What should I know when using imiquimod?

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If you are being treated for external genital warts, avoid, oral, or anal sex while the medicine on your skin. Make sure you wash the cream to your skin before you engage in sexual activity. The medicine contains oils that can weaken latex (rubber) condoms and diaphragms, which will prevent them from working properly. Stop using this medication and check with your doctor right away if you or your child has a skin rash, burning, pain, redness, swelling, bleeding, oozing, scabbing, and flaking of the skin where the medicine is applied. Stop using this medication and check with your doctor right away if you have severe swelling near the opening of the vagina. This can cause painful urination, difficulty passing urine, or not being able to urinate. It is very important that your doctor check your progress or your child on regular visits to undesirable effects that may be caused by this medication.

Immediately if you or your child has a severe skin irritation or flu symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, nausea, muscle or joint aches, or unusual tiredness or weakness. Avoid exposing your skin to the Sun, sun lamps, for tanning bed when you are using this medicine. Always use sunscreen or Sun-blocking lotions and wear protective clothing and hats. New warts may develop when you use cream. Imiquimod is also not going to keep you from spreading genital warts to others. Do not use cosmetics or other skin care products on the treated area, unless instructed to do so by your doctor. Keep out of reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Adequate research on women to determine the risk of the baby while using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medicine while breastfeeding.

Drug interactions with imiquimod cream is not common, it is important to talk with your doctor or pharmacist about possible drug interactions with imiquimod before embarking on a new treatment. It is also a good idea to ask the pharmacist or your doctor about personal hygiene products, such as lotion hard body that can interact with the efficacy of cream. Imiquimod cream is a topical prescription medications used to treat superficial basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Immune modifiers work to change how the body responds to foreign entities that are believed to attack the body. It is also used to treat actinic keratosis, a condition caused by too much sun exposure that usually affects the face and scalp. It is also used to relieve the symptoms of genital warts. Imiquimod cream is available only with a prescription.