# Tell Me About Smelling Salts **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 15, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893 "2022-04-15T20:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/41 "2022-04-17T15:26:49Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > I’ve seen them used in a gym within the last decade. > > > Smelling salts work for powerlifters for the same reason they awaken the unconscious. When you sniff a smelling salt, you’re inhaling a small amount of ammonia gas, which irritates the membranes of your nose and lungs, eliciting an “[inhalation reflex](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579444/).” That reflex triggers an increase in your breathing rate, which causes your heart rate to jump. That, in turn, stimulates your body’s “fight-or-flight” response, causing the release of adrenaline, a hormone that enhances gross motor skills (like lifting) and causes an acute uptick in focus and alertness. In short, it turbocharges the body. > [@romansperson](#): > > The shock of smelling them is unlikely to evoke an adrenaline response strong and long-lasting enough to be truly effective with weightlifting, but if someone _believes_ it helps, that belief is enough for them to continue using them. According to powerlifters and the like, you get about 15 seconds of an adrenaline boost. I had a chance to try it once, in a competition but - having never done it - I realized that I had no idea what my reaction would be. I could end up being there, in front of a hundred people, with burning red eyes going through sneezing fits, snot flying everywhere, etc. and overall causing a big scene in the middle of the event, just to try and get that extra 10 pounds - which I still might not do. If I ever do try it, I suppose that I’ll have to update the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/42 "2022-04-17T15:39:36Z")
There are many possible reasons to briefly rouse someone who is unconscious. It helps with diagnosis, ruling out some nasties. It helps you decide whether they need help breathing, or will in the near future. It can provide assurance to anesthetists and families. I am convinced snelling salts can be a noxious stimulus that does this. I am less convinced it is better or easier than many other stimuli (injecting water into an ear, flicking fingers, etc.). It is not clear to me about boosting athletic performance - adrenaline is often already elevated in competition. But it is cheap to try; they don’t cost much. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/43 "2022-04-18T11:16:51Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > There are many possible reasons to briefly rouse someone who is unconscious. Yes, and when this is necessary, you shake them by the shoulder and see if they wake up. If they don’t, the next step is the AVPU assessment, and the next step is vitals and EEG and further diagnostic. If they are really _that_ far gone, you don’t wave noxious and possibly injurious Victorian-era smelling salts in their airway. It won’t help, and it may harm them in ways you don’t understand (because they’re too unconscious to tell you what’s wrong). Like maybe they have asthma or a respiratory illness, but they’re too unconscious to tell you that ammonia could trigger worse symptoms. The only legitimate medical use for smelling salts (that I can conceive) is during a medical procedure where the patient is expected to faint due to trauma-related shock, but they need to be a conscious participant for whatever reason. Perhaps the patient needs to hold their body in a certain position, but some visible bleeding is expected, and they are known to faint at the sight of blood. Maybe in a very uniquely contrived situation like that. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/44 "2022-04-18T15:05:04Z")
@HMS_Irruncible I think reviving a woman who has just given birth and is visiting the toilet for the first time and faints, might possibly be an instance when smelling salts are indicated. That mini burst of adrenaline is enough to push her blood pressure up enough so she can return to the world of the living. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/45 "2022-04-18T15:31:27Z")
I was hanging out in a friend’s tattoo shop years ago. A couple came in for matching small tribal calf pieces. The woman had hers done, everything went fine. Then the guy got his piece done, things didn’t go fine. Every time the needle touched him he passed out. He said it was the heat, so we set up a fan blowing directly on him. Each time he fainted his gf would massage his shoulders and talk softly until he recovered. The third or forth time he fainted, the artist slapped him across the face, _hard_. He came to and my friend told him, “I’m through fucking around with you. Pass out again and you can get the fuck outa my shop”. He stayed awake for the rest (15 minutes) of the piece, too afraid to faint. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/46 "2022-04-18T15:59:32Z")
