(WXYZ) - The Food and Drug Administration is telling consumers to stop using Zicam nasal spray. They warn the product, designed to reduce cold symptoms, can permanently damage your sense of smell.
WATCH CAROLYN CLIFFORD'S REPORT IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHTSeveral years ago reports began to surface that Zicam products were leaving consumers unable to smell. So Beaumont ear nose and throat specialist, Dr. Melissa McBrien, is not surprised at today’s announcement.
She says she’s had reports from patients with anecdotal reports, and reports in the literature of patients who have lost their sense of smell after taking Zicam.
The products involved are Zicam nasal gel and nasal swabs along with discontinued kid-size swabs.
In a letter to Zicam manufacturer, Matrixx Initiatives, the FDA said these products may pose a serious risk to consumers.
And they noted they have received more than 130 reports of people who lost their sense of smell.
According to Dr. McBrien, that’s a very serious problem. “You not only lose your sense of smell,” she told us, “you basically lose your sense of taste. There is also a safety issue if you can’t smell whether food is good or bad, if the gas in your house is leaking or if there is smoke.”
Because Zicam is sold as a homeopathic remedy, not a drug, it didn’t receive the same government review as conventional food and drugs.
The FDA also told Matrixx its labeling does not bear adequate warning regarding the risks associated with the product.
Dr. McBrien says nerves near the top of the nose can be easily damaged. So consumers should be careful about anything they spray into their nostrils.
