Aldara cream

imiquimod

Aldara (imiquimod) is a medicine that is used for the treatment of patients who are suffering from genital warts (this includes perianal warts). Aldara can also be prescribed to treat certain types of skin growths (actinic keratoses) or skin cancer (superficial basal cell carcinoma [sBCC]). However, Imiquimod can also be used in the treatment of other medical conditions that have not been listed here. Ask your personal healthcare provider for more information.

What is Aldara cream?

Imiquimod, the active substance in Aldara cream, is an immune response modifier that stimulates the body's own immune response system to eliminate infected cells and helps the body fight certain skin diseases.

Before taking Aldara cream

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any allergies and your medical history, especially of: previous drug or surgical treatment of the genital or anal wart area, any skin conditions (e.g., inflammation or unusual sun sensitivity). This medication should be used only when clearly needed during pregnancy. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Aldara Cream is administered to nursing women. Aldara should be used with extreme caution in children.

Some medicines may interact with Aldara. Because little, if any, of Aldara is absorbed into the blood, the risk of it interacting with another medicine is low. Ask your doctor if Aldara may interact with other medicines (nonprescription and prescription) that you take.

How should I take Aldara cream?

Aldara Cream should be applied just before your bedtime on washed and dry skin. Leave the cream on the affected area for about 8 hours, then wash off. Do not cover the treated area with an airtight bandage. Do not wrap or cover the treated area with bandages unless directed by your doctor, however, a cotton gauze dressing may be used. Do not wear tight fitting clothing over the affected area. Cotton underwear may be worn after applying medicine to the genital or anal area. Each time open a new packet of Aldara Cream and apply a thin layer of Aldara Cream only to the affected area or areas to be treated. Gently rub the medicine in. Do not use more Aldara Cream than is needed to cover the treatment area. Safely throw away the open packet of Aldara Cream so that children and pets cannot get it. The open packet should be thrown away even if all the Aldara Cream was not completely used. After applying Aldara Cream, wash your hands well. If you get Aldara Cream in your mouth or in your eyes, rinse well with water right away. Do not get Aldara Cream in the anus when applying to perianal warts. Aldara is usually not used every day. Be sure you know how many times per week you should use Aldara. Use Aldara as directed by your doctor. Do not apply Aldara to any area of the body other than the treatment area. Continue to use Aldara as directed even if your conditions improve. Do not miss any doses. If you miss a dose of Aldara, use it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not use 2 doses at once.

If your symptoms do not improve or if they become worse, check with your doctor.

Aldara cream side effects

Most people who use Aldara cream experience no pain. One of the most common side effects is redness. This may be a sign that your immune system is working. Other common side effects are peeling skin, itching, flaking, and swelling around the warts. Usually the skin reactions that occur are local, mild or moderate (even with normal dosing) and may extend beyond the application site onto the surrounding skin. If any of these effects persist or worsen, contact your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

Should a severe skin reaction occur (e.g., sore, blister, ulcer), remove the medication by washing the area with mild soap and water and promptly contact your doctor. A severe reaction also includes any effects that restrict your daily activity or make using the product very difficult. Tell your doctor immediately if any of unlikely but serious side effects occur: flu-type symptoms (e.g., fever, muscle aches), dizziness, malaise, fever, nausea, myalgias and rigors. This medicine may be harmful if swallowed.

Overdosing of Aldara Cream could result in an increased incidence of severe local skin reactions and may increase the risk for systemic reactions. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.

Precautions

Aldara Cream is for skin use only. Use Aldara Cream only on the area of your body to be treated. Your healthcare provider will tell you where to apply Aldara Cream and how often and for how long to apply it for your condition. Do not use Aldara Cream longer than prescribed. Using too much Aldara Cream, or using it too often, or for too long can increase your chances for having a severe skin reaction or other side effect.

This medication sometimes increase the skin’s natural sensitivity to the sun. Avoid exposure to natural or artificial sunlight (tanning beds or UVA/B treatment). Use a sunscreen and wear protective clothing when outdoors in order to avoid experiencing unpleasant sunburn.

You should not use Aldara on broken skin, wounds and windburned or sunburned skin. It is recommended that you wait until these medical conditions have completely healed before you apply this medicine on those skin areas. Also, wait for your skin to heal from any previous drug or surgical treatments before using this medication.

The average time to healing is 10 weeks and may take as long as 16 weeks. Results vary from person to person. Aldara cream doesn't destroy healthy skin.

Notes

This information is a summary only. It does not contain all information about Aldara cream. If you have any other questions, please talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider.