Local woman blames Zicam for smell loss

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - The Zicam side effect scare is hitting close to home as an Austin-area woman claims she lost her sense of smell after taking the cold-relief product. Her story came as manufacturer Matrixx said it failed to turn over 800 consumer complaints to U.S. regulators.

The symptoms include loss of smell in people using the zinc-based nasal swabs and nasal gel to get rid of their colds. Two years ago, Pam Rushing thought taking the gel would clear her own symptoms. Now, she said she has trouble smelling her dogs.

“My husband will be like, ‘God, we got to give them a bath. They stink,’” Rushing said. “I can’t smell them.”

The Cedar Park woman also said her loss of smell is a danger, like when she forgot to turn off the stove. Her husband discovered it when he came home from work hours later.

“He found the gas on,” she recalled. “He said, ‘This house stinks of gas. I can’t believe you don’t smell it.’ I said, ‘I don’t smell it.’”

She made the connection between her loss of smell and taste with Zicam, only after the FDA announced more than 130 similar side effect reports this week.

“I don’t think they’re going to be putting topical zinc on market for quite a while,” said Dr. Ray Solana of People’s Pharmacy in Austin.

Solano said he believes the zinc-based product is toxic to nasal tissue in large prolonged doses. While there is no known treatment for the loss of smell, Solano theorized replacing zinc with Vitamin C might be a way to counteract the effects.

“I think I would just take it orally,” he said, “but I would take it often and see, over a period of time, if it regenerates.”

Still, he pulled every Zicam box from his shelves this week. That move at pharmacies across the nation and the manufacturer's own pulling of the product means a projected $10 million loss.

As a realtor, Rushing says she felt her own loss since first taking Zicam.

“I’ve been in houses where I would walk in and people would walk out and say, ‘No, this isn’t going to work. It smells like smoke in here.’ But I cant smell it.”

Now finally able to taste more than a few months ago, she said she wants to warn others.

“I tell everybody I know, if they’re sick and going to take a product, don’t buy (Zicam),” she said.

She plans to seek legal advice, unsure her sense of smell will ever bounce back.

“That’s a precious sense, and I’ve lost it.”

Rushing documented her symptoms with her physician, Dr. Gevin Willhelm. He said he is aware of the complaint, though he did not see her at the time of the cold when Rushing said she took Zicam. He plans to follow up with Rushing in the future.