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Posted 11/14/2013 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
Anyone on imuran and have warts? I noticed a "common" wart on my finger it seemed like it was not there one night and appeared when I woke up. I have since noticed several similar warts appear although very small compared to the first two I noticed. I have froze 3 of them off and they don't seem to be coming back yet but it almost looks like you can see it starting in those spots. I just did another round of OTC freeze therapy and my hands and fingers are a mess. But now I also notice what might be "flat warts" on my hands. I know the common ones were warts for sure. Two doctors were not sure if these other growth were flat warts or not but my main doctor gave me 60% acid to treat them "as required" I take 150mg imuran I understand because of this my body might not fight this virus off. I am scared :( My girlfriend broke up with me because she is scared of getting the warts. So far they are only on my hands/fingers. knock on wood. I am really depressed hoping to hear of someone on imuran or another suppressant who eventually went wart free. I cant live with myself if no one can hold my hand or have me touch their body without possibly giving them warts. It sounds trivial but this might be the last draw for me with currently 8 warts being treated. confused These flat warts if that is what they are I always attributed as they popped up to the imuran I thought they were just like tags on my skin but from what I research I am scared they are warts and although not spreading fast like I have read into the 100's on some people they seem to be popping up more and more they are very small compared to pics online but from my reading they are typically small I am scared to death I am doing battle with them unitl the new year if no improvement what is the point if I cant have someone love me I cant blame anyone I wouldnt want them to have something highly contagious because of me. :(

Post Edited (sooper) : 11/13/2013 6:52:12 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/14/2013 7:31 AM (GMT 0)
How timely and interesting for me that you should bring this subject up.

I've been on Imuran since 2003 w/no problems. Maybe a year or so ago now I had a scaley spot build up that I figured was probably a wart tho not the kind I thought of as warts. What did I know?? Anyway, it was on the top of my hand and truthfully I usually just picked it off and eventually it would show up again. Then maybe 6 months or so ago I experienced what I thought was "dried tears" collecting at the corner socket of one eye. I just scraped it off. Except it collected until it felt like a scab. It wasn't in an area that I could see.

My family doctor confirmed the spot on the eye socket was a wart and didn't seem concerned, he just told me to use the "quick freeze" method to remove it. What the hay did I ever know about warts? I can't see that spot to apply anything. So it is still there - until I go see my doctor again and going to ask HIM to remove it.

But - now I have a definite more "normal" wart that I recognize as being a wart on the finger on my other hand. AND several spots starting as "scales" on both hands - and I suspect two areas on my face.

I'm going to take this up w/my family doctor again and if he isn't concerned I'm going to ask for a referral to a skin specialist or an infectious disease specialist.

Aren't warts supposed to be a virus? One of the herpes viruses? Why wouldn't a oral antiviral medication help to alleviate them? They use antivirals to treat shingles.

Heck, I'm 71 years old and have never encountered something like this before!! I don't even know diddley-squat about warts - except they are yuck!

Posted 11/14/2013 11:52 AM (GMT 0)
Warts are cause by HPV...not herpes. there is a vaccination but too late for that. They have no oral anti viral to fight them :( I guess I can be happy they are not the genital kind :(

Post Edited (sooper) : 11/14/2013 4:59:59 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/14/2013 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
I developed warts on my feet while on Imuran around 10 years ago. I tried everything to get rid of them - lasers, freezing, duct tape - but always returned. I have been off Imuran for 7 years and the warts are still there, although not spreading as much once I stopped it. I went off Imuran for other reasons not warts. My advice is to be aggressive treating them as soon as they pop up. The longer they are there the harder to remove.
Posted 11/15/2013 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
There are several reports in medical journals and on medical web sites stating that warts often occur in those on Imuran. The NZ Dermatological Society site states: "Warts are particularly numerous and troublesome in patients that are immunosuppressed, most often due to medications such as azathioprine or ciclosporin. In these patients, the warts almost never disappear despite treatment. "
Posted 11/15/2013 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
I felt this was a good time to respond as I too have had these warts since I have been on Imuran. On Monday I had treatment to try get rid of them again. They are mainly on my hands, arms, legs and a few on my tummy. This is the second time in a year I have had Liquid Nitrogen to illuminate them i have around 22 on arms and same on an area between my chest and neck.

My GI tells me to see a Dermatologist on a regular basis as I have since come off of Imuran and started Tysabri so at the risk of infection starting I keep a check on it. However this week I have to say I came out of his office and felt like my hands were on fire I just wanted to cry. They look ugly and there are so many. My Dermatologist checks my skin every 4 months as he has had to remove a number of precancerous areas that look like the warts but itch like crazy. I am getting very down about the state of my skin and I have been off Imuran since January.

