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 |
| 1 | bbc | Applied to my scalp 5 nights a week for 4 weeks ( i stopped the treatment 2 weeks early.) Now have possibly permanent neurological damage. I was perfectly healthy, Now have Small Fiber Neuropathy. Tinitus,Insomnia, Anxiety and Depression. | Had I known, or really would have stopped to think . This drug doesn't just stay at the local site of application. It gets in to your blood stream and it may attack perfectly healthy cells. My doctor informed that this was a less invasive option. I wish I would have opted for surgery. Just be well informed before you decide to use this toxic drug. | F | 48 | 4 weeks | 4/30/2009 | 1 | Genital warts | flu-ish, feverish, headache, naussea, itch, fatigue, pain, loss of appetite | I only applied 3 times (with an 'off' day between them) and had to stop BUT it did work for me, even after three times! GW became less in quantity and size! Nevertheless I'm looking for other options and stopped using it because of extreme naussea and pain. First was ok, no problems at all. But after second application I couldn't go anywhere, lost my appetite, had headaches, was really tired and not myself anymore & had terrible pain when walking, sitting, sleeping.. It works for me in a way but the side effects are just unbearable.. Too bad since it costs over 170€ here. | F | 21 | 1 weeks | 4/19/2009 | 1 | BCC | My doctor prescribed Aldara to treat 27 BCC's on various parts of my body. I've had over 30 BCC's removed previously via every method known and nearly all reoccurred, sometimes several times (I'm treating one spot that's been surgically removed 4 times). I've been prescribed Aldara twice before (to treat just 2 spots) both times were unsuccessful, but my doctor says there are no treatment alternatives left. I'm in week 2 and feel HORRIBLE - I ache everywhere,am lethargic and exhausted, cough constantly and feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. Just leaning back in my chair at work is painful. Forget the actual application sites (huge, weeping, scabby messes), the systemic effects are so dehabilitating I'm ready to throw in the towel and just live with the cancer. Why is this minor skin ailment so impossible for doctors to concur? | Be ready for lots of major side effects - you'll be unproductive and useless at work and at home for the entire course of treatment. Use Aldara only as a very last resort, and be ready for the treatment to be unsuccessful - it seems to be a crapshoot. | F | 50 | 2 weeks | 3/31/2009 | 1 | Gental wart | After a tiny 'flesh mole' on the very top of my vulva was diaganosed as a genetal wart, my gyno prescribed aldara. I began using the medication and on fist aplication I felt a slight burning sensation (the pamphlet in the box said that is a sign that it is working), after continued use came the swelling and the beginings of what turned out to be the most horrific experience I have ever had using any medication. Both sides of my vulva swole up with hardened skin and soresed appeard all over my vagina (even my clit). It became painful to move, walk, clothes my legs, sleep you name it and the tiredness just would not go away I slept and slept. I have not been able to go to work for the last 5 days and I dont know when I will be able to. | I would not recommend Aldara to anyone. It is not worth the pain and suffering. More so I cannot find a single site that tells me how to treat this severe reaction to the cream. | F | 24 | 7 days | 7/1/2008 | 1 | BCC | After 9 doses, small amt on chest, now have suppressed immune system, severe anemia, colitis, skin infections, headaches, fatigue, dizzy, weight loss. Been hospitalized, and now have internal bleeding. PLEASE, do not use this toxic drug. It has permanently affected my health, I will never be the same. | F | 9 days | 8/2/2008 | 1 | GW | Itching, burning, red sores | I was using Aldara for a tiny wart that was on my vagina. My doctor told me to continue the medicine until it was completely finished (all 24 packs. By the second week of application. I developed small. red, itchy bumps all over my vagina. At first i just continued to use the medecine because I thought that I had just developed more warts. by the end of the second week going into the third week I couldnt take the itching and burning so I went back to my Dr. He gets me on the table, takes a look and says "well this isn't the same thing you had before" He takes a culture and a blood test and asks me "how old is your boyfrined? do you only have sex with him." The whole time I'm sitting there shaking. When i get dressed and sit across from him he tells me that it looks like I have herpes. I was so upset I started crying. He then said. "it can just be an allergic reaction let's hope that, that is all it is" He prescribed me Zovirex and acyclovir and told | F | 36 | 3 weeks | 2/3/2009 | 1 | I have not been able to get rid of all the side effects, such as itchy skin on my scalp, chest, back, and ears. | I have now been told I might have lupus and lichen dermatitis. I have had this for two years. I am very upset