> [@CRhode](#): > > It was a grizzly job for me. One summer I was helping the neighbors during planting, and the son, about my age (22 at the time) was knifing anhydrous. There was a leak in the hose, but did he fix it? No! He just found a length of hose and stuck it out the cab window as far from the leak as he could and breathed through it. Not all farmers are the brightest. On the other hand, he’s still alive with all his fingers\*, as far as I know. \* as a kid, I would meet some old farmers with missing fingers. It wasn’t as rare as you’d think.They tried unclogging a corn picker without turning it off. More than one farmer! Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/47 "2022-04-18T16:04:02Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > That mini burst of adrenaline is enough to push her blood pressure up enough so she can return to the world of the living. Smelling salts have nothing to do with adrenaline, they do not manipulate blood pressure, that’s just a gym-rat urban legend. People observed that it wakes people up and misinterpret that as some kind of Red Bull effect when it’s really just the pain of getting a hit of ammonia up the snout. > [@VOW](#): > > I think reviving a woman who has just given birth and is visiting the toilet for the first time and faints, might possibly be an instance when smelling salts are indicated. Everyone in this thread might find interest in this [memo from the State of Michigan HHS](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a87321b4c326d5322140250/t/5b6c440d1ae6cfd6fd9a95b0/1533821965542/2016-04+-+MDHHS+Position+on+Ammonia+Inhalants+-+09-26-16.pdf) concerning inhalants. Relevant bullet points as to why their EMS is directed _not_ to use inhalants _at all_: > [@](#): > > - The use of ammonia inhalants has been considered punitive and/or harmful in many instances. > - There is no approved use for ammonia inhalants to treat a medical condition. Patients suffering from head injuries, shock or strokes may also withdraw from the noxious stimulus. > - Ammonia can worsen pre-existing respiratory conditions. > - There are other hazards associated…The violent physical response to ammonia may > compromise the integrity of the spinal canal in patients with potential cord injury. The wild and > forceful motions of the extremities may also pose challenges to patient and caregiver safety…Ammonia use may also produce coughing, nausea and vomiting which can increase the risk of aspiration in patients with an impaired gag reflex.” (JEMS, 2004) > - Regardless of the reason a patient may be “pretending” to be unconscious, there is generally a medical or behavioral health reason, and all patients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Bledsoe, 2008) > - Ammonia can be harmful and in some cases fatal. It is not an innocuous agent. (Bledsoe, 2008) > - There is no indication for the use of ammonia inhalants in either the State of Michigan protocols or the National Model EMS Clinical Guidelines. (National Association of State EMS Officials, 2014) In conclusion, smelling salts/ammonia inhalants are _clearly_ bunk. It’s a strongly persistent folk legend with no legitimate medical use, and should be avoided. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/48 "2022-04-18T16:10:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > The third or forth time he fainted, the artist slapped him across the face, _hard_ . He came to and my friend told him, “I’m through fucking around with you. Pass out again and you can get the fuck outa my shop”. I don’t understand the point of any of this. Guy faints while getting a tattoo. So what? Let him faint. He’s not operating the tattoo gun, he’s not driving a forklift. In the movies, every unconscious person needs to be smacked back into alertness, but that’s not real life. In real life we elevate their feet and keep them comfortable until they can be evacuated. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/49 "2022-04-18T16:14:05Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Guy faints while getting a tattoo. So what? Let him faint. Not as simple as you make it sound. You need to stay still while being inked. When the guy fainted his leg was no longer in position for the work being done and he was moving involuntarily. Plus his gf was freaking out. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/50 "2022-04-18T19:42:39Z")
I don’t remember the nature of the call but many years ago we used it on an unresponsive female. My partner got out the vial, held it away from her body & snapped it open with that hand (just the way one is supposed to)…then started jumping up & down while uttering a blue streak of four-letter words; seems she had a small cut on her finger that she didn’t realize/forgot about & some got in the wound causing much shock at the (temporary) & unexpected pain. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/51 "2022-04-19T07:48:38Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > In conclusion, smelling salts/ammonia inhalants are _clearly_ bunk. It’s a strongly persistent folk legend with no legitimate medical use, and should be avoided. What does this mean? According to every response in this thread smelling salts do exactly what they are supposed to do, wake you up with a burst of energy. Maybe it has not legitimate medical use and should be avoided, but smelling salts are not a folk legend. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/52 "2022-04-19T10:17:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > What does this mean? According to every response in this thread smelling salts do exactly what they are supposed to do, wake you up with a burst of energy. Maybe it has not legitimate medical use and should be avoided, but smelling salts are not a folk legend. When something is suggested with no citation except “everyone is saying”, that’s pretty much the definition of a folk legend. People see smelling salts used to “wake someone up” and intuit that it’s a stimulant, like a shot of Red Bull. But it isn’t. It’s an aversion response to a mildly toxic irritant. I posted a cite above from a medical authority detailing why smelling salt treatment is no longer considered appropriate. However, nobody will be posting any cites from any medical authority saying it’s a stimulant or it’s a recommended treatment for anything, because it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/53 "2022-04-19T10:52:15Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I posted a cite above from a medical authority detailing why smelling salt treatment is no longer considered appropriate. However, nobody will be posting any cites from any medical authority saying it’s a stimulant or it’s a recommended treatment for anything, because it isn’t. Your cites explain why it is no longer recommended, primarily because of potential negative reactions. That ammonia inhalers can wake an unconscious person is undisputed. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/54 "2022-04-19T11:08:53Z")
