MOST of us remember Papa Smurf, or Paul Karason, the man who turned blue from drinking too much colloidal silver in the 1990s, supposedly to treat sinuses, dermatitis, acid reflux and various other ailments.
While the case raised awareness of the dangers of consuming the alternative medicine, it has not deterred some.
A 63-year-old Australian man recently presented to the emergency department after a fall, and was found to be suffering from urinary retention and acute kidney injury, linked to peripheral neuropathy.
Oh, and his other symptom?
Blue-grey skin discolouration - also known as argyria - caused by silver consumption, most noticeable on the sun-exposed areas of the face and neck.
Just like Karason, the man had been using a homemade silver solution, as well as applying colloidal silver ointment to his legs for two years.
Although the patient's peripheral neuropathy was attributed to type 2 diabetes mellitus, medical experts could not rule out contribution from silver toxicity.
The patient was advised to discontinue silver use, however even after two months of cessation, his skin tone did not revert back to normal - and he wants to start using it again.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 24 Jul 25
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