I too have had great success avoiding full blown colds with this product. And I love that I don't have to eat a nasty lozenge. But I have not been able to find it anywhere for about 2 years. Last time, I substituted it with the cold sore swabs - I think the ingredients are the same and it also seemed to work. I use it when I get on a plane to avoid picking up germs - so far so good. But now even the cold sore swabs aren't available. Today, searching online I found out why - it's off the market. Apparently, some people lost their sense of smell & they're blaming this product. So all swabs with zinc gluconate are gone. There's a new allergy relief swab but it doesn't have the zinc gluconate.

emilyr

Mesa, AZ

**Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs - **helps me kick a cold, even before it grabs hold!  I've been a big fan of **Zicam Cold Remedies **from when they first where introduced.  I've tried the throat drops first.  They tasted a tad weird and annoying, but they worked! Then the **Zicam Cold Nose Spray **was my next favorite discovery.  The **Zicam** nose spray worked well, but I had to fight the urge to blow my nose immediately! Finally, the scientists at **Zicam** introduced **Zicam Cold Gel Swabs**!  **Zicam Cold Gel Swabs **are perfect for me! These swabs come individually wrapped and are pre "gooped"!  Its a cotton swab type applicator.  So they're very clean and pre medicated.  You snap the top off the "plastic wrapper" to get to the cotton swab and gently you swab the inside of each nostril.  TIP: don't go to far up into the cavity - read the directions first!  I don't really 'rub' the solution into my nose, I just gently 'apply' it, making sure I get some gel into each nostril.  Then I plug my nose for about 30 seconds or so.  Afterwards if it feels "goopy" I will blow my nose, but usually all of the important "goodness" has absorbed by then.  ****Zicam Cold Gel Swabs ****uses a direct delivery system, so you know its going to work fast! I use **Zicam Cold Gel Swabs **just as I feel a little "itch"/cold coming on and if I forget or my cold sneaks up on me, I use it to shorten my cold's duration.  I know **Zicam **cannot claim that it cures the cold or prevents it - but in MY opinion, **Zicam Cold Gel Swabs **have DEFINATELY stopped dozens of colds from grabbing hold of me.  I'm a busy mom, business owner and volunteer, I am constantly in contact with sickies throughout my week - you know that I have at least one **Zicam Swabs **on me at all times!!!! Unlike OTHER cold 'remedies',** Zicam Cold Gel Swabs **do NOT burn my nose, they don't smell funny and they don't give headaches, yet it does what it says - shortens the duration/lessons the symptoms of a cold - what more could I ask for?  Okay it could do the laundry, make dinner and take out the trash, but then I would have to marry it! LOL  I hope you find **Zicam** works for you too!!!! Congestion Relief Zicam has other great product for congestion, this isn't one of them. Use this when you feel the cold coming on and thru any symptoms to help shorten the duration of your cold. This really will not take away your congestion symptoms at all. Chest Congestion Relief This really does nothing for chest congestion relief. Relief of Aches & Pains Definitely void of any pain killers, so Ziacam Cold Relief would need to be taken with Advil or Tylenol if you have aches. Cough Suppression Has no cough suppression in this gel, so again, if you have a cough be sure to grab some cough syrup as well.

KimMurray

Livonia, MI

Last year, I went through a six week period where I was miserable. It started off with a cold and turned into everything but death. It was awful. As a result, I vowed to make changes this flu season.Despite having a constantly sick coworker and two kids who are in daycare, I'm healthy. Every time I've felt like I have a cold, I use it as directed for 24 hours and wait and see. Well, it's been nearly 5 months now and I've had nothing. Not even a cold. I'm blown away. Now, it does have it's draw backs. It IS rather expensive, but for me I would rather pay the price and avoid a cold, which WOULD cost my family more in the long run. It also is a bit strange - you are basically putting a wet Q-tip into your nose. That being said, it's not long you're cleaning out your nose with it. You put it on the rim inside your nose; that's it. there's nothing incredibly complicated. Put the Q-tip in about 1/4 inch around the inner rim of your nose, press on the otter edge of your nose with it for 5 seconds and re-dip for the next side. It's really that easy. For some people, that may be a little bit too much. It may be complicated to stick things inside the nose. Like I've said, I didn't believe this would work. I only bought it because a friend insisted that it worked. I was more than happy to prove that it didn't. After all, last year was so painful that it must be a sign of things to come...right?For me, it works. I have to use it at the VERY FIRST sign of a cold. You know - when you think it's just an allergy or something? I use it. I figure that it doesn't hurt to be careful.