over all of this! | F | 59 | 12 weeks | 3/1/2009 | 1 | gw hpv | open sores | I have had hpv since I was 16, but never had any abnormal paps or outbreaks since then. And I have had the gardasil shots. I have not been sexually active in the last 3 years, however, I just recently saw 4 small bumps on my pelvic area and was given aldara to treat it 3 times a week for 4 weeks. I have been using it as directed, as of the 2nd week, I saw no change in size of the bumps and started to develop open sores. The lotion never burned when applying it. I am now entering week 4 and still have bumps as well as new open sores. The sores don't burn or hurt, they are just ugly and annoying. NOT HAPPY. | F | 24 | 3 weeks | 3/24/2009 | 1 | hpv/genital warts | redness, itchiness, swelling, constant sensation of having to pee, deep ache in vagina/lower stomach | I've used aldara 3 times now: the 1st time for about 3 weeks with cryotherapy, the second time for 2 weeks for one tiny wart, the 3rd time for 3 weeks. The 1st time I had no major side effects, and my warts cleared, but probably b/c of cryo; the 2nd time the cream worked; the most recent time I had severe itchiness, pain, etc, and no effect on warts. It's painful to walk and impossible to exercise. I've been off it for a week now, and the side effects are just starting to subside. The crazy thing about this vicious medication is that genital warts is not a serious condition; it's very common. I too have felt like it was the end of the world at times (and I had only had 2 sexual partners when I was diagnosed), but I now have a more realistic perspective. Aldara works for some, but I really don't see the need to put yourself through terrible anxiety and debilitating pain in an attempt to rid yourself of some warts that will likely come back anyway. What you should do: get treated at a cl | F | 22 | 8 weeks | 11/20/2008 | 1 | bcc | I'm one of those people who have had a plethora of debilitating side effects from my use of Aldara a year and a half ago. The worst symptoms are extreme muscle inflammation and deterioration, joint deterioration, and skin rashes. The most recent diagnosis is an autoimmune disease called dermatomyositus (literally means inflammation of the muscles and skin). My rheumatologist agrees that my problems were likely induced by my use of Aldara or something similar. I was very healthy before Aldara, and since I used no other drugs, I fully believe Aldara was the cause. To treat the symptoms, I've been on high levels of prednisone, as well as plaquenil and am now taking CellCept (an anti-rejection drug approved for kidney and heart transplant patients). These drugs suppress the immune system (which is causing the inflammation), and they have, in turn, indirectly caused a ruptured appendix (because it's suppressed, my immune system didn't react to poisons that had gathered in my appendix) and a | Per a dermatologist's prescription, I used Aldara for 3 months straight (every day). It did a wonderful job of eliminating the small BCC that I had on my torso. For me, noticeable affects on my immune system didn't start until near the end of my 3-months of use. Had I known of the systemic effects that it would have on the rest of my body, I NEVER WOULD HAVE USED IT! Many people appear to be lucky and have no long term effects from Aldara. However, you don't know if you will be like those of us who end up with permanent health issues - even if you've used Aldara in the past. I wish that I had simply had the BCC surgically removed. Instead, I ended up with permanent immune system problems, extensive pock-scarring on my forehead and scalp from the shingles, skin rashes and a host of additional possible issues related to the drugs I need to take. It wasn't worth it. | F | 54 | 3 months | 12/4/2008 | 1 | Genital Warts | I was just wondering if anyone has found aldara for under $600...my doctor prescribed me 24 doses with one refill and i took it to the pharmacy only to find out the prescription would cost me $626!! I am in college and certainly cannot afford that. I read on here someone said aldara wasnt worth the $70 they spent, where did you find it for $70? | F | 21 | | 12/30/2008 | 1 | Basal Cell Carcinoma | Severe ongoing joint inflammation and pain, bursitis of the hip, muscle aches and pain, severe dizziness. | Please do not take this drug! There are several other alternatives which do not have the painful ongoing side effects (such as Mohs proceedure). This is a very powerful drug, so make sure your dermotologist is very familiar with it and knows how to prescribe it. My fist dermo did not and prescribed 5 days on 2 days off on FIVE spots of skin cancer. I am still suffering the side effects months later. I was otherwise very healthy before taking this. | F | 46 | 10 days | 12/23/2008 | 1 | Actinic Keratosis | Severe muscle & joint pain, burning, itching, open oozing sores, swelling, headaches/migraines, difficulty sleeping, agitation, chills & fever,sore throat, blurred vision, swollen legs & ankles, nausea very severe fatigue, permanently damaged immune system. Very dangerous toxic drug that