Zicam may stop you from smelling--in a bad way. But there are other remedies for summer colds.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Using a popular, store-bought cold remedy could cost you your sense of smell. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to avoid certain Zicam nasal products. The agency has received dozens of reports of people temporarily or permanently losing their ability to smell after using the homeopathic, zinc-containing nasal gels and swabs.

THE DETAILS: Citing more than 130 reports of loss of sense of smell (anosmia) associated with three Zicam products, the FDA sent a warning letter to Zicam’s makers on Tuesday, saying the products cannot continue to be marketed without FDA approval.

The problematic products are:
• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
• Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product)

It is not clear what specific ingredient has been linked to anosmia. Some people lost their sense of smell after one dose of a problem Zicam product, while others lost it after using a product several times. Anyone who has experienced this type of problem, or other side effects, while using Zicam should contact their doctor and file an online report through the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program, or call 800-FDA-1088.

On the product website, company officials call the FDA allegations unfounded, but say they have voluntarily agreed to pull the products and will meet with the FDA to review the safety of the product. For refund information, call 877-942-2626.

“Matrixx Initiatives stands behind the science of its products and its belief that there is no causal link between its Zicam Cold Remedy intranasal gel products and anosmia,” says William J. Hemelt, Matrixx Initiatives’ acting president. “It is well understood in the medical and scientific communities that the most common cause of anosmia is the common cold, which Zicam Cold Remedy intranasal gel products are taken to treat. Given the enormous number of doses sold and colds treated, there is no reason to believe the number of complaints of anosmia received is more than the number that would be expected in the general population. There is no reliable scientific evidence that Zicam causes anosmia.”

None of the company’s oral or allergy-relief products have been included in the FDA warning.