AngiBowman

Olathe, KS

When I first tried Zicam, I didn't really expect results.  To my surprise it did!  My colds usually last about  2 weeks so to have it only last 3 days was nothing short of a miracle.  I've used the swabs and chews both but actually prefer the chews.

vilesbec

Portland, OR

Don't dismiss this product It really works!Just start using at the first sign of a cold or if you know you are going to be around people that have colds.I work in a hospital and use them frequently.Where are there more germs then in a hospital.The product is a little pricey but well worth it!

lisazrtrcv99

Pennsville, NJ

I have used this when I feel like I'm starting to get a cold or flu. It really does help to stop the illness in it's tracks. I hate a stuffy nose, so when I start to get stuffy I use this, and before you know it, I can breath freely again. I would recommend this product to anyone who wants to get over the colds fast. I don't even mind paying the price because I know this works great.

kcalkins46

Almond, NY

Catching a cold is no pleasure, but there are many ways to reduce the annoying symptoms and possibly even shorten the cold virus' time spent in your system. One product manufactured for these purposes is **Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs**. **Medicine Commentary:** Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs are made using the active ingredient Zincum Gluconicum 2X. They are different from other cold remedies in that they do not require taking a pill or spraying liquid up your nose. Instead, this medicine is taken by applying the medicine, using the included swabs, inside each nostril. Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs cause some nasal irritation at first and you may feel the urge to blow your nose or rub your nose. But you have to resist the urge to blow for at least 30 seconds to make sure the medication has time to work. Once it has done its thing, all one has to do is sit back and wait for the cold virus to run its course and exit the system. Are Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs effective? Well, from my experience, I have noticed a reduction in the severity of symptoms after using this product. My congestion isn't quite as heavy as before and I no longer worry about my cold symptoms or allow them to interfere in normal living. However, I cannot necessarily agree that the cold duration is shorter because, at least for me, it seems to last about as long as usual. ** ** **Bottom Line Viewpoint:** Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs seems to be a decent product for making cold symptoms less severe than otherwise and for making you forget about your sickness. It may or may not reduce the duration of a cold and it is rather expensive, but it does have some positive qualities that make it worth a try.

Bryan-Carey

Houston, TX

I have used Zicam Gel Swabs and Nasal Spray since they first appeared on the market. They both worked excellent and I never have had any side effects. It's too bad that they have removed the nasal forms because of a few people that did not use the product in the way it was mean't to be used. How could you get burning unless you really shoved it up in your nose? Which is not the correct way to use it. I tried the other forms of Zicam....chew tabs and melt away lozenges were both chalky tasting. The mint spray wasn't very good either. But this stuff works! Rather than suffer with colds I will put up with chalky taste and bad tasting spray. I do not give the taste 5 Stars, but I sure will give the results 5 Stars!

tam213

Knoxville, TN

Zicam is the best health care product since aspirin!  I wish a cure could be found for the common cold, but since that isn't going to happen soon, this is the next best thing.  I have found that if I use Zicam the second I feel a cold coming on, it will all but eliminate the cold about 75% of the time.  The other 25% of colds are much less severe than they are without taking it. The trick is to take it the second you feel a cold coming on (I have a box at home, in my work desk drawer and a couple of swabs in my purse).  Then you have to keep using it every four hours for a day or two, even if you feel fine.....if you don't the cold will find you. Zicam is homeopathic, and its main ingredient is zinc.  I've used zinc before in trying to fight a cold, but this works much more effectively, perhaps because of the way it's delivered. There are several different options...they seem to be designed for the comfort of the user....but I like the gel swabs the best.  I think it's because it's the easiest to assure the correct amount is used.  It seems a little odd the first couple of times you use it:  it's like a q-tip in a break-apart tube that is easily disposed of when you are finished.  You apply the liquid gel to the inner part of your nostril...only a quarter of an inch in....and then hold the nostril closed for 5 seconds.  And then your cold symptoms disappear!  

Gatherer

Concord, NH

This product is so different that any other cold treatment available. It's easy to use, and easy to treat your children as well. It works just as well as the kind you use orally, only no taste/aftertaste. The swabs are convenient to use. They fit in your purse, pocket, and are small and skinny enough to slip into a celphone case or other small area. You don't need water to use it, which also makes it convenient, especially away from home. The tubes have so much gel in them, you can easily use it more than once. I use a q-tip for a second and third application, so as not to recontaminate myself. Because Zicam can be more costly than other brands, I find this method to be very practical and cost-saving. It's quick and easy, and when administering to my child, he does not balk or runaway and hide at the prospect of receiving medicine. This product was recommended by a co-worker, and I have used it several times since then. Once drawback is that I did notice that my olfactory senses became less sensitive, or decreased, however it has not had a major impact on my daily life. I highly recommend trying it.

Coloradosnoflake2

Fort Collins, CO