Comments on: Ammonia-Scented Sweat?

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:40:28 +0000

I do have a question for everyone though that I just thought of. Last weekend, I started to get very watery eyes which I have never had before. I chalked it up to maybe something in the air outside, but wonder now if it could be related to the ammonia smell after sweating. Anyone else have this issue as well? Thnaks!

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:54:16 +0000

I am glad that I came across this site as well. I have been smelling the ammonia for the past few weeks only and during a pretty intense elliptical workout. As soon as I begin to sweat which is about 7 minutes in, I start to smell it. After reading all the posts and suggested articles, I am somewhat relieved but will still mention this to my doc on my next visit.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:19 +0000

The smell of ammonia is very prominent in cancer patients, just go visit a cancer ward.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:43:12 +0000

Helpful information in all the comments. I have experienced the same thing after a long and intense workout. I eat too many carbs but I still get this smell. I'm a fatty trying to lose weight and doing it quickly by exercising and lowering calories to 1800/day. I have had higher than normal blood creatinine levels for several years, high enough to be classified by my Dr. as having moderate kidney disease. However, I don't have any other kidney problems.

The link of ammonia to protein and amino acids concerned me enough to contact my MD and nutritionist. They suggested adding carbs before exercise to eliminate the smell and that I shouldn't be concerned by it. What doesn't make sense is why my body wouldn't use fat for energy. This is really what I'm after. Adding carbs to supply energy during my workout seems counter-productive when I'm trying to lose weight and burn fat.

By: tonya

tonya — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:16:58 +0000

I have ammonia just in the nostrils with no exercise. I’m just getting off work when I smelled it. It could be stress. I also have sinus problems and have been taking prednisone for years. After reading all the posts I feel reassured that it is a normal body alert mechanism. I thought is was something in my house like toxic gas. Whew!

By: daniel

daniel — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:31:06 +0000

This thread has made me feel a little better. I too have experienced this after a long run with a sprint finish. It happend in the shower. Smell/taste was in nostrals. I did not do a proper cool down and went directly to the shower. I also felt faint. Had to step out of the shower to sit on the toilet for a moment. I got up and looked in bathroom mirror and my face was pale. made the 911 call- figured i was stroking out! all cardiac test negative for any problem. I think my problem was 2 fold…1: no cool down- when running intensely arteries open up wide to supply more oxygen to leg muscles. When you stop your heart rate slows faster than these arteries close causing bood to pool in the legs and causes a loss of blood pressure. 2: i had burned up all carbs and hit the protein hard in the sprint. i also think the stress theory could have some merit.could have something to do hormones released— just too much crap in the blood for the kidneys to deal with. loved the alien post…..LOL….run like you stole it!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:26:27 +0000

Post 158 caught my eye–from Rachael who has hives and rashes after intense workouts. I have the same thing happen to me sometimes after aerobic exercise, but sometimes it’s so severe that it affects my breathing. My eyes, lips, mouth, and even armpits swell up and I have huge hives and welts on my upper torso. My peak flow drops from 350 to 100 in a matter of minutes. I hit it hard with albuterol and pray–trying to decide whether to call 9-1-1 [which I actually had to do once]. This has been happening to me to varying degrees for over three years. It doesn’t happen every time I exercise, and it doesn’t seem to be related to the time of year, or whether I’m indoors or outdoors, or whether I’ve eaten breakfast or not before I go–the only “constant” is a minimum of 15 minutes of aerobic exercise [except the one time it happened to a mild degree when I drank a cup of HOT WATER]. I’ve tried pre-medicating w/Benadryl or Zyrtec; doesn’t help. I tried taking Singulair–didn’t help. I have noticed the ammonia smell in the shower during these episodes, but I can’t recall whether I’ve smelled ammonia every time I’ve had a reaction–or whether I’ve smelled ammonia when I DIDN’T have a reaction. I am a 48-year-old woman who has been physically active since my teens. From my research, this is a real condition called exercise-induced analphylaxis. My allergist says we will probably never figure out what the problem is—so just carry an Epi-pen and work out with a buddy. I can’t believe there’s not a scientific explanation for my body’s antihistamine reaction to some chemical generated in my system during exercise! This MUST have something to do with body chemistry changes caused by the mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise I’m getting. What chemicals are generated that are rising to a concentrated-enough level during my workouts to cause an antihistamine reaction? I have a PhD in chemical engineering but I don’t have education and training in all the metabolic processes, chemical reactions, and associated products and by-products induced by exercise. I want to run again—so I thank you for any insight you can provide!

