FDA warns against Zicam

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FDA warns against Zicam

June 17, 2009 – 9:15 am – No Comment

Zicam, one of the most popular cold “remedies”, has been advised against by the FDA. It was announced today by the Food and Drug Administration after it has come to the attention of the FDA that the over-the-counter drug is directly related to the loss of sense of smell.

The loss could be long lasting or even PERMANENT.

The products that have the FDA issuing the warning are:
Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
And the discontinued Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size

The FDA says that it has received about 130 reports from consumers saying they have experienced the loss of the sense of smell associated with using Zicam, many reporting the loss of smell after just the first dose.

Losing your sense of smell is a pretty bad thing to have happen to you. If you lose your sense of smell, how can you smell things like natural gas if your house were to have a gas leak?

Now, if you used these products and don’t want to risk having this very adverse side effect, there are other products on the market that people are saying have a fairly similar effect . The Neti-Pot is one of those things. It is a product that involves the user filling it with water and basically “rinsing” out their nasal cavity by pouring water into one nostril and having it drain out the other. It may sound awful and a little like torture, but it’s actually really effective, especially with allergy problems.

Zinc lozenges are also popular. While they may or may not work as fast at some say Zicam works, they do eventually work the same way that Zicam does. I believe this is what Airborne basically is: a big dose of Zinc.

Then there’s just plain ‘ol Vitamin C. Many people have been using vitamin C for years to help boost the immune system and fight off colds. I, for one, take extra vitamin C during cold season to help fight off getting sick, and whether it is psychosomatics or not, I have had shorter colds if I even get sick at all.

I’m sure there is some way to combine all these remedies to help keep the cold at bay. Just remember to wash your hands frequently and don’t touch your face and then you really don’t even need these over the counter remedies.