How scent becomes an unexpected part of the NMOSD journey
Our bodies still tell quiet stories through scents and subtle changes
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One of my favorite cartoons features Pepé Le Pew, a skunk who becomes infatuated with a cat named Penelope, who accidentally gets a white stripe of paint and is mistaken for a skunk. Pepé blissfully chases after Penelope while she frantically tries to escape. The chaos that follows is pure comedy.
That cartoon always makes me think about how much scent shapes our interactions. It also raises a more practical question for me: Can medications change how we smell or alter our ability to smell altogether?
Living with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), I’ve spent years navigating medications, infusions, steroids, and symptom management. And somewhere between the flare‑related hospitalizations and the “Is this normal?” moments, I’ve started wondering whether the medications I take change my natural scent or my ability to smell the world around me.
Our subtle scents
Can medications change the way we smell? Yes, they can. Many medications, especially immunosuppressants, steroids, and neuropathic pain treatments can subtly alter our body chemistry.
It’s rarely dramatic. You won’t suddenly smell like Pepé Le Pew. But I’ve noticed small shifts in things like my body odor, breath, skin scent, and even my sense of smell. While I don’t wear it all the time, my perfume sits differently on my skin than it did a decade ago.
This makes sense for NMOSD patients, because medications that affect the central nervous system can also influence how we perceive smell. This is because olfactory processing is deeply tied to neurological pathways.
While we don’t communicate through pheromones the way insects or other animals do, humans do pick up on subtle chemical cues. We’re not consciously aware of it, but our bodies constantly broadcast tiny chemical signals. One study even suggests that sick people smell differently from healthy folks. When you’re sick, your scent changes. When you’re stressed, your sweat composition shifts. When you’re on medication, your metabolic byproducts change. It’s all very subtle, but it’s real.
Dogs are the real experts
If anyone can detect scent changes caused by medication or illness, it’s a dog. Their noses are extraordinary and capable of detecting many diseases and disorders like cancer, migraines, seizures, infections, and hormonal shifts.
Dogs don’t smell the illness itself; they smell the chemical changes happening in the body before symptoms appear. When I’m really not feeling well, my dog, Magnus, who typically adventures throughout our home every day, will position himself beside me, even sitting on the floor instead of on the couch, in a protective manner.
This leads to a question I’ve asked myself many times: Could a dog detect an NMOSD attack?
NMOSD attacks are inflammatory events affecting the optic nerves and spinal cord. They involve immune activation, stress hormones, and metabolic shifts. In theory, these changes could produce a detectable scent signature. The challenge is that NMOSD attacks vary widely, and unlike seizures or migraines, they don’t follow a predictable physiological pattern. But given what dogs can detect, it’s not impossible to imagine. I think it’s simply understudied.
Imagine a future where NMOSD patients have trained service dogs who alert them to early inflammatory changes before symptoms escalate. It’s a hopeful thought.
Living with NMOSD in a world of scent
For those of us with NMOSD, scent becomes an unexpected part of the journey. Medications may subtly shift how we smell. Flares may change how we perceive scent. Stress, pain, and fatigue all leave chemical footprints. And while humans may not communicate through pheromones, our bodies still tell quiet stories through scent, stories that dogs can hear far better than we can.
Pepé Le Pew may be a silly cartoon, but the idea that scent shapes connection, perception, and behavior isn’t far off. In the world of chronic illness, scent becomes one more reminder that our bodies are constantly changing and communicating. And sometimes, the smallest signals are the ones worth paying attention to.
Note: Neuromyelitis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Neuromyelitis News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.
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