WASHINGTON - Katie Rhodes used Zicam Nasal Gel once last August, and says that after experiencing an intense burning sensation, she found she could no longer smell.

"As soon as I used the product, I started to have intense burning in my nostrils," Rhodes recalled.

The same thing happened to Mary Ann Brandon. She says that two years ago, hoping to ward off a cold, she took Zicam, which promises relief from the common cold.

Brandon said, "I sprayed it one time in each nostril. Within 30 minutes my husband and I were on the way to the ER... I felt like my face was on fire."

After more than 130 complaints about loss of sense of smell, the FDA is now advising consumers to stay away from three Zicam products: the Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs and Kid-size Swabs.

The agency says the products may destroy a person's sense of smell temporarily or even permanently.

And without the sense of smell, the sense of taste is weakened as well. Katie Rhodes said, "I couldn't enjoy foods. I couldn't enjoy wine."

The FDA says the products contain a zinc compound, and zinc is known to damage the sensors in the nose linked to smell.

Brandon said, "It's better to have a cold than to lose your sense of smell and taste for the rest of your life."

Matrixx Initiatives, the company that makes Zicam, said it will "suspend shipments of these products and will reimburse ... consumers" though it believes the FDA's action is unwarranted.

Three years ago the company paid out $12 million to settle several claims from hundreds of people who said the products had damaged their sense of smell, but Matrixx admitted no wrong doing.

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