Supplements That Actually Helped Me with TMAU (And the Ones That Did Nothing)

 

💊 Supplements That Actually Helped Me with TMAU (And the Ones That Did Nothing)

Let’s get something straight: if you’re dealing with TMAU, FBO, or unexplained chronic odor, you’ve probably wasted money on supplements that promised the world and delivered hot garbage.

I’ve spent hundreds (probably over a thousand) chasing the dream of smelling normal again. Some of it worked. Most of it didn’t. And no, I’m not sponsored by any of these. This is just my real experience from the trenches.

I'm Lifter_X, a forklift driver, husband, and survivor of more deodorant failures than I can count. This is the TMAU supplement breakdown I wish someone had handed me when I was panicking, ashamed, and Googling stuff like “how to stop smelling like fish.”

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I’ve personally used and found helpful in managing TMAU.

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✅ The Ones That Actually Helped

✅ Activated Charcoal

• Why: Binds to odor-causing compounds in your gut and carries them out before they can escape through your skin, breath, or sweat.

• When I take it: 2 capsules in the morning on an empty stomach, and 2 more before dinner.

• What I noticed: Less post-meal odor, less oily sweat, fewer “I think I stink” anxiety spirals. My shirt didn’t feel like a toxic sponge by noon.

• Warning: Can cause constipation if you don’t drink enough water. Also, do not take it near other meds or vitamins — it can block absorption.

• Try it on Amazon 

✅ Liquid Chlorophyll

• Why: Acts as an internal deodorizer by neutralizing odors in your gut and bloodstream. Sounds like BS, but this was a real game changer for me.

• When I take it: 1 tablespoon in a glass of water after breakfast, daily. Mint flavor helps make it taste less like swamp.

• What I noticed: Milder underarm smell, fresher breath, even bowel movements weren’t as brutal. Felt “cleaner” inside.

• Try it on Amazon

✅ NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)

• Why: Supports liver detoxification and boosts glutathione — your body’s natural antioxidant system. It helps your body break down and eliminate odor-causing compounds more effectively.

• When I take it: 600mg in the morning with water. Occasionally 1200mg on days I eat higher-choline foods.

• What I noticed: More energy, less skin funk, fewer odor “spikes” from stress or diet slips.

• Try it o
  n Amazon

✅ Probiotics (Targeted Strains)

• Why: Gut bacteria control the production and breakdown of trimethylamine (TMA). The right strains can reduce TMA levels and improve digestion.

• When I take it: 1 capsule with breakfast every day.

• What I noticed: Less bloating, fewer sulfur burps, and a slow but noticeable reduction in my baseline odor level.

• Best strains for TMAU:

  • Lactobacillus plantarum

  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus

  • Bifidobacterium longum

• Try one with these strains on Amazon

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❌ The Ones That Did Nothing (For Me)

❌ Choline Blockers

• I tried some supplements claiming to block or bind dietary choline. Didn’t notice any improvement. Honestly, it’s better to just reduce high-choline foods like eggs, liver, and fish.

❌ Random Multivitamins

• They gave me expensive pee and zero odor control. In fact, high doses of B2 or B6 made things worse. Stick to targeted nutrients instead of the kitchen sink approach.

❌ Apple Cider Vinegar Pills

• Promised “cleansing and detox” effects. All I got was heartburn and gut irritation. No change in odor.

❌ Mint Capsules

• Helped breath for like 20 minutes. Didn’t touch the armpits, the groin, the skin, or the deeper funk that TMAU brings. Waste of money for chronic odor sufferers.

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📂 Final Tips from Lifter_X

1. Track everything. Keep a smell journal. Note what you ate, what you took, and how you felt (and smelled) every day.

2. Give supplements time. Some of these took 2–3 weeks to start working consistently.

3. Start slow. Don’t stack everything at once or you won’t know what’s working.

4. Hydrate like crazy. No pill beats clean water. Most of these need fluids to do their job.

5. Don’t fall for hype. Price doesn’t equal effectiveness. Some of the best products I used were under $15.

Supplements won’t cure TMAU, but they can seriously help when paired with diet, hygiene, and mindset. If I had to start over with only three? I’d go with charcoal, chlorophyll, and NAC — every time.

Affiliate links are here to help you try what worked for me while supporting the blog. Everything listed is based on real use, not marketing fluff.

