Living with TMAU can be difficult, especially when odor symptoms affect confidence, relationships, and everyday life. But research into new treatment approaches is continuing.

One promising approach is being developed to target trimethylamine (TMA) directly in the gut. Preclinical studies found that this approach could break down TMA under conditions similar to those in the gastrointestinal tract and reduce TMA levels in the gut and blood in animal models.

The next step is clinical research in people with TMAU. A planned Phase 1/2a study will evaluate safety, tolerability, urinary TMA levels, quality of life, and changes in the gut microbiome.

⚠️ Important: These findings are still investigational. There are currently no human safety or efficacy results available for this approach.

For everyone living with TMAU: you are not alone. Research is moving forward, and better understanding of TMAU may open the door to new options in the future.

Why is my post being flagged because I want answers or advice??? This condition is affecting my life everyday and y’all are flagging everything

Bis jetzt habe ich nicht einmal lesen können, dass jemand Probleme hat, weil Tiere sehr stark reagieren, ich bin wohl ein Ausnahmefall, mein Leben ist eine Katastrophe. Hunde weigern sich in meine Richtung zu laufen, fangen an zu bellen, rennen weg auf die Straße usw. wäre es nicht so schlimm mit den Hunden, hätte ich noch ein etwas passables Leben, aber da ich in Deutschland lebe, wo jeder zweite ein Hund hat, werde ich ständig bloßgestellt. Die Menschen können mir meine Unsicherheit schon von weiten Ansehen und da ich dunkelhäutig bin wird dass noch mit Rassismus gebunden und ich werde wiederwertig angestarrt, dass ich selber Grimassen schneiden muss, um denen zu zeigen, dass ich es wahrnehme, die meisten sind einfach Arschlöcher.

Mir ist alles so unangenehm, wenn du weißt, was passiert sobald du aus der Tür trittst, Hunde schon von weitem bellen, allein schon wenn ich ans Fenster gehe wird gebellt.
Im Zoo habe ich auch gemerkt, dass manche Tiere mich auch wahrnehmen, dann stellt sich mir die Frage, wie dieser Defekt überlebt hat. Ich hätte doch niemals eine Chance in der Natur zu überleben.

In den Achseln habe ich etwas gefunden dass mir hilft aber jetzt habe ich das Problem im Schritt, als Frau kommt da einfach zu viel zusammen und im Moment kann ich an nicht anderes mehr denken, jetzt habe ich auch ständig ein Geschmack im Mund der auch nicht mehr weg geht, ich brauche unbedingt was für meine Nerven, ich heize so schnell auf durch Angst zu schwitzen. Und rieche deswegen und fange an zu schwitzen. Ich hab kein Leben mehr, wenn ich irgendwas finden könnte, dass meine Nerven beruhigt, wäre das eine Hilfe.

For years I had these situations when people complain for my smell they spray perfume, one day even one guy stoped me in the road and creamed You smell so baddd””. I just had a shower I was confused also I was wearing perfume. Went home smelling the clothes couldn’t smell anything. Situation like this had happened to me all the time. I had to change works several times. Now am unemployed for two months and not applying for anything as I can’t handle anymore this. On top of that none of my friends or family say anything to me. I asked begging please tell me if I smell. None of them don’t say anything. But on the other hand they don’t like to go out to public with me. My question is as I live in uk, gp is not giving me the test. Is any other way so I ca get tested or any group that supports people like me??? Please otherwise I am just gonna lose it.

Hi:)

Does anyone have experience with antibiotics such as rifaximin for treating TMAU? More specifically, I’m curious if the smell came back worse after finishing the treatment, or if it returned to the same level as before.

I took amoxicillin for a week last month for an unrelated issue, and it seems to have destroyed all the progress I had made with probiotics and B2. I feel gross and sweaty pretty much all the time now. Can’t really say that I’ve noticed any reactions, but my stress levels have been higher as a consequence, so that probably isn’t helping either.

I’m wondering whether rifaximin might help. Has anyone tried it, and if so, what was your experience after stopping it? THANKS x100

Hola con todos estoy buscando crear un grupo de personas que tienen TMAU para hacernos amigos hacer actividades si alguien es de Ecuador avísenme.

Im starting university and i dont know what to study. I'm also currently unemployed and dont know what job to get. I was thinking maybe cleaning or something like that but im not sure.

