Odor Originating from Medications

All medications have side effects, but these in particular affect the patient body odor.

Excessive Sweating

Overdoses of analgesics such as aspirin and acetaminophen, some anti psychotic medications used to treat mental disorders, morphine, drugs to reduce fever, and excess doses of the thyroid hormone thyroxine can cause excessive sweating in the body. Offensive bacteria proliferate in perspiration.

Dehydration

Antihistamines/decongestants, antidepressant, anticholinergic (blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter), anorexiants (diet pills), antihypersentives (blood pressure control), anti-Parkinson agent, some antipsychotics, some birth control pills, bronchodilators (ashtma), diuretics (water pill), and sedative (sleeping pills) have dehydration as a side-effect. Dry mouth means less saliva. Less saliva means more sulphur-producing bacteria.

Candidiasis

Antibiotics, antineoplastic drugs (anticancer) and corticosteroids (asthma) promote candidiasis.

Hairy Tongue

Phenothiazines (one of a group of tranquilizing drugs) cause hairy tongue in some patients, providing an ideal environment for the aggregation of food particles and bacteria.

Halitosis

The cysteamine bitartrate has been used to treat cystinosis. Treatment with cysteamine bitartrate can delay or prevent kidney transplant in cystinosis patients. In current available form, however, cysteamine bitartrate poses unpleasant side effects: It smells and tastes like rotten eggs, consequently the patient may present halitosis and body odor. Levocarnitine treats carnithine deficiency. Common side effect: Bad taste in mouth; diarrhea; mild muscle weakness; nausea; stomach cramps; unpleasant body odor; vomiting.