The nose knows bad meds

Forget for a minute what prescription drugs do inside the body–because certain pills can be a pain in the nose before they ever reach the mouth.

Diabetics are complaining that metformin stinks so bad they have a hard time taking it–and some people can’t even take it at all. Patients compare the odor to anything from dead fish to dirty socks.

It’s not hard to see why nausea ranks high on the list of this med’s side effects. Since another side effect is gas, some people even report belching out that awful smell.

What’s even more remarkable about this is that doctors and researchers have basically been ignoring this complaint for years. Not dismissing it–ignoring it. Researchers writing to the Annals of Internal Medicine say there’s literally nothing regarding the smell in the medical literature.

Yet it doesn’t take much hunting online to find stench complaints that go back years. Try doing a Google search for “Metformin fish smell” and you’ll turn up a few gems. One user describes it as “a combo of dead fish and wet dog” in a 2002 complaint.

Not exactly something you’d want to put into your mouth.

There’s a reason many things that taste and smell bad really are bad: Our bodies are warning us away from them. So what do you think our senses are saying about this drug? I’ll give you a hint: You won’t find “pleasant dirty sock odor” in many wine reviews.

On the other hand, maybe this could be the start of something new–and all meds can openly advertise how bad they are with a carefully selected odor. Antidepressants could be given a litter-box scent, weight-loss drugs could reek of skunk, and statins could smell like the county dump.

But forget what drugs smell like–because it’s what they do that really matters most of all, and at the end of the day, you have options that not only smell better, but that are better for you, too.

Many diabetics find that by carefully controlling their diet and regularly exercising, they can not only control the condition… but beat it. Plenty of diabetics who’ve committed to these changes have reduced and even eliminated the need for meds and insulin.

Of course, talk to your doctor before you stop taking any med. But if you commit to those changes, then over time you could trade those awful drug odors for the sweet smell of success.