I have no sense of smell...used Zicam this weekend!?!?

[Veccster]

I knew I was getting sick on Friday morning (it is currently Sunday evening). I used Zicam Nasal Swabs 3 times on Friday and 2 times on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon, we went to an amusement park and I could not smell a thing. It didn't occur to me until my wife said "those fries smell awesome". Now I am looking for it but can't smell a thing.

Even worse, I watched my dog get sprayed by a skunk on Saturday night (I thought it was a cat and called it to me - dog was in the yard, heard me and ran toward it). I did smell it a little bit but my wife almost passed out from the smell.

Anyway, I was sick all weekend and figured my loss of smell was due to the head cold.

Today is Sunday, my cold is gone and I still have very limited smell. I spent the day washing the dog (great Fathers day!) and thought he was clean tonight. My wife verified that he was NOT clean and still smelled of strong skunk odor. I could not even hint it.

I am so worried this could be permanent. I've seen the recent news about Anosmia (complete loss of smell) and it's freaking me out. In the name of sanity, I am assuming this is only temporary. I HOPE!


Any other experiences out there that want to be shared?

[tacomaman06]

Originally Posted by Veccster

I knew I was getting sick on Friday morning (it is currently Sunday evening). I used Zicam Nasal Swabs 3 times on Friday and 2 times on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon, we went to an amusement park and I could not smell a thing. It didn't occur to me until my wife said "those fries smell awesome". Now I am looking for it but can't smell a thing.

Even worse, I watched my dog get sprayed by a skunk on Saturday night (I thought it was a cat and called it to me - dog was in the yard, heard me and ran toward it). I did smell it a little bit but my wife almost passed out from the smell.

Anyway, I was sick all weekend and figured my loss of smell was due to the head cold.

Today is Sunday, my cold is gone and I still have very limited smell. I spent the day washing the dog (great Fathers day!) and thought he was clean tonight. My wife verified that he was NOT clean and still smelled of strong skunk odor. I could not even hint it.

I am so worried this could be permanent. I've seen the recent news about Anosmia (complete loss of smell) and it's freaking me out. In the name of sanity, I am assuming this is only temporary. I HOPE!


Any other experiences out there that want to be shared?

discard that zicam bro.....especially now if what they are reporting about it is right.

[DanGer]

Hopefully your taste doesn't follow

[Veccster]

it's freaking me out because I can't find a whole lot about it online. Only recent articles since it was just reported by the FDA and announced by a lot of news outlets.

My wife has been reassuring and says that most people probably never realize they lost their smell (temporarily). That is why I can't find a lot of similar experiences.

[tacomaman06]

Originally Posted by Veccster

it's freaking me out because I can't find a whole lot about it online. Only recent articles since it was just reported by the FDA and announced by a lot of news outlets.

My wife has been reassuring and says that most people probably never realize they lost their smell (temporarily). That is why I can't find a lot of similar experiences.

the thing is man........mostly they are reporting that its permanent smell loss, which isnt good. mine has been burned out from years of using nasal sprays, and i can tell you that not being able to smell sucks!!

[Veccster]

Wow...sorry to hear that! I don't use any nasal sprays and have only tried Zicam for two periods (total of about 10 swabs - spread over 2 colds). The first time was 2 months ago and I did not notice any difference in my smell. This weekend, I definitely lost my smell.

Going to bed soon and really hope I wake up and can smell my breakfast. Scary stuff!

[fletch aka]

So strange, I have used Zicam since it hit the shelves, I have never, at least I think I never had a problem
Sometimes after a head cold it can take days for everything to be back to normal. Give it a couple of days.

[kilgoja]

sue them and buy another truck with the money

[luk8272]

Hell I just found Zicam, the spray kind and thought it a god send as i can breath. I have very bad allergies and my breathing suffers severely. Zicam has worked for me. Hope this in not all true.

[kraaazymike]

Check out this snippet of an article I found on about.com. Though no formal research has been done to humans, it seems to be temporary (a few weeks) and reversible to mice. Note that the second study was funded by the creators of Zicam.

Notable Research Related to Zicam

Safety
Two notable studies have been performed and published that relate to the issue of anosmia (loss of the sense of smell). The first was performed by Dr. Burton Slotnick and tested the effect of zinc sulfate, which is different from the zinc gluconate in Zicam, on the smell center in mice. That study found that there was a temporary loss of the sense of smell when mice were given high doses of zinc sulfate. The second study was also performed by Dr. Slotnick and a group of researchers, but was supported in part by a grant from Matrixx. This more recent study tested the effect of zinc gluconate, the active ingredient in Zicam, on mice. The results of that study showed that there was only a partial and temporary loss of the sense of smell in mice when given extremely large doses (much higher than the normal dose for humans). However, the damage was reversed within a couple of weeks.
It is important to point out that both of these studies were performed on mice; we must be cautious when applying results of testing on animals to humans. Because there have been no large scale studies examining this matter performed on humans, we cannot say conclusively that the product either causes or does not cause anosmia in humans.

[Veccster]

Thanks, I read that last night. A bit comforting for me.

I still have NO smell this morning and my taste is also apparently affected. I ate a freezie pop today and would not be able to tell you if it was banana, grape or cherry...I tasted nothing!

It has to be temporary! ~ It better be temporary!!!


If not, I guess I can save money and buy cheap beer

[Negative1]

How did you make out partner?

Did you get your sense of smell back?
Pharmaceutical companies should pay out bigtime for their lack of proper testing.

[mws4ua]

Originally Posted by Negative1

How did you make out partner?

Can you smell again?

We had a few boxes of Zicam around the house. I tossed it after hearing about the potential loss of smell.

I hope you were lucky.

[Veccster]

Sorry for not checking back in...I usually like to close out threads.

Yes, I had ZERO sense of smell for 8 days. Amazing that I couldn't even smell skunk on my dog (he was sprayed that same weekend). It came back slooowly. I don't think it fully recovered until a full 2 weeks after I first used it.

I tossed the rest of the box out and will never use it again. Not to mention...I still got sick! People swear by that stuff though and I may try the chewable tablets next time. The danger is because the Zinc clogs up the pores that allow you to smell.

Scary stuff but I'm better now.

[kraaazymike]

Originally Posted by Veccster

Sorry for not checking back in...I usually like to close out threads.

Yes, I had ZERO sense of smell for 8 days. Amazing that I couldn't even smell skunk on my dog (he was sprayed that same weekend). It came back slooowly. I don't think it fully recovered until a full 2 weeks after I first used it.

I tossed the rest of the box out and will never use it again. Not to mention...I still got sick! People swear by that stuff though and I may try the chewable tablets next time. The danger is because the Zinc clogs up the pores that allow you to smell.

Scary stuff but I'm better now.

Really glad that youre better. I would have freaked! I've used the chewables with success for years w/o any side effects.

[BakoTruck]

Sorry to hear about your loss of smell. I have used Zicam for years and have not had a problem yet, but I only use the quick dissolve tablets. I'm not a big fan of the nose spray since I always have a runny nose when I'm sick and it doesn't seem to work well. I would suggest however to get checked out by a doctor because it could be something else.

[BakoTruck]

Oh...your better, that's good to hear.