I also pick them sometimes and make them bleed but they originally came pretty much over night, i thought they may just disappear. My advice would be to get them frozen off as they come up to keep it under control.
Posted 11/15/2013 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
I got several warts on my fingers when I was 16. They lasted 2-3 years before disappearing for good. Been on lots of immunesuppressants, including Imuran, since then, and they've not come back.

So I dunno. But honestly, I don't think I'd even notice if somebody had a few warts on their hands, let alone cite that as a reason for breaking up with them.
Posted 11/15/2013 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
I feel your pain. A few years ago I was put on a somewhat high doseage of prednisone and while I was on it i started having warts pop up on my hands. It was probably one of the hardest things I went thru. I tried to treat them with the mainstream treatments but it was like playing 'whack a mole'. One was taken care of another would pop up or a couple would combine as one. Very embarrassing and it took a toll on my social life. Wearing band aids and constantly washing my hands. I tried taking Apple Cider Vinegar and applying it to the warts and interestingly enough it worked. It would burn the wart off my finger with in a few days. The problem is that it left a small divot where the wart was and I smelled like Apple Cider Vinegar. Kind of funny actually but for over a year I dealt with this embarrassing situation. Like having Crohns wasn't enough.
At some point I finally stopped taking predisone after weaning off of it for weeks. With in two weeks of stopping the predisone EVERY wart disappeared. Not one was visible. It's like they literally dropped off my hands.
First off let me say how much I HATE prednisone. The next time the doctor wanted me to go on pred I told him tearfully, no. I feel that it had lowered my immune system so low that my system couldn't fight it's way out of a wet paper bag. It didn't stand a chance against those warts. I have a feeling that being on Imuran your "immunity levels" are so low that it has a hard time keeping the virus down. I too have been on Imuran and had been on it for awhile but the warts never came back.
I'm not sure what the difference was but I am 100% convinced it was the evil prednisone. That stuff is bad news. It may be the saviour initially but evil long term.
Anyway that's my story. Something to think about. As stated I feel your pain. Good Luck.
Posted 11/15/2013 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
I am struggling to understand why people would be this upset about a few warts on their hands.

I can't fathom it. I'm sorry, I just cannot.

I'm just glad I wasn't aware of this wart hatred when I was 16, and I'm thankful to my friends of the time for also being blissfully unaware!

Edit: Might as well somewhat pointlessly add I've been on loads of courses of Pred and was on it almost straight for a year and a half.
Posted 11/15/2013 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
Everyone has different perspectives on how it impacts them. Some think it may be trivial but that's an opinion the other may not share. Not your place to decide.
Posted 11/15/2013 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
Forget it.

Post Edited (NiceCupOfTea) : 11/15/2013 1:27:58 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/17/2013 4:22 AM (GMT 0)
I think JAB makes a good comment. For me it is very stressful. I will suffer through it and pray that like most healthy people within 2 years my body will fight the virus off. I have 3 types of warts, so 3 viruses, possibly more but for sure 3 different HPV infections. The only one that I have treated and not had immediate recurrence or to pop up elsewhere is a single planter wart on my foot. I had one when I was a kid, and got rid of it and recently got rid of another one that popped up the same time as the one on my hands. I have flat warts and common warts on my hands. The "funny" part is, had I left them untreated no one would probably have noticed them. However, they probably would be more likely to spread and or grow larger in time so I have taken the option to battle them and have my hands and finger a mess. This is not a couple of warts, this is many warts in only 2 months time. right now I have gone from 8 to 18 bandaids on warts in only a few days 10 new warts, mainly flat warts which have been known to pop up in the 100's. I have a virus in fact at least 3 separate HPV if not more for all I know, and that worries me. It worried my partner as well, which I can understand. What if I have HPV as well that cause cervical caner? what if I Have genital warts strains and I just dont know it yet, that is pretty serious stuff. I am lucky at least these are on my hands for now as I had another partner I lost because of cold sores also luckily on my lips not my genitals. They were not comfortable with me having cold sores one after the other and how do you be intimate with that problem. Fair enough. Warts are highly contagious and right now I am feeling down because of it. I take medication for the cold sores and the outbreaks are minimal now 1 or 2 a year sure, but doing a year consistent with sores that just is not right. a few warts I wish.... this is wart madness. You might think I am crazy perhaps because I would consider giving up because of warts but you dont know me and probably judge me soley from the forums I have posted in. I appreciate JAB comment. Thanks JAB. There isnt much to say. JAB your comment helped it was nice to know you can relate somewhat to the feelings. Sometimes the best advice is no advice and just a simple acknowledgement of the issue and your experience with it. You cant always solve someone problems but you can listen.

