Zinc lozenges might help you get over a cold faster, with zinc acetate ones possibly working a bit better than zinc gluconate ones, but the difference isn't clear enough to be sure.

Taking zinc lozenges around 80-90 mg per day can shorten how long you have a cold by about one-third, and taking even more doesn't help much more than that.

Taking zinc gluconate lozenges when you have a cold might help you get better about 7 days faster than if you didn't take them, according to a study.

Taking certain zinc lozenges (not the acetate kind) in high daily doses might shorten how long you have a cold by about one-fifth, but different brands or types seem to work differently based on studies.

Taking zinc acetate lozenges when you have a cold can help you get better faster, cutting down how long you're sick by about 2 to 3 days.

Taking zinc lozenges with a certain ingredient can shorten how long you have a cold by almost half, according to studies on people with real colds.