The FDA has made a recommendation that consumers stop using three Zicam products (Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and the discontinued Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size) because in addition to annihilating your cold, they can also destroy your sense of smell. Permanently. After just one use! Many people would find this side effect devastating, but for us, this is just another case of something being too damned fun for this life. (Full disclosure: We had a bottle of the “extreme menthol” flavor of that nasal gel, and good God, it was like a rocket to frosty hell and back. It reminded us of the drugs Tom Cruise gets addicted to in Minority Report.) While the FDA’s measure is not a full-fledged recall, Zicam has stopped shipping these products to stores, so if you’re a fan, now might be a good time to start feverishly hoarding stocking up. Just like you did with Sparks. Fortunately for us, our favorite “burns-worse-than-a-menthol-cough-drop-inside-your-sinus-cavity-so-you-know-it’s-working” Zicam product is outside the scope of the FDA recommendation.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 4:34 pm.