Do zinc lozenges work for you for colds?

Wondering whether others have tried zinc gluconate lozenges for a head cold and what your results were...

I believe these work to help a soar throat specifically - to actually help heal it - not just make the symptoms better.

For me, no, meaning they have not lessened the symptoms or duration of the cold. Sometimes I think echinacea may help a little if I start it very early. What I think has helped me the most is that I take a very good multiple vitamin with lots of C and I think that helps me to prevent catching colds in the first place.

I know people that swear by them...

But I've tried them twice myself; I don't know whether they helped at all, but the taste and the dryness and the canker sores that they left in my mouth were much worse then the cold.

And that Zicam stuff for swabbing your nostrils? Much the same. I'd rather have the cold.

But again, I know people that swear by that stuff too.

Echinacea and Vitiamin C are what I personally and fervently swear by for colds. At the first hint of a sore throat or a non-allergy related sniffle, I take two echinacea capsules and 2 X 1000 mg Ester C tablets three times a day.

Since I started doing that about 10 years ago, I've only had very mild colds that last 2-3 days at most. (And I'm a guy who used to get horrible colds that lasted for weeks.)

If you already have a bad cold, the same regimen will help you get over it quicker.

Use the whole herb echinacea in capsules; The hard tablets are useless. Even though it is more expensive the Ester-C is easier on your digestive system than regular vitamin C.
(Spring Valley brand of both are the lowest cost, yet decent quality and widely available brand I have found.)

I've used them for several years, and based on my experience they do exactly as claimed: lessen severity and length.

When I've remembered to start them immediatly upon that first sniffle or cough, I've never had one go over a week, and it's not too severe. When I've not started until several days after the first sympton, it runs a couple of weeks and is annoying. When I have not used them (and before I used them) a cold would go 2-3 weeks and sometimes be quite nasty.

I'm a believer!:rock:

It's difficult to perform good science on humans.

Some studies have shown that taking zinc gluconate lozenges can reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms, compared to placebo. Other studies have not demonstrated a statistically significant benefit.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/..._uids=15496046&query_hl=4&itool=pubmed_docsum

There isn't much risk in taking zinc gluconate lozenges. Of course, the benefit is arguable too, since the common cold is a PITA but isn't particularly dangerous.

FWIW, I use them (Cold-Eeze). I avoid the zinc gel and spray preparations, because there have been some reported cases of permanent anosmia (loss of the sense of smell) as a result of using them, and because I'd rather consume a slightly metallic-tasting lozenge than spray something up my nose.

PhotonWrangler said:

Wondering whether others have tried zinc gluconate lozenges for a head cold and what your results were...

Click to expand...

Both the wife and I use them in conjunction with a spray product named Zicam, and it shortens the duration , as well as damping down the symptoms. (You are miserable for a much shorter time. ) YMMV

Because my wife & I already take daily multi minerals containing zinc - no. Too much zinc is not good and the lozenges never seemed to work. Many people don't get enough zinc in their diets, so for them it may be benificial.

After about 12 years of anecdotal proof we've found that taking echinacea with 1000mg of vitamin C from 3 - 4 times daily our colds or flu abate quickly. We've been lured into discontinuing the treatment in a couple days because we felt much better, only to have it come back. Now we'll continue the regimine for a full week or so.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks for the input everyone. I've had mixed results with the zinc lozenges. On two occasions they appared to lessen the duration of my cold, and on one occasion they didn't. Unfortunately this is all somewhat subjective as I have no way of knowing whether I would've gotten better anyway if I didn't take the zinc.

I have a friend who swears by Echinicea (I'm sure I've mis-spelled that) although I tried it once (don't remember what kind it was) and it didn't seem to put a dent in the symptoms.

I'm trying to avoid antihistamines this time around as they leave me with an unpleasant spaciness and drowsiness, and I've got it in my head that I shouldn't be interfering with nature's way of dealing with the germs, letting the sniffles take their course as long as things don't get out of control.

Not all brands of herbal remedies have sufficient active constituents to be helpful. Consumer Reports has tested for this in the past and listed the brands found to be worthwhile. This, like best battery mfg, may vary every few years. That, and I believe, due to our differences, what works well for one may have no effect for another. Good luck.

PhotonWrangler said:

Thanks for the input everyone. I've had mixed results with the zinc lozenges. On two occasions they appared to lessen the duration of my cold, and on one occasion they didn't.

Click to expand...

As I mentioned in my earlier post, with me, the effectivity is dependent on how EARLY in the cold cycle I begin with them (ColdEze)...if I start at the first symptom they are much more effective.

They work for me I can't stand being sick... again, try taking them right when you get the symptoms.

I ran across something last year which suggested using Hydrogen Peroxide in your ears.
Yeah, sounds weird.

Google it for more info.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=peroxide+ears

It seems to have helped me.

Does it help to rinse ones toothbrush in mouthwash before use?
Will grems live on it long enough to get transfered back into your system?

Peroxide in the ears? Wow. I've never heard of that! What is the mechanism behind this treatment, given that a rhinovirus implies that it's centered in the old schnozzola?

