OT: Do cold remedies like Zicam work??

[marcyinPA]

I'm feeling like I'm coming down with a cold, but I'm too busy to be bothered with one. Does anyone know if those remedies that are supposed to shorten the duration of a cold work?

Thanks for any input!

 

[bellarella]

If I start using Zicam regularly at the first "tickle" of a cold, it has always stopped it in it's tracks. If I wait to get real symptoms it seems to shorten it. I've had good luck with it.

 

[Plantlady]

YES!

I use cold ease at the first feeling of a cold. And after two days or so of taking it.. I'm in tip top shape.

But, if you don't start at the start of your cold.. it won't work (for me at least)

 

[HenDuck]

We swear by Airborne. You do need to use it as soon as you feel a cold coming on. and then take it every 3 hours until you feel the cold pass.

 

[summerrluvv]

We swear by Airborne. You do need to use it as soon as you feel a cold coming on. and then take it every 3 hours until you feel the cold pass.

Airborne has always worked for me too. It tastes like tang so I don't mind it.

Be careful with Zicam if you are using the nose swabs. I read that they are causing people to lose their sense of smell. The spray tastes horrible so I avoid that as well!

 

[marcyinPA]

Thanks for the fast responses!
I ran out to CVS and bought the Zicam dissolvable tablets with Vitamin C. I took one and it didn't taste bad, but it didn't dissolve as fast as I'd like it to! But, we'll see if it works. I hope it does, at $11.99 a pop!

Marcy

 

[eowensby]

We were at Sam's Club on Saturday evening and they had the Zicam Melts for $2.40 a box! We snatched those puppies up!

 

[fakereadhed]

I think Zicam just keeps you busy every 4 hours sticking a swab up your nose to help the time pass while you have your cold.
And don't blow your nose for at least 10 minutes after swabbing. Umm... I have a cold- what am I supposed to do, drip for 10 minutes?

The Airborne didn't seem to be much help either for me...I took it religiously and it didn't shorten my cold.

 

[shirleyb]

My boss swears by Airborne, so a few weeks ago, I started with a cold, rushed out and bought it, the next day I felt a little better, and the day after NO COLD! I was thrilled because I hate having a cold.

 

[TravelinGal]

DH swears by the Zicam you squirt in your nose. I can't stand to squirt things in my nose and I haven't been able to suck up the cost to try the other methods (good to hear the warning about the swabs - That would have been the one I tried if I HAD bought it!).

A colleague of DH's swears by zinc lozenges. (don't know a brand name)

Women are not supposed to get too much zinc. But don't take zinc longer than 3 or 4 days. (Men need the extra zinc in general, so there's not as much of a concern for them - but extended use in general can actually lower your imunity.)

Here's a good article - it talks about some studies done - including people who were actually willing to intentionally get infected with a cold to test it! (One might question their mental stability! LOL) - it's 2 pages long - so make sure to click next to read the full article

http://www.medicinenet.com/zinc_lozenges_as_a_cold_remedy/article.htm

Here's the except about the study where people got colds on purpose...

In another study, the treatments with zinc or the placebo were begun before the volunteer subjects were purposely injected with a cold virus. The treatments were also continued afterwards. This is the only study to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc lozenges in preventing colds. The subjects in the zinc and placebo groups came down with about the same number of colds. The zinc lozenges therefore failed to prevent colds. However, and as experienced in the other trials, the severity of cold symptoms was significantly less in the group taking the zinc than in those taking the placebo.

 

[dreamscometrue]

I have used Airborne in the past and as others have said if you take it at the first sign of say a sore throat, it seems to prevent an all out illness. And it doesn't taste bad!!

 

[westjones]

Another Airborn user here. I never go on vacation without it now. It works for me!
DJ

 

[SeaWitch]

The absolute best thing we have ever used is similar to cold eze.. it's called "no time for a cold" and is availble at Walgreen's/CVS, etc. It's in homeopathic remedy in a blue box. Lozenges that you melt in your mouth without that icky zinc taste that cold eze does.

 

[canwegosoon]

We were at Sam's Club on Saturday evening and they had the Zicam Melts for $2.40 a box! We snatched those puppies up!

My DH LOVES the Zicams chews...did SAM's have them?
the Airborne Gummies for sorethroats was very good too.

 

[Maybelle]

I've used Zicam (several types), Airborne, zinc lozenges and ColdEeze lozenges for quite some time. My feeling is they don't prevent getting a cold, but they do shorten it and decrease the symptoms. I have used Zicam and Airborne as a preventative before and after flights, and before DD going to slumber parties and such. Hven't experienced a cold after, but I know that doesn't prove anything!

I think the lozenges work the best, although the metallic taste is annoying!

 

[jltwdw]

I really like Zicam, I've had pretty good luck with it, mostly using the nasal gel, but after noticing a diminished sense of smell have started taking the melting tablets. Don't know if the smell thing is a permanent loss or is even attributed to the Zicam since I have a family history of poor/no sense of smell. I bought a bunch last year at Rite Aid when it was BOGO.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I've used Airborne for about four years at the first exposure to someone who is sick, and so far, I've not had a cold in 4-5 years. When I caught colds in the past, I would use Zicam at the first sign of a cold, and my colds never lasted more than a day or two. I don't know if these products really work or if I am just lucky, but as long as I believe they work, I will use them. I wash my hands a lot and try to keep my hands/fingers away from my eyes, nose and mouth, and I try to stay away from germy people... I hate being sick worse than anyone I know and do everything I can to prevent it. Twice last week I had to be in the same house with people with colds, and both days I came home and took a couple doses of Airborne afterwards. So far, so good.

 

[Minnie M6]

I also swear by Airborn and Emergen-C. From a budget standpoint, Aldi has their own brand of Airborn which is around $3.

 

[dislvr74]

I ran out to CVS and bought the Zicam dissolvable tablets with Vitamin C.

This is what I use and it works for me. Both of my kids had ear infections and terrible coughs and I started taking the tablets as soon as I felt the cold coming on. I'm training for two 1/2 marathons in the next month and couldn't afford to miss any training days. I never got really sick and my minor symptoms only lasted two day.

 

[dopeyfanatic]

I know several teachers swear by Zicam. Nobody I know really uses Airborne much, but several use Zicam and say it works. They use the swabs.