OTC products with colloidal silver not safe

Nurse Practitioner, Nov 1999

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule declaring that all over-the-counter drug products containing colloidal silver or silver salts are not recognized as safe and effective and are misbranded. "Adequate directions cannot be written so that the general public can use these drugs safely for their intended purposes," the FDA states, and they are misbranded when their labeling falsely suggests that there is substantial scientific evidence to establish that the drugs are safe and effective for their intended uses.

The indiscriminate use of colloidal silver solutions has resulted in cases of argyria, a permanent bluegray discoloration of the skin and deep tissues, according to the agency,

Colloidal silver is a suspension of silver particles in a colloidal base. In recent vears, colloidal silver preparations of unknown formulation have been appearing in stores on products labeled as treatments for diseases including HIV, AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, malaria, lupus, syphilis, scarlet fever, shingles, herpes, pneumonia, fever, shingles, and other pneumonia, typhoid, tetanus, and other disorders.