Another safe alternative to Covixyl, that is probably just as effective as Covixyl, is iota-carrageenan nasal spray/Betadine nasal spray. Its only ingredients are iota-carrageenan, sodium chloride, carrageenan, and water.
I’ve gotten it online before here (they import from Canada), but it’s not for sale within the US because it claims to defend against colds, reduce the duration of colds, and reduce the spread of cold viruses, and the FDA has not approved it to claim any of those things.
If you google Betadine nasal spray, a lot of the results mistakenly talk about povidone-iodine, since Betadine is just a brand and there are other Betadine-branded products that contain povidone-iodine. Betadine nasal spray does not contain povidone-iodine, and it’s very important to avoid povidone-iodine nasal sprays, as they can be harmful. The FDA has cracked down on a number of these. From one of their warning letters:
Consumer antiseptic products intended for administration inside the nostrils are not permitted under the 1994 TFM, as further amended by the Consumer Antiseptic Rubs Proposed Rule.
I sort of wonder how Covixyl can be sold, since one of its listed ingredients is povidone. Maybe it’s low enough percentage povidone that it’s not in violation? Maybe @[email protected] (or another knowledgeable community member) knows.
I’ve used both betadine and covixyl, and betadine doesn’t sting my nose at all, while covixyl does. I don’t know if that ingredient is the reason why, but if you don’t like the sting try switching to betadine. I’ve gotten family members to use betadine because it doesn’t irritate the nose.
Oral PVP-I gargle, throat spray, nasal spray formulations are currently available as over-the-counter medications in many countries, including Japan and Canada. PVP-I in low concentrations has not been known to stain teeth or to cause any major adverse effect. PVP-I oronasal spray should better to avoid in patients with iodine allergy or those undergoing radioiodine treatment or thyroid dysfunction. In a study PVP-I is proved ciliotoxic in concentrations of 5% and 10%, but not in proposed low concentration 8.
The topical application of iodine (in low concentration) intranasally for the treatment of recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis has been described by the St. Paul’s Sinus Centre team in Vancouver. They found it was beneficial for the management of this condition, but also did not lead to any significant effect on thyroid function, mucociliary clearance or olfaction 4,5.
In a study conducted by Gluck et al. three groups received liposomal dispersion with PVP-I (2.2, 4.4 and 0% as control) in single and repeated use. Application of liposomal PVP-I spray to the nasal mucosa does not result in any demonstrable limitation of the nasal function nor in detectable damage to the multilayer ciliated epithelium of the nose. Improvement of various parameters of nasal function under liposomal PVP-I suggest improved mucociliary clearance. Explanation could be humidification, improved surfactant (phospholipid) level and/or sufficient mucolytic activity of iodide due to local application of the constituents [4, 5, 11]. So 0.6% PVP-I Oro-Nasal spray is safe for long time use Figs. Figs.1,1, ,2,2, ,3,3, ,44 and and55.
So, yeah, the low concentration is probably why it was approved.
Yeah, Amazon carries the canadian betadine spray. I haven’t tried it yet as a lot of the reviews complain about getting broken bottles. My guess regarding covixyl is that all their marketing and documentation is very specific to avoid saying it’s a sanitizer. And since it’s got the arginate and xylitol in there, they’re probably able to maintain the claim as a “blocker”. OR they’re bribing someone. 🤷♂️
For any 3rd parties lurking, carrageenan and xylitol are both chemicals people can have sensitivites to, just be sure to check the ingredients on all of these before using.
I haven’t tried it yet as a lot of the reviews complain about getting broken bottles.
Sounds like Amazon sellers aren’t cushioning the bottles. I’ve gotten like 30 of them from https://www.northernvitality.us/products/betadine-cold-defence-nasal-spray-20ml and have never gotten a broken bottle, they always cushion their packages with large bubble wrap and also wrapp them together in packs of 3 so they don’t shake around.
Same, I’ve gone with Covixyl for myself (as has my immediate family), though I’ve had an easier time getting masking-hesitant extended family to use Betadine nasal spray since their packaging and glass bottle look a little more official.
Another safe alternative to Covixyl, that is probably just as effective as Covixyl, is iota-carrageenan nasal spray/Betadine nasal spray. Its only ingredients are iota-carrageenan, sodium chloride, carrageenan, and water.
I’ve gotten it online before here (they import from Canada), but it’s not for sale within the US because it claims to defend against colds, reduce the duration of colds, and reduce the spread of cold viruses, and the FDA has not approved it to claim any of those things.
If you google Betadine nasal spray, a lot of the results mistakenly talk about povidone-iodine, since Betadine is just a brand and there are other Betadine-branded products that contain povidone-iodine. Betadine nasal spray does not contain povidone-iodine, and it’s very important to avoid povidone-iodine nasal sprays, as they can be harmful. The FDA has cracked down on a number of these. From one of their warning letters:
I sort of wonder how Covixyl can be sold, since one of its listed ingredients is povidone. Maybe it’s low enough percentage povidone that it’s not in violation? Maybe @[email protected] (or another knowledgeable community member) knows.
I’ve used both betadine and covixyl, and betadine doesn’t sting my nose at all, while covixyl does. I don’t know if that ingredient is the reason why, but if you don’t like the sting try switching to betadine. I’ve gotten family members to use betadine because it doesn’t irritate the nose.
A quick search led me here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8026810/
So, yeah, the low concentration is probably why it was approved.
There are other sprays, too, and this twitter thread goes over the options and what’s known about the effectiveness: https://nitter.poast.org/Clean_Air_Club_/status/1685790242681331713#m
lol, that’s the source of the images! I got them from an immunocompromised activist I follow on insta. Great resources, thanks.
Yeah, Amazon carries the canadian betadine spray. I haven’t tried it yet as a lot of the reviews complain about getting broken bottles. My guess regarding covixyl is that all their marketing and documentation is very specific to avoid saying it’s a sanitizer. And since it’s got the arginate and xylitol in there, they’re probably able to maintain the claim as a “blocker”. OR they’re bribing someone. 🤷♂️
For any 3rd parties lurking, carrageenan and xylitol are both chemicals people can have sensitivites to, just be sure to check the ingredients on all of these before using.
Sounds like Amazon sellers aren’t cushioning the bottles. I’ve gotten like 30 of them from https://www.northernvitality.us/products/betadine-cold-defence-nasal-spray-20ml and have never gotten a broken bottle, they always cushion their packages with large bubble wrap and also wrapp them together in packs of 3 so they don’t shake around.
Probably. I’ve been going with covixyl long term. Bought a 6 pack when it was on sale.
Same, I’ve gone with Covixyl for myself (as has my immediate family), though I’ve had an easier time getting masking-hesitant extended family to use Betadine nasal spray since their packaging and glass bottle look a little more official.