almost killed me | My dermatologist here in New Zealand suggested the use of Aldara, I questioned her on its safety and side effects as I react badly to drugs and have a damaged immune system, with that knowledge she said it was safe,sold this drug over the counter in their office, no data sheet given, told to apply it every day for 5-6 weeks.3M will tell you, not to use it near the eyes, not to use it in the hair line, not to use it on open sores, never use it if you have an impaired immune system. I started becoming ill within 8 hours of applying the cream, at two weeks I was sure I had developed some terrible illness, I rang the dermatologist as I had severe open oozing sores and was told keep using it and the effects I was having was not Aldara related. Another week went by and I was so ill I thought I was dying I rang them again and spoke to the main Dermatoligist and she told me clearly these were reactions of Aldara, to stop using it and I would be fine in 3-4 days, rubbish on day 4 my husband had | F | 55 | 21 days | 1/13/2009 | 1 | Genital Warts | Burning and itching sensation at wart site (introitus, i.e., entrance to vagina), swelling/inflammation/redness of labia plus ulcerations on labia where cream was accidentally applied which led to severe pain when urinating. Couldn't walk, sit or move secondary to the pain. | Have had 3 gw recurrences in space of one year. Tried cryotherapy in past 2 GW recurrences. Cryo cleared the warts for a while. On 3rd recurrence, was prescribed aldara. Did total of 3 applications to my GWs which were flat in appearance. On first application, seemed okay enough. Was difficult to apply with fingertip as suggested in drug literature because of location of warts, therefore, on next 2 applications I used a cotton bud to apply the cream (very, VERY small amounts only and only on wart site). However, as I'd applied it with my flipping fingertip the first time, it had got on to the healthy skin of my labia which caused labia to swell and 3 big sloughy sores to form. Literally couldn't get out of bed for the pain. Extreme stinging pain when urinating. Impossible to move, let alone walk or sit. Have had to deal with sloughy ulcers by washing with saline solution and removing pus/exudate using wet cotton buds. Been a week now since ulcers formed, smaller sores have healed | F | 31 | 5 days | 1/21/2009 | 1 | HPV/ genital warts | Burning, Herpes like sores, Severe Pain, severe skin discoloration, Flu-like symptoms, Soreness, Burning | I only used two treatments before huge puss filled sores developed. I ran a high fever, and was unable to walk for weeks. I could not use the bathroom without crying from the pain. I went to the doctor and they told me it was probably herpes. They did the test, and determined it was not. It was just a reaction to the medicine. No one warned me of these horrible side effects, because if they had I would never of used this treatment. This medicine took weeks of my life because I was unable to function normally. I would NEVER suggest this medicine to anyone!!!! | F | 22 | 4 days | 8/23/2007 | 1 | GW | intense itching, burning, PAIN, redness, burning during urination | I have only applied Aldara twice and I am in PAIN. For the past 3 days I have experienced intense itching and I can't even walk. I am just waiting it out hoping that this intense pain/itching will GO AWAY. I feel like I have to put vagisil on every 30 minutes or I will just go crazy. I have basically been lying in bed all day, and everytime I think it is getting better I'll get up and walk around and oh no the feeling comes back. I already have to deal with these freaking genital warts I don't need this horrible pain on top of that. People do have to walk around on a daily basis but I guess my doctor didn't think about that? I have noticed that it has made my warts smaller (I think?????) but geeze is this the price you have to pay? I don't have time for this crap. I would seriously suggest just going for acid treatments at least that pain only lasts for a breif period of time. I can't believe I paid 90 dollars to light my vagina on fire. | F | 22 | 2 days | 4/21/2007 | 1 | actinic keratosis | extreme fatigue, anxiety, flu like, fever, achey al over, flare up of arthritis. | DONT USE THIS CREAM. IT HAS SIDE EFFECTS WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM IT TREATS | F | 55 | 6 days | 4/24/2007 | 1 | HPV | Kidney complicaitons | I started taking it when I was diagnosed with HPV. Intense pain. Headaches, blurred vision. Hemorhoids. I've always had a clean bill of health. Now this medicine has turned my life upside down | F | 40 | 10 days | 3/3/2007 | 1 | hpv | this stuff suckssssssss it does not work it makes u itch and burn horribale | i used 5 boxes it still did not go away | F | | 4/22/2005 | 1 | Genital Warts | Flu like symptons. Back pain, lower pain in back, muscle aches, at first had red inflammed skin on the area around the perianal warts, I've re-applied after waiting over two weeks and it appears as though I have warts on my tongue! Has this happened to anyone else? | F | 36 | 2 weeks | 3/7/2005 |