More tools, more tips, and more survival stories coming soon.

— Lifter_X
Still stinky. Still testing. Still showing up.

TMAU and Alcohol: Why I Had to Quit (Even Though I Didn’t Want To)

 

🍻
TMAU and Alcohol: Why I Had to Quit (Even Though I Didn’t Want To)

Let me be real with you: I loved drinking.

Not in a frat-boy way. Not even in a party way. But in a “this numbs the stress and shuts my brain up” kind of way.

After long, exhausting shifts on the forklift, soaked in sweat, surrounded by warehouse heat and fumes, the cold crack of a Miller Genuine Draft felt like the only reward I had. It wasn’t about getting wasted — it was about getting away. From the paranoia. From the isolation. From the constant wondering if people could smell me.

But eventually, I had to stop. My name is Lifter_X, and this is the uncomfortable truth about why alcohol and TMAU do not mix.

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🤢 The TMAU Effect: What Alcohol Did to My Body

I didn’t want to admit it at first, but alcohol made my symptoms worse. Not just a little worse. Noticeably worse.

Here’s what happened when I drank:

• I’d sweat more. Especially overnight — soaked sheets, pillowcase swamp.

• My odor got sharper. Think rotting meat mixed with burnt rubber and regret.

• Digestion slowed down. I’d feel bloated, gassy, like everything was fermenting inside me.

• My anxiety spiked, which made me more paranoid and hypersensitive.

• Oil production ramped up. I’d feel sticky, like my skin was pushing out toxic sludge.

It was like my body couldn’t handle the overload, and alcohol just turned up the dial on everything nasty. The funk came back faster. Stronger. And longer-lasting.

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🧪 Why Alcohol Worsens TMAU

Here’s what I learned after obsessively researching and tracking my own reactions:

1. Alcohol stresses the liver — and your liver is already struggling to process trimethylamine (TMA), the compound that causes the fishy or foul odor in TMAU.

2. It disrupts gut bacteria — the kind responsible for producing (and breaking down) odor-causing chemicals.

3. It dehydrates you — meaning any smell becomes more concentrated.

4. It slows digestion — which gives food more time to rot and create byproducts that worsen odor.

5. It lowers inhibition — and I’d eat junk food late at night, like fried chicken or greasy burgers, that blew up my system.

So every time I drank, I was basically inviting the stink to set up camp.

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😔 The Emotional Side: Losing My Coping Mechanism

I won’t lie: quitting alcohol was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made.

Not because I couldn’t stop — but because it was one of the only things that made me feel normal. It dulled the anxiety. Helped me blend in at parties. Took the edge off the smell, at least in my mind. For a few hours, I didn’t have to overthink every nose scratch or cough around me.

But it was a lie. A temporary mask. And the next day, I always smelled worse. Always felt worse. Always hated myself just a little more.

Giving it up felt like stripping away the last piece of comfort. But staying in that cycle? That was just digging the hole deeper.

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📊 What Helped Me Quit

I didn’t check into rehab. I didn’t go to meetings. I just slowly made changes, and gave myself permission to screw up along the way.

Here’s what worked for Lifter_X:

• Topo Chico + lime: Gave me the same ritual and bottle-in-hand feeling as beer.

• Activated charcoal + chlorophyll: Daily. Helped flush my system and keep odor down.

• Odor journaling: I logged what I drank, what I ate, and what I smelled like the next day. Spoiler: it was never good.

• Night routines: Cleaning, walking, blogging, lifting — anything that kept my hands and mind busy after 6pm.

• One person to talk to: Just one person who wouldn’t judge me. That accountability saved me from a lot of “one more can’t hurt” nights.

I quit because I got tired of smelling like a corpse in a microwave every time I tried to relax. And no drink is worth feeling like that the next day.

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💬 Final Thoughts from Lifter_X

If you have TMAU or chronic body odor and you’re still drinking, I’m not judging you. I get it. Drinking is sometimes the only thing that makes you feel human.

But the truth is, it’s holding you back. Not just from healing, but from confidence, clarity, and real control.

You can quit. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to want to stop smelling like your own personal hell more than you want the buzz.

I still miss it sometimes. But I don’t miss waking up reeking, bloated, ashamed, and pissed off at myself.