When I was a kid I had a strep infection in my ear. (Darn near killed me, I found out years later.) They 'boiled' it out with Hydrogen Peroxide 2-3 times a day while I was in the hospital for a week or more.

Peroxide is just a great anti-infective and a good biological cleaner in general. The bubbles carry out whatever crud in cracks and crevices... I use H2O2 for a lot of stuff .... I don't know if it is an anti-viral or not, and never tried it in my ears for a cold, but do gargle with it.... Better than Listerine , I believe.

Anyway, your ear canals connect to your sinuses (at least mine do ).... Gotta clean BOTH out to get rid of the cold cooties.... But "snortin' H2O2 ain't no fun at all. (take my word for it)

The peroxide ion is a very potent oxidizer, and it will oxidize damn near anything it touches. Bacterial cell walls, viral proteins, rubber goods, organic dyes (bleaches hair and many fabric dyes) very effectively. In high concentrations, incredibly nasty stuff. The German ME163 rocket plane was powered essentially by methanol and hydrogen peroxide.

Using Hydrogen Peroxide in the ears to cure colds and the flu is based on the incorrect notion that the viruses enter the body through the ears. It makes no sense from a medical perspective for the following reasons:

1) The outer ear (the part from the ear drum outward) does not connect to the middle or inner ear in a normal person. It is a dead end in there just like your belly button. Your inner ear does drain into your throat, but that is separated from you outer ear by your middle ear and ear drum.

2) You catch a cold after a cold virus enters your nasal cavity through your nostrils or through your tear ducts. The primary vector is your hands.

3) Even if a virus could enter your nasal cavity through your ear, how would disinfecting your ear after the fact help stave off the infection of your nasal cavity? There is no ligical mechanism here. This makes a much sense as rinsing out your mouth to prevent a hangover after ingesting too much alcohol.

4) Any evidence that this works is anecdotal and explained by the placebo effect. Doing anything at the earliest signs of a cold can create an illusion of effectiveness because people don't always get sick after experiencing something like an early cold symptom. If you hopped on one foot at the earliest sighs of a cold, you would find that most of the time you didn't get the cold you were expecting. Is this due to hopping on one foot? Yes, absolutely, if you believe it is.

As for the Zinc lozenges, they are somewhat effective and this is supported by legitimate medical research. However, they are also subject to the effect mentioned in number 4 above. Their perceived effectiveness is greater than their actual effectiveness due to the placebo effect. Also, many people believe they have a cold when in fact they have something else (such as sinusitus) so a legitimate cold remedy would not work in those cases.

I would recommend trying zinc lozenges. I would also recommend vitamin C and ecinachea, although these have not been proven effective in any well-done studies. I would also recommend plenty of sleep, fluids and even chicken soup.

And remember the old adage that an untreated cold will last 2 weeks, while a treated cold can be beaten in as little as 14 days.

The main thing to remember is not to use a multi-symptom cold remedy such as Nyquil. These will just make you feel worse on the whole. Also avoid decongestant nasal sprays which can cause rebound congestion and addiction. For nasal congestion I like pseudoephedrine (read the label about heart conditions). For a sore throat, try gargling with warm salt water. Lozenges also help.

As for the flu. Just get a flu shot every year before flu season.

It varies accordingly from person to person I guess in regards to the lozenges but primarily for sore throat. When I was working the truck scales, a fellow truck driver gave me some tree bark that he bought in Chinatown SFO. Said it works for sore throat and all since I was feeling under the weather at that point in time. I tried it. . .For some reason it work within a few minutes. Never got a chance to ask what and where exactly he got those tree bark from. I was chuckling a little when I saw him offering it to me because I'm thinking I'll get splinters on my tongue or side of my mouth with these pieces of wood. . .Does anyone here know about these tree barks?

Probably willow tree bark.

The bark, and more especially the 'skin' (Brain not working well tonight, I can't think of the real name) between the bark and the wood contains salicin... Which when you chew it turns it into salicylic acid... Which is essentially Asprin.

So, chew some Aspergum to relieve a bad sore throat, gums etc. No splinters, and it is stronger.

There are a couple of other trees that have salicin in their bark, but Willow has the most, and I can't think of what the other trees are now anyway.

the lozenges never did anything for me, plus they taste nasty (which is probably why you think they are doing something )

But I do think that sometimes I have stopped one from starting by using the Zicam nasal spray stuff. But there seem to be different modes that they operate on and it doesn't help for everything.

About the only thing that reliably helps me to get better sooner rather than later is as much sleep as I can carve out of the night.

I started experimenting with one of those nasal irrigation salt water things last year while catching a cold, while I dont think it made me get over it any faster, it did help clearing out my head and made me feel better, though the actual experience of using it takes some getting used to...

And yes, get a flu shot if you can cause none of this stuff does anything to alleviate or quicken the flu. If you get it, you'll know the difference between it and a bad cold. I've only had it 2 or 3 times in my adult life, and that is enough. I get the shot now.