ALDARA Reviews (IMIQUIMOD)Average Rating: 2.9 (856 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ALDARA with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Gender males first. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 |
More on ALDARA: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ALDARA | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | HPV | burning, itching, raised white bumps, minor flu-like symptoms, tired | Was eager to rid of few gw's I had so used 3 nights in a row because wasn't having symptoms. BIG MISTAKE. Before that, no symptoms, but now, its driving me crazy. Patients need to be informed that it is not a topical cream, that it works with your immune system. But, seems to be working great. | F | 30 | 2 weeks | 5/17/2005 | 4 | Pre-Cancerous Cells (Nose) | Heavy peeling on my nose, Extreme fatigue (I'm not 100% sure if it is because of Aldara) | So far so good. I apply Aldara Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings to my nose. I have had some peeling, but I was warned that that would most likely happen. Although it currently is far from attractive I just remember that I am basically getting brand new skin. | F | 18 | 2 months | 5/18/2005 | 4 | Genital Warts | mild itching, mild-moderate soreness, dry/stiffened skin, slightly raw areas | I wanted to share that I just spoke with a nurse about when to lay off using the drug/tips for use. In some areas that I'm appling aldara, I'm experience rawness -- not an open sore, but could get there. She recommended laying off that area until it heals a bit (but applying on my other warts), and continuing in this way moving forward. She also recommended squatting in a warm/tepid bath to help healing/ease discomfort. SHe suggested applying aldara with a Q-tip (to more easily avoid getting on healthy skin) and applying either zinc oxide or vaseline to the healthy surrounding skin *before* applying aldara to the warts - to help keep aldara off the healthy tissue. Wish I'd known all this before I started a week ago! Otherwise some warts do seem to be receding. | F | 30 | 1 weeks | 4/13/2007 | 4 | GW | Itching, Burning, Oozing, Severe Pain, severe skin discoloration, Flu-like symptoms, fatigue, headache... the works | When I first started using it I saw results almost immediately and I was thrilled. It was worth the itching and tenderness. Then I went on vacation for two weeks, wasn't good about applying on schedule and the warts returned plus new ones, so i resumed Aldara when I got home last weekend. I have been in a living hell since. I can barely move my crotch hurts so bad, making it nearly impossible to get anything done. I spent an hour crying my eyes out in the shower this morning the pain was so intense. The tissue on the opening of my vagina has turned nearly black (I almost had a heart attack). Be VERY careful when applying it close to the opening. I don't think I washed it well enough the next morning and maybe some got left on that area and that is why I am now in SO much pain. I thought I had the flu too until I realized so many Aldara users had the same symptoms. At the moment I hate this drug, but it was making a difference on the warts (and mine were really bad) so once th | F | 21 | 1 months | 4/21/2007 | 4 | misdiagnosed genital warts... | itching, slight tenderness to areas applied, hemorrhoid and increased number of lesions | The benefits outweigh the risks. All I can say is be sure you get a proper diagnosis from your doctor. Three doctors I went to thought I had genital warts. The final doctor told me I had molluscum (which acts like gw only instead of cauliflower clusters you have small pimple like growths). She also said that my "perianal" gw was actually a very unhappy hemorrhoid! My doctor's son and daughter had an infantile form on their legs and arms. Though the aldara treated these molluscum just fine, my doctor prescribed a special medication which she called "Beatle Juice) and applied it in the office. (You can get the molluscum de-cored and popped if you prefer.) Within days my molluscum were GONE! Make sure you get the proper diagnosis and get your partner treated. Good luck! | F | 19 | 3 months | 7/2/2007 | 4 | Hpv | A little red rash, minor itching | I took this for about a month, and my doctor took me off of it because it caused a rash, which i didnt even notice, so she has been keeping me on freezing and recently on sylic acid...NONE of which have worked! ACCEPT for ALDARA! Aldara was working perfectly for my smaller ones but not yet had started to change the bigger one, which after much reading i think just needed more time to be penetraded!! but seriously the other treatments are mostly painful and some days hurt to walk and sit down, they werent unbarable BUT Aldara really is heaven sent, im going to the doctors tomorrow to ask to be put back on it! Also I just bought that online book about natural remedys im gonna print it and bring it into my doctor and see what she says!! but we shall see i will keep you all updated on whether its worth buying or not!! Good LUck!! | F | 20 | 4 weeks | 5/14/2007 | 4 | Genital and Perianal Warts | Slight itchiness/tingling and tenderness to areas applied, a bit of skin discoloration and strangely enough, an increased number of minor warts during application. | Don't be afraid to use Aldara. I was completely nervous after reading the postings on the board- so nervous I initially passed up the medicine and began looking into laser therapies, etc. After gathering up my courage, I tried this medicine and it is