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Wellness Center

Strong ammonia smell in urine

02/06/2009

Question:

am a 42 year old woman. I have recently quit smoking (a little over a month) and no longer drink diet cokes (it was the only thing I drank) - drink water only - about 32 ounces of water or more a day. Within the last 2 weeks I have had an extremely strong ammonia odor in my urine - the only thing I`ve changed is I have quit smoking and actually drink water. Is this the body`s way of flushing out the toxins in my body from over 25 years of smoking? The smell is awful.

Answer:

A strong odor in urine has a variety of causes. An ammonia odor is often associated with a urinary tract infection or liver problems. Similar smells can occur with concentrated urine from dehydration, from a vaginal infection, or from poorly controlled diabetes. I doubt the smell has anything to do with flushing out toxins after quitting smoking.

So, first, congratulations on overcoming a very, very tough and deadly addiction; and, second, get thyself to the doctor!

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Response by:

Rob Crane, MD Rob Crane, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University