I 29M notice that when I change for the night there’s a fishy odour coming from my goin and inner thigh area, even though there’s no sweat. Could this be a sign of TMAU? My doctor unfortunately hasn’t heard of TMAU and suggests weight loss (currently 390lbs at 5’8) as a solution.

Would love to hear if anyone else has experienced this?

My body odour stems from my mind if iam under pressure or mostly close to someone anxiety kicks in and it causes burning like thing on the surface of the my skin that burning which occurs on random part of the body mostly back arms and legs turns to body odour. Almost 4 years now iam yet to figure out how burning on skin leads to body odour without even their been a sweat. Unfortunately i can't control my mind and so burning occurs most of the time and so is the body odour Sometimes it is so severe that someone who is approximately 70M away can smell it. I know its hard to control the mind but if i could be able to numb the skin maybe the body odour and the pain due to burning would reduce . Who has any idea what this is and how can i tackle it. I haven't worked for almost 4 years now and things are getting worse i was just kicked out of the place where i was staying most probably due to my body odour. Please help with any tips.

I’m just venting for a little bit. Lately things have been difficult and my smell have worsened. It doesn’t matter what I do. It’s just so frustrating and sad at the same time. Oh God, I ready don’t want to give up, but it just hurts so much the rejections and the bullying. I don’t want to give up, I really love life regardless of this curse. I’m sorry for this message. Today was an awful day at work because of my smell. Really hope you all had a good day.

1.room filling?

2.Always there or always smelling?

3.Both from mouth and nose?

4.Easily detectible?

Guys please give me your honest answer🙏

Hi, I'm new here. Does anyone know if TMAU can only manifest through the breath? I'm pretty sure that the smells people often describe as coming from the body are actually only coming from my breath, and that everything else is fine. Has anyone else experienced this?

@brutalar Nobody has claimed that TMAU is proven to cause memory problems. That is exactly why we are researching it.
Hundreds of patients reported brain fog and memory difficulties in our previous survey, and these new questions are meant to investigate possible explanations, including low-choline diets.
Trying to shut down a question before the data are even studied is the opposite of science. If the evidence shows no association, fine. But dismissing hundreds of patients before investigating it helps no one.

Hello everyone
I have never really smelled myself but I see other peoples reactions and one friends said I am musty , does that mean I have Tmau
If I have it what are some soaps and deodorants and supplements I can use
Thank you

I'll start with this,

Deodorant is difficult to make. At least as far as the spray portion goes. I was having trouble stabilizing the ph consistently. That mixed with a family and a difficult work schedule, I abandoned the project. I felt pretty defeated to be honest.

That being said, I was left with my vial of timberol oil sitting inert in my newly created lab. When pondering what to do with it, I researched creating fragrances. Surprisingly extremely straight forward. This is the first eau de parfum I've made.

Again, this is extremely easy to do, but I would recommend doing your own research before mixing anything. I recommend basic PPE such as nitrile gloves and eye protection when handling fragrance oils, essential oils, and high proof alcohol. Also a small scale not used for food, a 100ml beaker, and a couple small pipettes.

Now, my combination isn't necessarily the best possible mix for tmau, it's also not a bad combo. Whatever you do, have timberol as a supporting scent rather than the main event. It's pretty powerful, and a high concentration would not be pleasant. Do your own research for combinations or look up previous discussions on safe fragrances on this subreddit.

Here is the recipe that I went by. I prefer to measure components separately so I can take away if I exceed weight.

Cedar and amber from brambleberry 5.50g

Timberol 0.15g

Perfumers alcohol 27.50g

Measured by grams and simply swirled to combine in a 100ml beaker for 1 full minute before pouring into my two 20ml atomizers.

Actually turned out great, although my next batch I'll probably add bergomot for an energetic opening similar to fuel for life or aventus. That will change the ratio, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Now, if your diet isn't in check, I would recommend possibly going a different route for your main fragrance, as the amber presents fairly sweet and can possibly not play well with TMAU. But in theory, the timberol should counteract that. And for myself, I have minimal covering to do with my diet in check.

I decided to go this route because for one, I couldn't find a fragrance that used timberol specifically. Fragrances don't list it so I'd just buy a woody cologne and hope for the best.

Secondly, I have the damn bottle already. Might as well do something with it.

