People who stopped taking zinc lozenges after 5 days got over their colds more slowly than those who took fake pills, which might mean stopping zinc makes cold symptoms come back a bit.

Taking zinc acetate lozenges soon after cold symptoms start can help otherwise healthy adults recover from a cold about three times faster than if they didn't take them.

Taking zinc lozenges helped more people get better from colds faster. For every 2 to 3 people who take them, one extra person recovers by day 5 compared to those not taking them.

Taking zinc lozenges with less than 75 mg per day doesn't seem to shorten how long a cold lasts, based on studies comparing them to fake pills. It might only work if you take enough.

Taking high-dose zinc lozenges every day might help adults get over colds faster—cutting how long you're sick by more than a third compared to not taking them.

Even if you take zinc lozenges very soon after cold symptoms start, if the lozenges aren't made well, they still might not help you feel better faster.