That’s the trade. And for me? It was worth it.

Stay strong. Stay smart. Stay standing.

— Lifter_X Still stinky. Still sober. Still showing up.

Welcome to The TMAU Survival Guide

 

👃 Welcome to The TMAU Survival Guide

A brutally honest, slightly funny, 100% real blog about living with Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) — chronic body odor, mental chaos, and how to survive it without losing your mind (or your social life).

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🚨 The Smell No One Talks About (But Everyone Smells)

If you’ve ever Googled:

• “Why do I smell like fish after showering?”

• “Body odor that doesn’t go away no matter what I do”

• “FBO survivor support”

• “Does TMAU ruin your life?”

You’re not weird. You’re not broken. And no — you’re not alone.
You’ve just stumbled into the unspoken world of Trimethylaminuria, aka TMAU, aka that invisible condition that can wreck your confidence, your social life, your career, and your sanity.

This blog is for people who:

• Feel isolated because of chronic body odor (CBO)

• Have been told “it’s all in your head” by clueless doctors

• Cancel plans, hide, or avoid hugs because of fear of smelling bad

• Are tired of forums that give 50 different answers and 0 solutions

This blog is for us.

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🤝 Who the Hell Am I?

I’m Lifter_X
35. Forklift driver. Real dude.
Still got trauma, still got gut issues, still trying to live my life while managing TMAU.

I dealt with unexplained body odor for years — weird smells, strange reactions from coworkers, and worse: constant anxiety that I was "gross."

Doctors dismissed me.
Friends ghosted me.
I nearly lost myself trying to figure out what was happening.

Eventually, I found the term “Trimethylaminuria” and things started clicking.
But even then, info was scattered, medical, cold.
No one was talking about the emotional side.
No one was saying, “Hey, I get it — I’ve had to throw away shirts too.”

So here I am. Making the blog I wish I found years ago.

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🧠 What You’ll Find Here

This isn’t a guru blog. It’s a survival guide.

💡 Real TMAU Management Tips:

• Diet breakdowns (low choline, low sulfur, anti-FBO hacks)

• Supplement stacks (activated charcoal, chlorophyll, NAC, and more)

• DIY hygiene routines that help reduce odor

🧼 Product Reviews:

• Honest takes on soaps, deodorants, mouthwashes, laundry boosters — what works, what’s trash

• Budget vs premium options for people who don’t have $200/month for supplements

🧠 Mental Health & Mindset:

• How TMAU impacts your confidence, identity, and relationships

• Coping strategies when the smell gets bad — or when people treat you like you’re less than human

• How to talk to people about your condition (or when not to)

🤖 AI Tools & Support:

• ChatGPT prompts to track symptoms, meals, and mental state

• Printable food logs

• AI-written odor diary templates

• Free downloadable cheat sheets (coming soon)

💬 Real Stories:

• The job interview where I literally smelled like death (and still got hired)

• How I almost gave up on social life entirely

• Why quitting alcohol made everything better — and worse

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🧼 Why This Blog Exists (And Why I’ll Never Sugarcoat It)

TMAU is hell sometimes.
But pretending it doesn’t exist? That’s worse.

I created The TMAU Survival Guide because:

• I was tired of medical articles that don’t get the mental side

• I was tired of forums full of conflicting info and “cures”

• I wanted a space that felt human, not clinical

• I wanted someone to talk to me the way I needed — straight-up, no filter, and with real care

And maybe — just maybe — I can help someone else feel seen.
Smelled? Sure. But mostly seen.

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🔚 Final Word (For Now)

This blog is for the:

• 22-year-old who’s scared to go on a date because they might stink

• 40-year-old who gave up trying to find a diagnosis

• Parent of a teen who doesn’t know how to talk about what’s happening

• Costco forklift driver who sweats through three shirts a shift and just wants to feel normal

If you've:

• Cancelled plans because of odor paranoia

• Obsessed over whether your car seat smells

• Been called “dirty” when you know you’re clean

• Tried everything — and nothing worked…

You are not broken.
You are not crazy.
You are not alone.

You're just trying to survive something most people will never understand.
And you're doing it anyway.

That makes you strong as hell.

So welcome.
You’ve found your people.
Let’s figure this out — together.

— Lifter_X
Still stinky. Still standing.