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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Sinusitis / March 2004Zicam Apparently Damaged This Guy's Olfactory Nerves
Here's some more bad news about Zicam causing anosmia. This guy's ENT told him that Zicam apparently damaged his olfactory nerves. (Yes, I asked him and he said it was OK to repost his message here) -------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: Zicam Took Away My Sense Of Smell Too Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 18:38:19 -0700 From: David Lynch <davidlynch@ojai.net> Reply-To: <davidlynch@ojai.net> To: 'Steven D. Litvintchouk' <sdlitvin@earthlink.net> Hi Steve, It's now been since December (9 months), and I can smell if I put something really close to my nose; otherwise, all smells have a "metallic nut" smell. I can tell there is an odor out there, but I cannot tell what type of odor, be it a smelly diaper of Channel Number 5. My taste is almost completely restored, only certain foods taste "metallic" and "nutty" but a lot of them don't. The ENT I visited said that there was damage to my nerve, and that no doctor on the planet can repair damaged nerves. He said it could come back at any time, it can come back in 10 years, or it may never come back, but there is nothing he can do, and he said that anyone claiming the can fix anosmia is using human beings as research rats. That's it, sorry to deliver this news. Stay in touch, and good luck.  SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. "he said that anyone claiming the can fix anosmia is using human beings as research rats." If the anosmia is seen early there is a protocol for treating it as we do Bell's palsy. Problem is, how to prove that it wouldn't have gotten well without the treatment? For patient's who discover anosmia after using this spray, I would recommend immediate saline irrigation. Removal of the particles might enhance the body's ability to recover. Murray Grossan, M.D. http://www.ent-consult.com http://www.hydromedonline.com/presentingthehydropulse/ I've mentioned the Yahoo anosmia group here many times before I am familiar with many there. Some have visited Dr. Henkin of the Taste and Smell Clinic in Washington. He is the only doctor I know that has treatment for anosmia and similar problems (theo24 & dexamethasone). I remember someone there already looking into a class action suit against Zicam. Ironically I tried Zicam shortly after my surgery so I'm not sure which one may be the culprit. We are all research rats, modern medicine has only been here less then 100 years my grandmothers life span was longer then that, couple more thousand years to go! Check out this site also for more info: http://personal.ecu.edu/wuenschk/ViralMick.htm I have been reading messages about Zicam. Although they seem to be from 2003, I am new to this. I recently made the connection between my loss of senses of taste and smell to my use of Zicam Nasal Gel. I would like to communicate with others who have experienced this. It is now 6 weeks and no improvement. I have seen a Dr. who told me to wait three month. I have also been getting acupuncture. I would appreciate any additional information. Thanks >I have been reading messages about Zicam. Although they seem to be from >2003, I am new to this. I recently made the connection between my loss of [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >also been getting acupuncture. I would appreciate any additional >information. Thanks Several people in this newsgroup have reported permanent loss of smell after taking Zicam. I iamgine you have found those posts. If it happendd to me, I would sue the company for selling a defective product. Odds are that, on discovery, you could turn up documents proving that they knew about the problem. As for yourself, obviously you need to find the best expertise in the country to see if you can cure the problem. You can try a course of prednisone , tapering quickly to a lower maintenance level for two months at least, if it helps. I did that myself after surgery, and tolerated it fine. I had no issue of loss of smell/taste before or after, though - it was not for that reason that I took it (just to get the swelling down). It may be a bit late, but the treatment is to use an antiinflammatory to reduce the inflammation that is resoponsible for the anosmia. Murray Grossan, M.D. http://www.ent-consult.com > It may be a bit late, but the treatment is to use an antiinflammatory to reduce > the inflammation that is resoponsible for the anosmia. May not work with Zicam. Some folks have had permanent damage to their olfactory nerves. There was one study done many decades ago in which researchers actually deliberately used a topical zinc preparation on the noses of lab animals in order to artificially induce anosmia in the animals so they could then experiment on the animals further. I wonder of the Zicam manufacturer knows that. -- Steven L. > I have been reading messages about Zicam. Although they seem to be from > 2003, I am new to this. I recently made the connection between my loss of > senses of taste and smell to my use of Zicam Nasal Gel. I would like to > communicate with others who have experienced this. I sure have and it took 6 months for my sense of smell to return. There's a Yahoo forum on "anosmia" (loss of sense of smell) and I believe a number of sufferers there lost their sense of smell from Zicam. Some of them have been trying to get a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer of the product. -- Steven L. |
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