01:11Z")
I also experienced that “IV smell” when I had surgery in 2017. It was accompanied by a few seconds of something that felt like nasal stuffiness, and then it passed. ---
**Author:** ![jukesdukes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@jukesdukes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jukesdukes)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/35 "2019-07-25T20:18:54Z")
YES. I came here because this Tylenol thing has bothered me since I was a teenager. And I totally get the IV taste in my mouth, too. I have heard that if you put garlic between your toes you can taste it in your mouth pretty quickly (it was a demonstration to show how skincare products we use pretty much permeate our body). But I am still super curious what it is about Tylenol & IV’s…and not, say, Ibuprofen…that causes this. ---
**Author:** ![40below](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/51bf81/32.png) [@40below](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/40below)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/36 "2019-07-25T20:26:32Z")
Count me in on this one. I HATE acetaminophen because of the smell. As soon as it hits my tongue, I smell something both sicky sweet and almost astringent, and it takes a few minutes to fade. I remember it from a young age and it hasn’t changed, but I’ve never mentioned it to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![clayton-sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@clayton-sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton-sjc)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/37 "2019-08-26T13:58:47Z")
greetings from brazil! i saw this thread and had to reply to it… i have the same problem since childhood. every time i take dipyrone, which is a very popular painkiller here in brazil, i taste and smell something like garlic or some kind of condiment in the water… it’s very uncomfortable, because no one wants do drink water that tastes like garlic, right? it’s nauseating… especially in the shower, where the smell is almost unbearable! i read somewhere a doctor saying that it has to do with the chemical reactions between the molecules in the meds and the ones in our noses or something… another doctor said it’s because this particular medicine affects the nervous system… i dont know if anyone really have an answer for this. i just think it’s funny how “some” people around the world have this problem while others think we’re crazy! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/38 "2019-08-26T17:48:12Z")
> [@clayton-sjc](#): > > greetings from brazil! > > i saw this thread and had to reply to it… i have the same problem since childhood. every time i take dipyrone, which is a very popular painkiller here in brazil, i taste and smell something like garlic or some kind of condiment in the water… it’s very uncomfortable, because no one wants do drink water that tastes like garlic, right? it’s nauseating… especially in the shower, where the smell is almost unbearable! > i read somewhere a doctor saying that it has to do with the chemical reactions between the molecules in the meds and the ones in our noses or something… another doctor said it’s because this particular medicine affects the nervous system… i dont know if anyone really have an answer for this. i just think it’s funny how “some” people around the world have this problem while others think we’re crazy! :eek::eek::eek: OMG, please don’t take that stuff anymore! It was outlawed here because it can cause your immune system to crash. Are people really using it commonly there?!? > [@](#): > > [Metamizole - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamizole) > Metamizole or dipyrone, is a painkiller, spasm reliever and fever reliever. Like ibuprofen, it has anti-inflammatory effects. It is most commonly given by mouth or by injection.[2][5] > > Although it is available over-the-counter in some countries, it is prescription or banned in other countries, due to its potential for adverse events, including agranulocytosis.[6] It is in the ampyrone sulfonate family of medicines. > > It was patented in 1922.[7] It was first used medically in Germany under the brandname “Novalgin” and for many years it was available over-the-counter in most countries, until its toxicities became apparent.[8] Metamizole is marketed under various trade names.[4][1] > [@](#): > > [Agranulocytosis - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agranulocytosis) > > Agranulocytosis, also known as agranulosis or granulopenia, is an acute condition involving a severe and dangerous leukopenia (lowered white blood cell count), most commonly of neutrophils, and thus causing a neutropenia in the circulating blood.[1][2] It is a severe lack of one major class of infection-fighting white blood cells. People with this condition are at very high risk of serious infections due to their suppressed immune system. ---
**Author:** ![clayton-sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@clayton-sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton-sjc)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/39 "2019-08-26T19:13:26Z")
wow, i never heard about this before! it is very popular here, this drug, it’s even given for free by the government… thank you for the information, i’d only take it every now and then to help with headaches, but now, never again! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626/40 "2019-08-26T20:25:30Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > :eek::eek::eek: > OMG, please don’t take that stuff anymore! It was outlawed here because it can cause your immune system to crash. Are people really using it commonly there?!? I have seen that stuff all over Turkey and the Middle East. Over the counter. No, I didn’t try it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intranasal-odor-of-acetaminophen/216626.md?page=3)