Winter's here and along with the cold weather, inevitably, comes colds and the flu. No matter how hard I try to avoid getting sick, I always pick up something during the cold weather months. Usually, I reach for my Halls and DayQuil and pray it clears up soon. But, right now I'm pregnant and can't really take anything safely. So, when I was offered the chance to try Zicam, I jumped at the opportunity!
Zicam is a homeopathic product that is supposed to help shorten the duration and reduce the severity of a cold when taken at the first sign of a cold. Unlike other homeopathic products, it contains active ingredients that are only slightly diluted: zinc acetate (2x = 1/100 dilution) and zinc gluconate (1x = 1/10 dilution). It's available in several forms, including quick dissolve tablets, lozenges, oral mist and chewables.
I was sent the Zicam RapidMelts quick dissolve tablets. One package for me to try and five to share:
Within a week after getting my samples, I came down with a pretty bad cold. I had a stuffy nose, sore throat, runny nose and was constantly sneezing. I had a huge headache that lasted for three days straight. Here I am, posing with a bottle of Zicam before I tried it for the first time:
No makeup on and just looking and feeling like crap!
When I opened the bottle, I was actually surprised to find a ball of cotton in it. I feel like, you hardly see nowadays. The tablet was pretty big. The instructions say to use them at the first sign of a cold for best results and to continue using for an additional 48 hours after symptoms subside. I think I had been sick for a couple days before I even decided to try the Zicam.
You're supposed to dissolve the entire tablet in your moth, without chewing and to repeat every 3 hours until your symptoms are gone. If I was able to actually allow it to dissolve completely, then I probably would have tried to follow these directions. But, after only a couple minutes of it dissolving in my mouth, I couldn't stand it anymore and spat it out. I'm generally not a fan of chewables or any medication that you're supposed to let dissolve in your mouth. I find them to be too chalky. This was no exception. The taste wasn't too bad, I just didn't like the mouth feel. Though, ironically enough, my sneezing stopped shortly after I spat out the Zicam! And I was feeling better a couple days later.
I wasn't sure about throwing a whole party just for Zicam. But, luckily, the sampling was right around the holidays, so I decided to bring along the samples to Christmas. I had planned on bringing them to my sister's house for her Christmas Eve party, but oops forgot the samples! Turns out, my cousin and sister-in-law were both suffering with colds and were actually looking forward to getting the samples! Fortunately, we were all going to a Christmas Day lunch the next day and I told them I would bring the samples then.
My sister-in-law had actually used Zicam in the past and had found it worked well for her. She actually had my brother buy her some but he got her the wrong kind. She preferred the RapidMelts.
My cousin, too, had used Zicam before and she found that it did help her with her colds.
I also gave samples to my brother and my sister's boyfriend. My other sister had left the Christmas party before I could give her a sample so I told her I'd give it to her later. I was holding a New Year's Eve party a week later, so I told them to let me know if it worked for them.
At the New Year's party, my one sister who didn't get her sample was super sick. So I gave her the last remaining sample then. My sister-in-law was totally feeling better. No more sneezing or runny nose or sore throat. Sadly, my cousin and my other sister's boyfriend couldn't make it to the New Year's party. But, my cousin was feeling 100% better, too. My sister's boyfriend wasn't sick in the first place, so he hadn't had the chance to try it.
Would you recommend it?
Maybe. It worked well for my sister-in-law and cousin. It probably would have helped me, too, if I had given it a chance. Next time I come down with a cold, I might pick up the lozenge or the chewable. It looks like a Starburst candy!
How much does it cost?
The suggested retail price for a 25 count bottle of Zicam RapidMelts is $12.99. You can download a $2 off coupon to print from the Zicam website.
Where can I buy it?
You should be able to find it at all major drug stores, mass merchandisers, grocery stores and online retailers.
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