Re: 3/10/05 - [MTXX] KFMB: Popular Cold Spray May Destroy Sense Of Smell
Popular Cold Spray May Destroy Sense Of Smell
Last Updated:
03-10-05 at 2:47PM
It's cold and flu season in San Diego. And getting sick usually means a trip to the drug store for medicine. But one San Diegan says his choice of cold remedies cost him dearly, and he's blaming a popular cold spray for destroying his sense of smell.
What if you lost your sense of smell? You couldn't enjoy the freshness of a winter day or the special scent of your child.
Jim Trelikes of Lakeside recently lost his ability to smell. He blames the over-the-counter cold spray, Zicam, for his condition.
"There are a lot of deep emotions over losing my sense of smell. I really can't put it into words. I am very upset," said Trelikes.
During the holidays, Trelikes felt several colds coming on. So he used Zicam once or twice a week for about a month. That's when he noticed a problem.
"It was about that time that I started noticing I wasn't smelling things. When I told my wife, I said gosh I can't smell this," Trelikes explained.
Because the ability to smell food affects how it tastes, Trelikes can no longer enjoy what he eats.
"There's not the enjoyment in food and drink like there used to be," he noted.
Matrixx Initiatives, the maker of Zicam, denies their product is to blame for Trelikes condition.
In a statement to LOCAL 8 News, they wrote:
"There is no evidence to support false and misleading anecdotal allegations that intranasal zinc gluonate can cause a loss of smell."
But Doctor Terence Davidson, the Director of UCSD's Nasal Dysfunction Center, disagrees.
"They don't want to believe that there is this potential for harm," said Doctor Davidson.
Davidson suspects the zinc in Zicam is responsible for Trelikes' condition. He says zinc can destroy a person's olfactory system, which is the area where smell cells reside when people sniff Zicam up into their nose.
"Zinc is toxic to the olfactory system. They kill the olfactory system and many end up without a sense of smell," noted Doctor Davidson.
Matrixx says Zicam is safe, if used as directed. Those directions warn people against sniffing the spray.
But Trelikes says it's unrealistic to expect people not to sniff when using the product.
"When you use this product and your nose begins to run, the natural reaction is to sniff or blow your nose," Trelikes said.
Trelikes wants Zicam pulled from the market or a warning placed on the box.
But such a warning would come too late for Trelikes. His doctors say his loss of smell is permanent.
There are a lot of things that I used to enjoy that I can't anymore," Trelikes said.
Doctor Davidson says there is no medical evidence that zinc helps cure or treat a cold. And given the risks of smell loss, he recommends people avoid all zinc nasal sprays.
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