The vinegar smell

[LorenzoM]

Hello friends - the vinegar smell that usually leads to an easy fake detection process... have you come across different kinds of vitamins giving off the similar smell?  I recall a batch or two of the Vikings from last summer but right now I have a batch of climbing gear of the ten degree variety that I am quite disappointed about and have them quarantined.  A taste test resulted in feeling sick for several hours but not becoming ill thankfully.  Even taking a strong sniff of this stuff throws you off for a half hour.  Crazy.

Anyone have a similar experience or any rule of thumb along these lines?

That RCMP pill press machine picture(s) recently published (found it via Twitter) is totally freaky.

peace.

 

[painit4word]

Years ago I was given some bars that were imprinted gg249. I knew they were fake just by looking at the way they were stamped alone! If I remember right, there was TWO different fakes in the same lot; one was larger and chalky and the other was same size but had a very strong pungent smell to it--closest thing I could compare it to would be vinegar. Unfortunately I can't remember where they came from as I was getting my vitamins from many different places back then..lol.

 

[LBGIRL213]

Not sure about vitamins, but aspirin especially the more expired aspirin gets, smells like vinegar. So excedrin will but usually only when it's getting old. I also used to take        fiorinal which had aspirin in it and it would always smell expired or not. Where as fioricet which was the same except had acetaminophen instead of aspirin never did. 

I wonder if your suspected fake pills were made with aspirin which would give you the smell and could make you feel sick to stomach etc. 

 

[LorenzoM]

Not sure about vitamins, but aspirin especially the more expired aspirin gets, smells like vinegar. So excedrin will but usually only when it's getting old. I also used to take        fiorinal which had aspirin in it and it would always smell expired or not. Where as fioricet which was the same except had acetaminophen instead of aspirin never did. 

I wonder if your suspected fake pills were made with aspirin which would give you the smell and could make you feel sick to stomach etc. 

I track with you on this - probably was the case with that batch.  Thanks!