It is stimulating like taking a big bite of wasabi or onion or pure mustard is stimulating (feel free to try those to see what I mean, safer than sniffing ammonia). I doubt anyone supposes it is like injecting crystal meth. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/55 "2022-04-19T11:56:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Your cites explain why it is no longer recommended, primarily because of potential negative reactions. That ammonia inhalers can wake an unconscious person is undisputed. I don’t dispute that it can wake someone who is unconscious. As I’ve said repeatedly, I dispute that it’s medically recommended or necessary, and I dispute the gym-rat folklore that it provides any meaningful autonomic stimulation or “boost” or “focus” like a shot of Red Bull. > [@DPRK](#): > > I doubt anyone supposes it is like injecting crystal meth. Scan this thread for mentions of “adrenaline”. It’s a common myth among professional athletes, and people repeat it uncritically. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/56 "2022-04-19T14:41:29Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I don’t dispute that it can wake someone who is unconscious. As I’ve said repeatedly, I dispute that it’s medically recommended or necessary, and I dispute the gym-rat folklore that it provides any meaningful autonomic stimulation or “boost” or “focus” like a shot of Red Bull. I have never heard of folklore that says smelling salts are medically necessary. Red Bull is full of caffeine and other junk you ingest, so any energy boost associated with it is not at all related to how smelling salts work. I agree the idea that an adrenaline rush that provides enhanced strength from the use is off base but I’m pretty sure anything that affects the body like smelling salts do will provide some additional adrenaline. And as I mentioned that will help an athlete get focused, which is why they use it. So once again, smelling salts are not ‘bullshit’ or ‘bunk’. They do exactly what is described here and there is no folklore involved. They have had been used for medical purposes in the past and medicine is not simply limited to procedures that are ‘medically necessary’, a term of art used by and determined by doctors. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/57 "2022-04-19T14:55:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I agree the idea that an adrenaline rush that provides enhanced strength from the use is off base but I’m pretty sure anything that affects the body like smelling salts do will provide some additional adrenaline. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t provide any additional adrenaline whatsoever, not unless you use enough ammonia to actually injure the person. Stimulus avoidance is a neurological reflex, not an autonomic response. > [@](#): > > And as I mentioned that will help an athlete get focused, which is why they use it. They use it because they _think_ it helps them gets focused. The reason for this belief is because they saw it used by professional boxers, who actually do have a legitimate need to go in and out of light unconsciousness. From that observation they wrongly inferred that smelling salts boost performance. The practices of athletes don’t demonstrate anything except the fact that they are voracious consumers of both science and pseudoscience. They will uncritically imitate anything they see or hear that is said to increase performance, with little thought to whether or why it actually works. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/58 "2022-04-19T15:42:54Z")
[Understanding the effect of pain and how the human body responds](https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/pain-management/understanding-the-effect-of-pain-and-how-the-human-body-responds-26-02-2018/#:~:text=Adrenaline%2C%20noradrenaline%20and%20cortisol,production%20of%20adrenocorticotrophin%20(ACTH).) > [@](#): > > Pain triggers a response in the amygdala, which drives the hypothalamus to produce corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH); this is transmitted to the anterior pituitary gland, where it activates the SNS and stimulates the production of adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH). The SNS also stimulates the adrenal medulla to release adrenaline and noradrenaline, which have various effects (Table 2). First entry in Table 2 for the effect on the brain states the result is ‘Heightened awareness’. Adrenaline, focus. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/59 "2022-04-20T15:02:47Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It is stimulating like taking a big bite of wasabi or onion or pure mustard is stimulating (feel free to try those to see what I mean, safer than sniffing ammonia). I did exactly that with wasabi when I mistook it for miso the the poor light of the noodle house I was eating in. The effect was indeed very similar to an ammonia capsule I’d had inflicted on me as a kid except _it didn’t stop_. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893/60 "2022-04-20T15:11:00Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I did exactly that with wasabi when I mistook it for miso the the poor light of the noodle house I was eating in. The effect was indeed very similar to an ammonia capsule I’d had inflicted on me as a kid except _it didn’t stop_ . I induced a giggling fit in a young woman and a waitress when offered a cup of green tea ice cream and replied facetiously “No thanks, last time they got it mixed up with the wasabi”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-smelling-salts/962893.md?page=4)