worked wonders! I had little to no itching, almost no pain (ie none that was worse than having a painful pimple) and good results. Follow the directions exactly and don't buy generic brands. My regime included: clean area throughly. apply vaseline around infected "sites" to avoid burning my healthy skin. Use a q-tip to apply a thin layer. Let dry. Wash off at recommended time. This stuff has significantly shrunk my large perianial wart (50%) and I have been using the medicine for three weeks. The other minor warts are slowly disappearing. I've accidently forgotten a few times to put the medication on, but still have seen results! My only complaint is that it seems like I have an increased outbreak. My boyfriend and h | F | 18 | 3 weeks | 5/8/2007 | 4 | Actinic Keratosis | I am so glad I found this site. Besides horribly painfull, itchy, weeping sores which totally balnket my chest, I am having legs aches, fatigue, depression, and flu like symptoms. My heart races too. Did not know this was because of Aldara until I went for my checkup last week. Dr. is all excited because I am having such a strong response. THEN she asked my if I was having any of these symptoms. I feel horrible. | This is my second round, last year did this and it was no where near as severe-no side effects, but not such a strong response. Have been to Mexico twice and through a Colorado summer since last application. So, I sustained a lot of damage between then and now. I know Aldara works, but this sucks. I will stick it out and learn my lesson! NO MORE SUN FOR ME! | F | 42 | 6 weeks | 2/12/2007 | 4 | genital warts | redness, swelling, herpes like blister on clitoris | overall i loved the medicine. the side effects were minimal and the warts were gone in under 3 weeks. however, i had a small pimple/blister on my clitoris (probably got the medicine on it by accident.) it appeared one day and went away overnight and then a month later came back and stayed a week. it didnt hurt but was sensitive to the touch. had it tested for herpes and it came back negative. So if you develop a pimple looking thing from the medicine dont freak out like i did, its most likely a side effect. | F | 21 | | 3/1/2008 | 4 | bcc | Applying to right side of top lip. By week 3 Oozing, bleeding and mild headache. Lips stuck together in the am! I soak my lip in the am and the scabs that formed overnight come off. Aquaphor has been a great help. I use it on my lips during the day to keep them supple (and not crack)! At night before treatment I wash off the Aquaphor, then use it to block the area, and apply the Aldara. Overall I don't feel as though I've had any real adverse reactions, 9 treatments to go and I really feel that my results will be great. | F | 50 | 5 weeks | 11/13/2007 | 4 | Basal Cell Carcinoma | some redness on day 2, fatigue, backache on day 3 | Three years ago I used Aldara once a week for 8 weeks to treat bcc. I had several sbcc's under the skin on my cheek near my nose and my derm didn't want me to have the scarring of repeat surgeries. I'd already had Moh's on the tip of my nose with some scarring. I used Aldara and had no reaction on Day 1 after treatment, Day 2 I had blotchy redness and felt flushed, but no worse. Day 3 I would wake up feeling feverish and tired with a back ache. By later afternoon, I'd feel fairly normal. Within a few weeks of end of treatment, my skin looked gorgeous--I still get compliments and asked what I'm using (but have a few too many laugh lines to look Botoxed :)) I'm using it again but this time twice a week on nose and cheeks near nose after an actinic keratosis showed up. My derm wants to guard against bcc recurring. Today is Day 2 after first treatment and I feel tired and back hurts (but my kids are sick with various winter viruses, so it *could* be something else). no skin reaction | F | 44 | 2 days | 1/24/2009 | 4 | GW | did any other ladies develop a rash during her period on this? i used a pad and developed a horrible rash.. im hoping the two are related. | F | 6 weeks | 12/16/2008 | 4 | gw | mild itching and a little swelling, am experiencing a lot of tiredness but dont think this is definitely related to the cream. | when i went to the doctor to get gw sorted i was told it would take maybe 3-6 months of treatment to get rid of them. This actually made me want to cry as i have only slept with 3 people and was extremely embarassed i had got gw. But after just 3 weeks of treatment most of my warts have gone, i have two small ones left but compared to the rather large cluster i had before it is so much better. i am hoping that the rest will be gone within the next week or so. i am also taking more vitamins though while using the cream as i heard its the immune system which fights them away. dont know if this has helped but am doing it anyway. Just try the cream as u may be surprised with just how quickly it starts working. Dont worry, they will go eventually! | F | 22 | | 11/11/2008 | 4 | hpv | body aches, fatigue, swollen labia, burning, itching, redness, chapped skin, open blisters i thought were herpes but seems like alot of people experienced this so my mind is at ease a bit. | despite all the side effects, overall a good drug. the first few i found were gone in a bit over a week..which gives me hope for the newer ones. | F | 3 weeks | 11/18/2008 | 4 | Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma | Tingling, Itching, Redness, Swelling on area | I have used the cream every night for 8 hrs. I have not noticed any flu like symtoms are anything not to be expected. I am only 