Aldara cream is a topical medication that contains imiquimod. It is used to treat specific skin diseases, such as superficial basal cell carcinomas (sBCC) and external warts on the genitals and rectum. Aldara comes in individual dosage packets based upon your doctor's recommended usage. According to Mayo Clinic, Aldara cream works by engaging the immune system to fight off the virus that is causing the warts. How Aldara helps with sBCCs is unclear, according to Mayo Clinic. As with any medication, Aldara cream has the potential for side effects.
Skin Reactions
Aldara cream is applied directly to the skin disease it is used to treat. This area is already sensitive and potentially irritated by the warts or carcinomas that exist. Any skin reaction should be evaluated by your doctor. According to Mayo Clinic and Aldara, some of the most common reactions are blisters, itching, open sores, scabs, severe redness of the skin, scaling or a rash. Less common are shiny bumps on the skin or waxy scar-like lesions. It is quite normal to experience mild flaking, mild redness, swelling in the area of application, minor pain, soreness and tenderness of the skin. Unless these symptoms become very uncomfortable for you, medical attention is not required.
Cold Symptoms
Should you experience symptoms that resemble a cold, contact your doctor right away. According to Mayo Clinic, these symptoms can include coughing, difficulty breathing, ear congestion, loss of voice, shortness of breath, labored breathing, sneezing, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, tightness of the chest, wheezing, chest pain, hoarseness, pounding in the ears or swollen lymph nodes. Any of these can be serious if left unreported.
Other Side Effects
Any flu-like symptoms such as diarrhea, fatigue, fever, headache or muscle pain may be a sign of overdose, according to Aldara. These side effects require medical intervention immediately. Other concerning side effects that do not occur very often, but should be reported immediately, are temporary blindness, swelling of any body part separate from the application site, sudden and severe inability to speak, slurred speech, seizures, pain in the shoulders, pain in the arms, pain the neck or jaw, irregular heartbeat, extreme fatigue, dilated neck veins, convulsions, blue lips, blue fingernails or blurred vision. More common side effects include a lump in the abdomen, lower back or side pain, increase in cholesterol in the blood, joint stiffness, frequent need to urinate, pain during urination, bloody or cloud urine and bladder pain.
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