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:00:19 +0000

My boyfriend’s workout clothes after a 30 minute intense spin session smell so strongly from ammonia that I thought my cats peed on them. They hadn’t cuz his clothes had never been brought to my house yet!

So as time went on, he did his laundry at my house. As I feared, my cats smelled them in my laundry basket and recently did pee on it to mark it with their scent. This was AFTER they were washed and dried in the dryer. Even though I hadn’t smelled it on his clothes after they were supposedly “clean”, the cats with their keen sense of smell could smell the ammonia/urine-like odor.

I noticed that he often didn’t allow the clothes to dry completely before putting them in his hamper, which I believed would cause bacteria/mold to proliferate and grow each time the clothes became wet again. Mold is difficult to move w/o bleach and we all know we don’t want to bleach our good workout clothes! So, I’ve come across a possible solution, and will post back to this site later after experimenting.

I’m going to try Odormute, which can be purchased on Amazon.com or in a local petstore. Odor Mute C – concentrate is a blend of natural enzymes that eliminates organic odors by chemically changing the source of odors including urine, feces, and skunk. Effective on all pet and animal odors. Concentrated-mix to the strength needed;

Personally, I have found Odormute to work better than any other cat urine remover, and I’ve tried several over the years — just check out the Amazon reviews. Just add a couple of tablespoons to a cup of warm water and stir to mix thoroughly for 5 minutes (per the instructions), then add to a full WARM load of clothes in the washer. Let it mix and then sit for a few hours, then let it run its cycle. Whether or not you put the clothes in the dryer has no effect which I’m sure will make many happy who do not want their expensive workout clothes superheated in a dryer.

If you have pet problems w/ carpeting as well, or a lot of clothes that you want treated, it would be most economical to buy the 5 pound size for $39.95, as this stuff goes fast. I cannot stress how great this stuff works on cat urine. I’ve had pet soiled clothes that sat for weeks until I found them, and after using this stuff, they were completely devoid of all smells and the cats never bothered the clothing again. I bet allergy sufferers would find this stuff a Godsend.

I haven’t tried it yet on his clothes, but will be doing so as soon as my Amazon order arrives,.. as I don’t want my cats making the laundry basket their new litterbox … AND! I do want my boyfriend to feel comfortable doing the laundry at my house whenever he wants! , especially since he does my laundry for me too!! What a guy!!

He’s also going to try eating/drinking some carbs before his workout as he works out on an empty stomach usually and doing the peroxide bath I’ll post next about.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:24:22 +0000

I used to be overweight and have slowly lost the weight over a 5 year period. I am now in excellent shape and have noticed the smell recently in my clothing. My husband smells it too. I drink tea all day. Mostly white tea and herbal tea as well as green tea, but the caffeine levels are fairly low. I think I am very well hydrated. I eat a very high fiber diet including lots of fruits and vegetables and I do eat carbs, just not the starchy kinds. A few years my cat actually did pee in my opened gym bag so recently I suspected my cat had repeated his episode. It wasn’t so. I was wearing a sports bra that I had not washed. I had only walked the day before (5.5 miles). I didn’t think there was much sweat. I notice the smell to be worst in my dirty jog bras. I have a suspicion that since you aren’t supposed to put them in the dryer (intense heat should kill the bacteria) that there are lot of bacteria living in my jog bras despite being frequently washed. I am wondering if new bras will solve the problem. I am wondering if people are using underarmour or other work out gear and washing it and not drying it in the dryer. I tend to doubt I am breaking down muscle tissue. I am very muscular and have never felt better or more fit. I eat an apple every day and that makes no difference.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:55:06 +0000

I have it too once in a while. Typically after a hard workout but I only smell it briefly in the shower. I was hoping to confirm the anwser on this site but I see we are all still in the dark with no real conclusive answers.

For what it's worth, my brother mentioned that a by-product of poor oxygen breakdown is ammonia.