Arlington Heights, ILFor some people who took Zicam to treat symptoms of a cold, the cure might just be worse than the disease. The reason is that one of the more serious Zicam side effects is the loss of the sense of smell. This Zicam smell loss might be permanent and could, depending on a person's situation, be life-threatening.
"In my experience, Zicam worked very well for the purpose it was intended," Elaine says. "I am a homeopathic person, so I don't like to take a lot of drugs. I have high blood pressure and there are drugs that you can't take—I didn't want to use products that are not suitable for high blood pressure. So, I used Zicam and it did what it was supposed to. But then, I found out that it might be causing a loss of smell.
I don't smell things with intensity I used to be able to. Like food, but I don't always notice that I can't smell it unless the smell is called to my attention. When I'm cooking, things that should have a strong odor do not.
I've used Zicam for every cold I've had over the past several years, approximately one to two colds a year. I haven't had the burning sensation after I've used it and I haven't found that it affected my sense of taste.
It was probably six months after my last use of Zicam [which occurred in the last year] that I realized I can't smell things. It does affect my day-to-day life. For example, I work with youth and we were giving the kids matching outfits. The clothing we were giving them was used clothing. One of the parents said that the clothes had a strong odor, but I couldn't smell it.
My sense of smell is not gone completely, but it is diminished. An odor has to be really, really strong for me to smell it."
Although many people are not aware of it, the sense of smell is vital to alerting them to danger. The sense of smell can warn about a gas leak, a fire or even rotten meat, often before sight or hearing can give the same warning. Furthermore, the sense of smell is linked to the sense of taste, meaning that for people who cannot smell, there may be a distinct difference in how their food tastes, having an impact on their quality of life.