Zicam User Says Smell Loss is a Safety Concern

Romeoville, ILLike other people who have used Zicam, Irene S. says she has suffered Zicam side effects, including Zicam smell loss. She also says she has lost her sense of taste. In the year since she stopped using Zicam, Irene has not recovered from her Zicam loss of smell, which she feels is a safety issue.

"I used Zicam initially when it first came out on the market," Irene says. "I was getting frequent colds and using it to stop them. It was a spray dose I was using and it seemed to work. Anyhow, I stopped using it for a while because I was on various medications.

I started using it again about a year ago for a cold. After that time, I noticed that I have no sense of smell or taste. I figured that there are other things I can use to stop a cold, so I stopped using it. I didn't like it because I don't have a sense of smell and I think that is a safety concern."

Irene says that she lost 100 percent of her sense of smell and taste and has not recovered any of it since she stopped using the Zicam.

"My daughter had a baby and I used to have a strong sense of smell," Irene says. "If I was cleaning out old food from the fridge, I would find it overpowering—I would feel sick because of the smell. It was especially powerful changing diapers. I even used to have trouble changing my own children's diapers because I would feel so sick.

Now, I smell nothing. This little girl had healthy bowel movements and I can't smell anything. I have no trouble changing her diaper at all. The other thing is that I just moved into my new place—it's a relatively new home. There was a point when I had a friend here helping to organize closets and babysitting my dog when I was out. While she was here, there was a gas leak and I was not aware of it. She was the one who noticed it and got help in here.

I hadn't smelled it at all and it was lucky I didn't strike a match before they fixed it. After that, I realized my sense of smell was completely gone.

When I used the Zicam I had a burning in my nose. I guess that was my warning that I should stop using it and put it away, but I didn't pay attention. I got over it and continued using it, trying to ward off a cold. If other people experience that burning sensation at all, maybe Zicam isn't for them.

I think this is a health and safety issue, if you can't smell things like a gas leak."