27 years old and this is my first cancerous spot. It looks like a tiny dry spot on my shoulder blade. You wpuld not even be able to notice it. Now since using Aldara you can see it. It is small but very red! I am not worried about it but glad to read some people have used it and it has worked. | F | 27 | 5 days | 4/1/2008 | 4 | GW | Extreme pain, swelling, burns, blisters and buring sensation | Yes, this is very painful, but it worked for me, i used it twice a day for 5 days in a row, and didnt wash off (yes disgusting, but i wanted to take the most aggresive approach possible, plus i was off work and didnt have to leave the house)After the 5 days, i was in what can only be described as the work possibe agony and pain, But i took 2 salt water baths for 3 days, and all pain and blisters and burns have disappeared , and YES YES YES, so have my GW outbreak. NO PAIN NO GAIN!!! | F | 26 | 5 days | 5/12/2008 | 4 | BCC | Initially itching and burning on facial spots. Difficulty sleeping, flu like symptoms at first which went away shortly, difficulty urinating, depression, swelling and redness and then oozing and painful sores which eventually formed dark scabs. | I was too unprepared by my dermatologist for the side effects of this medication. I had several BCCs on my face that a previous dermatologist had wanted me to have MOHs surgery for. But having had MOHs a few years before I opted to get a second opinion this time. My doctor asked me if I had heard about Aldara and explained how it worked. It sounded like a miracle cure to me. After all, what woman (or man) wants to have terrible scars on their face especially? The doctor's NP gave me some sample packets and it was prescribed for 6 weeks using 5 days in a row and then off two. I was shown pictures of how it can look and told how to use it but I was still completely unaware. I actually don't think I could have continued if it had not been for the information I have found on the net. After the second week I felt so tired and so bad I wanted to discontinue the use. I was actually suicidal even. The itching and burning was similar to what I think it might feel like to have ants stingi | F | 53 | 4 weeks | 11/21/2008 | 4 | Genital Warts | Burning, swelling, open sores | Okay, so like a lot of people, I'm don't sleep around and am probably the biggest "safe-sex" advocate EVER. but, the lovely HPV still somehow got ahold of me. I had probably 5-7 warts right around my anus and between my vagina and anus. Now, after about 3 weeks I basically only have the one that was the biggest (which is smaller now) and that's it!!! However, just yesterday, I developed two sores. The reason I stumbled upon this web page was because I frantically searched the internet in an effort to find comfort that it was HERPES! Thank god I know that many people were getting these open sores. The burning was kind of bad the last 3 weeks but not unbearable. I actually didn't really have any itching at all. But now that I have these two sores, I understand what everyone is talking about...it hurts to sit, walk, pee, etc. I'm thinking about discontinuing the med for now since my warts are almost gone and final exams are coming up and dont want to be fatigued...but as for me, | F | 21 | 3 weeks | 11/24/2008 | 4 | Basal Cell Carcinoma | Burning, itching, redness, crusty oozing scab, depression, occasional headache, sometimes pain at the area, sometimes a bit lethargic. | I was warned these would be the symptoms so I will keep using the product. The depression is very bazaar and very real but I will not stop because of it. No flu like symptoms or GI issues. The BCC is below my nose over my lip, I place vaseline on my lips at night so the cream does not melt down onto them. While I have it I have been putting on mosaic plantar warts on my foot too! | F | 41 | 3 weeks | 12/2/2008 | 4 | HPV | Hey guys. I'm writing this as encouragement for anyone with HPV. I am a 24 year old healthy female that was recently diagnosed with genital warts, which was extremely devastating to me considering I'm engaged to be married in October and have been in a committed relationship for 2 and a half years. I had one perianal wart for some time that I always thought was a hemmorhoid until my latest doctor visit. I first had the warts burned off with acid which was EXTREMELY painful and unpleasant and the warts grew back about 3 weeks later. DEVASTATING! I've spent the last month doing extreme research and I wanted to share my findings. First, my doctor recommended taking daily Folic Acid supplements to help PREVENT future outbreaks. This seems to be helping. I have also been seeing an acupuncturist to help strengthen my immune system to fight off the virus, and he also recommended changing my eating habits to prevent future outbreaks. | Just make sure that before you put on the Aldara you cover all of your surrounding skin with vaseline so that if the aldara cream touches it it won't burn your skin. You have to be super careful just to get the cream on the wart itself. It kills skin cells, so if it touches any other part of healthy skin it is going to make you sick. Put the vaseline on first on surrounding skin (even the sides of your legs just in case) and then rub the aldara just on the wart with a q-tip. I try to lay down right away and sleep for 6 hours (try to keep your legs open) and then wash off first thing in the morning. I have only used a couple of treatments and I feel great and can tell the warts are decreasing.Worth a shot if you use it right! | F | 24 | 1 weeks | 4/2/2009 |