Note 29
Ammonia inhalants
Ammonia inhalants are smelling salts. Same gas, same reflex, different label. Athletic bottles and medical ampules are not the same job.
Ammonia inhalants are smelling salts. The chemical is an ammonium compound that releases ammonia gas. You take a short breath, the airway fires, and you inhale harder. Medical ampules and athletic bottles are the same family. They are not the same job.
The two products people mix up
A pharmacy ampule is cotton and spirit, crushed once, thrown away. It exists to wake a faint. Smelling salts in a gym bag are a bottle you open before a shift or a third attempt, then close. Bardown is the second kind: ammonium carbonate and sodium carbonate, non-activated, USA-made.
Search “ammonia inhalants CVS” and you will sometimes get the first-aid box. Search “ammonia smelling salts” and you want the bottle. Where to buy is almost never the drugstore aisle.
How they work
Ammonia irritates the nose and lungs. That irritation is the mechanism, not a stimulant in the blood. The reflex lasts seconds. Hold the bottle four to six inches off the face. Do not use it after a head hit. Some leagues restrict sideline ammonia for that reason, not because it is illegal.
Are they over the counter?
Yes. Not a controlled substance. Not a prescription. The FDA’s labeled use for aromatic ammonia is fainting. Athletic “energy” claims have already earned warning letters. We sell a bottle for adult athletes who know the difference. Read the cautions if you do not.
Get the bottle. Two in the bag, code BOGO. How to use it is water once, one breath, cap.
Questions people ask next
Are ammonia inhalants the same as smelling salts?
Yes. Smelling salts, ammonia salts, and ammonia inhalants are names for the same family: a compound that releases ammonia gas.
Are ammonia inhalants sold over the counter?
Yes. Medical ampules are OTC. Athletic bottles like Bardown are sold online. Neither is a controlled substance.
Are ammonia inhalants banned?
Not by US law. Some leagues restrict them on the field. The NFL limited sideline use because the reflex can mask a concussion.