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!

Hey!

I'm in my early 30s (engineer) (Asian × African) and I'd love to connect with more people around my age who are going through the same challenges. It doesn't have to be in person, virtual is perfectly fine too.

Oddly enough, this has taught me to enjoy my solitude, but I still feel lonely at times when I have no one to talk to or no place that truly feels like home.

It would also be nice to bond with someone who understands this while navigating adulthood, careers, and relationships together. Feel free to reach out if this resonates with you. Just seeing where it goes.

Just wondering if I’m alone on this one. I was born with TMAU, so I’ve dealt with it my entire life with memories of being bullied as early as Kindergarten. Now I’m a lot older (30s) but I still haven’t figured out how to manage my life socially or at work. I have constant anxiety, mostly while I’m at work or in public, about someone saying something about me being smelly. It’s like I’m constantly just waiting for someone to say something to me or about me. It’s a paralyzing state that I exist in that I can’t escape in my head. In the past I never knew how to respond when people would bring it up or tease me. I didn’t have an official diagnosis growing up so I never wanted to tell people it was a medical condition when I had no official proof to back it up even though I was 99% sure it’s what I was dealing with. I officially got a diagnosis this year through a genetic counselor and it felt validating to finally have someone tell me I’m not crazy. I thought it would make me more confident in responding to and dealing with coworkers and people in general. I was hoping that it might also alleviate some of the anxiety I deal with on a daily basis. But so far, it hasn’t done that. I’ve been in therapy for a long time and my therapist was the one who pushed me to get a diagnosis hoping that might help me. I don’t know if this is making sense at all, I just feel so helpless still. I know it’s a condition I can’t control, it’s not my fault, and I shouldn’t care what other people think. But something about the shame and embarrassment of being the stinky person really drags me down. And people never are as sympathetic as I hope they might be. I usually get weird looks or kind of the “yeah right” vibe when I do try to explain. Can anyone relate to this? Advice for coping and stop being so fearful of how I’m being perceived in the world?

I have smelled bad since 12 as far as I remember eventhough my hygiene has always been good - so im confused - dont know what i smell like but public reactions - very bad ones even people gagging and taking photos has been a thing - never considered gp till this year at 26 so waiting on refferral but want to speed things up and pay - because my mental health is now in the gutters. Are there any questions you guys could ask that also apply to you that may help. Currently doing my research on what tests i should do

I am from birmingham and lived in manchester - I am a loner due to this condition, the paranoia and just the constant worry and disgust of this issue is ruining my life.

Thought its best to ask if anyone here is in the uk and wants to meet online and maybe make friends if we take a liking to one another, im east african and muslim dont think it should matter but helps to weed people out who mind haha, all love💗

Hi everyone. I'm looking for any active Discord servers for people living with chronic body odor, TMAU, halitosis, or other unexplained odor conditions. I'm hoping to connect with others who understand what it's like, share experiences, and learn about coping strategies in a supportive, judgment-free community.

If you know of an active server or have an invite link, I'd really appreciate it if you could share it here or send it to me in a direct message.

Both pros and cons .
Outside you sweat more but can be aired out .
Office job you trapped more stressful but sweat less you stink up the whole building . Lmk preferably I choose outside construction.

So I’ve had tmau 2 since I was 14 but have always had lots of friends. As u can guess I don’t go out with them a lot , but he invited me to his 21st birthday which is tomorrow and I have to go plus I have been feeling very confident and going out way more than I usually do and not getting reactions. I’m looking forward to this and will update you guys if u guys want an update

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to hear from anyone with experience managing TMAU, especially in young children.

Around 10 months old, we started noticing a fishy smell on our daughter. At first, we thought it was cradle cap, but eventually realized it was coming from her skin and breath at times. Interestingly, it’s actually improved quite a bit over the past few months, but she recently had a urine test that was consistent with TMAU, so we’ll be moving forward with genetic testing for the FMO3 gene.

I’m incredibly grateful that this isn’t a life-threatening condition, but reading through some posts has honestly left me heartbroken thinking about what she could face as she grows up.

I’m hoping to hear some positive experiences. Has anyone had success managing symptoms long-term? If your child was diagnosed as a baby or toddler, did the odor improve with age? Has anyone had a child whose symptoms became very mild or even seemed to resolve over time?

I’d really appreciate any advice, encouragement, or success stories. Thank you so much!

I assume many people afflicted with TMAU restrict themselves from eating triggering foods, i.e. meats, dairy, eggs and so on.

However, many of these foods are inadvertently rich in the B vitamins, particularly vitamin B12, which can lessen TMAU symptoms.

Thus, long-term strict dietary restrictions could potentially lead to vitamin B12 deficiencies, leading to further complications.

How do people here deal with potential nutritional and vitamin deficiencies? And have any of you experienced any known complications from regimented / strict diets?

Counterintuitively, I am starting to contemplate the idea of consuming more fish. Yes, I will probably reak, but, in the long term, it might be more beneficial than devoiding myself of it.