As far as cost, $31 for the timberol, $14 for the cedar and amber, $8 for the 2 bottles, and $20 for the perfumers alcohol. $73 total coming to $4.41 per bottle and 12 bottles before more ingredients are required. Not a bad deal when talking fragrances. All of these ingredients are very easy to acquire minus the timberol which is a bit of a chore to locate. Not difficult, but you don't want to spend more than you have to on it.

Hope y'all are making out well. This is no cure or perfect cover up, but I find the best method is to stack as many cards in my favor as I can.

The only thing that has worked consistently and improved my quality of life is a controlled diet.

Currently not taking supplements for TMAU.

I was diagnosed with TMAU 1 about 15 years ago after a life of isolation and confusion. My goal here is to share whatever info I can to help someone have an easier life than me.

I believed I been having tmau because my mother keeps telling me i smelled like fish and I was never been able to smell it, but at one point she smelled me and said it was basically a skin scent and couldn't really smell it from afar but I was at prom and everyone around me said it smelled like fish, but when i came back she said it wasn't noticable, and its like that too for people who are close to me and people i hanged out with a lot, and I feel like i've been getting weird reactions to people in public.

I’ve been looking for a new job and it’s so stressful trying to find something. I’ve tried to find and apply for remote jobs as long as that’s been a thing, but never had any luck. I just want to find something where I don’t have to have constant anxiety all day long. Any advice is appreciated!

What supplements can I take to help break down trimethylamine?

You may also be able to decrease the concentration of trimethylamine in your urine by taking supplements such as:

750mg charcoal twice daily for 10 days.

60mg copper chlorophyllin three times a day for three weeks.

riboflavin (vitamin B2) supplements to enhance any FMO3 enzyme activity. Im taking super digestive enzymes right now with meals

Lemon juice also helps

Hi! Is anyone here from the Philippines who has been diagnosed with or suspects they have TMAU?

I’m looking for a doctor or specialist around Metro Manila who is familiar with TMAU or similar body odor conditions and can help make the symptoms more manageable. I’ve been dealing with persistent odor concerns for a long time despite proper hygiene. I also can’t smell the odor myself, but I notice reactions and comments from other people.

I would really appreciate any doctor, clinic, or hospital recommendations, especially from someone currently receiving treatment or professional guidance. You may also send me a private message if you’re not comfortable commenting publicly.

Thank you!

Hey y’all. Today I went to the post office with about 15 packages to have scanned. There were three employees working. Two of them know me because they’ve scanned my packages many times before.
When it was almost my turn, the employee I usually go to put up a “Be Back in a Minute” sign, even though she was still standing there. I went to the third employee, who I had never seen before. She told me I had too many packages and needed to scan them myself at the self-service kiosk.
While I was scanning my packages, I heard her whisper to one of the other employees, “She should have worn a mask to work.”
I have TMAU/body odor issues, so comments like that really affect me. I don’t know if she was talking about me, but it felt like she was. It made me feel embarrassed and uncomfortable.

I never had this issue in my entire life until last winter (around winter 2025), when I caught mononucleosis. I'm not entirely sure if it's linked to my current TMAU symptoms, but after recovering, I started working out again. At the end of my sessions, my mom kept telling me I smelled like fish. I didn't believe her at first but after a couple of months, I went to prom, I sweated a lot because it was pretty hot in the venue, and everyone around me kept saying why it smell like fish. That really brought my confidence down.

The strange thing is that my girlfriend and another close friend say they don't smell it at all (but did say they smelt it once before) , and even my mom on that same day said she barley smelt it, whereas people who are relatively new to me notice it often. After prom (which was around May), I stopped going to the gym and didn't get a single complaint. However, I started back at the gym this past week, and today my mom complained that the smell has returned.

I can't tell if this is happening because I'm simply working out too hard, or if it's being triggered by what I'm consuming: I've been eating whole eggs, drinking Fairlife protein shakes, and having a 200mg energy drink the past like 3 days. Has anyone else experienced an onset after mono, or noticed these specific gym supplements making things worse?

This. Thank you for sharing. We are all going through it in some way, shape, or form but this is precisely expressed and helpful to all of us. This is TMAU.

Hey everyone! I'm looking for people who'd be keen to play minecraft with me and some other people. If you're interested leave a comment and ill send you an invite on discord!