Post Edited (sooper) : 11/16/2013 9:46:54 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/18/2013 12:08 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I had about 8 warts in total, so more than a couple but less than you. Have also had cold sores, though I didn't start getting those until much later (about 5 years ago): probably caught the virus off my mum. I dunno if you can get these where you are, but I have found them brilliant:

www.compeed.co.uk/compeed-coldsore/invisible-cold-sore-patch

'Invisible' is a lie, but the appearance definitely is a massive improvement. Nails the pain of a cold sore on the head, too. Next time you get a cold sore, try to get hold of these or something similar. Meanwhile, you won't carry on getting cold sores all the time forever; they are most frequent when you are first infected with the virus, then decrease over time. (Have seen this happen with my mum; she doesn't get them anything like as much as she used to.)

The warts, too, will probably just go if you leave them alone. Placing bandaids all over your fingers really will make you stand out :-/ Maybe it's bad of me, but I can't see what's horribly wrong about passing on non-genital warts anyway. Even if my warts came back, I certainly wouldn't be prepared to cover up my fingers. Wouldn't expect the same of anyone else and wouldn't do it myself.

Which brings me onto your two girlfriends who left you. They were either using your warts/cold sores as an excuse to break up, or they were really, really shallow. I dunno how old you all are, but if they were teenagers, then I partly excuse them: if they were in their 20s or older, they really should be mature enough to look past the 'uurggh, gross!' factor by now. Crohnies of all people need a partner who isn't easily grossed out. It's not just your outward appearance you have to worry about: you have a rather serious disease which could see you spending time in hospital or having surgery. Obviously I hope that isn't in your future, but any potential girlfriend needs to be able to take that on board. Otherwise, the relationship is essentially over even before it's began.

Maybe somebody else with a bit more experience in relationships can chip in to say something useful here....

Anyway, I hope I haven't at least made you feel worse. I wasn't judging you from the forums you posted in; didn't even see that until after I had replied already. But I do think people in general have a tendency to find something specific to latch non-specific emotions which are difficult to handle onto. Everyone does it, including me, so I'm not calling you crazy because of it. I guess I'm just trying to stop you feeling so desperate about the warts, because I don't think the warts are the sole issue.

I can sort of speak from personal experience; not with warts, but with a poor body image. The body is highly visible, so it's easy to project all our insecurities and self-loathing onto. I can't escape that trap, but I try to be aware it is a trap: it's the best I can manage. I do have a few personal examples to draw from of people who didn't let their appearance alter their self-belief or happiness.
Posted 11/25/2013 11:36 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your reply. Both people were young, a little younger than myself. one was 19 before and the last early 20's. I am 30 NOW myself. Maybe I am over reacting I don't know. I need some serious counseling as I am having a very hard time coming to terms with this. The odds, of dating are nearly out of the question right now. "you cant hold my hand" you might gets warts. I cant touch you etc you might get warts. Kinda a big turn off. I am an honest person and I will not risk infecting someone. I am sure if I was with someone for a year or more etc something like this may be overcome more easy but not on a relationship just starting out or not past a 6 month mark as both of those were. I will leave it at this as this has digressed away from the forum its self and Crohn's Disease. I am going to try and seek help to try and overcome the thought I will spend my life alone. I have zapped so many of these, and most SEEM to have fallen off. There is still a few areas that are questionable. Just have to hope as there already has been recurrences in treated areas.

I will leave it on a semi forum relate note. If you are on immuno suppressants warts can be a lot more troublesome than someone who is healthy. In those cases these type of warts usually clear themselves in 6-18 months. Maybe they will for me as well. Time is key. Good luck.

Post Edited (sooper) : 11/25/2013 5:14:33 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/26/2013 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks IDES. Not that I didn't believe you but I talked with my nurse practitioner today and she confirms what you and google already had. IMURAN+WARTS of any kind can be troublesome more so than some other available treatment options. In the new year we are going to try something new.
Posted 11/27/2013 12:47 AM (GMT 0)
It's okay to doubt what you read on the Internet, sooper! It is actually good to be skeptical. In my case, my college studies fit perfectly with my need to know everything about the diseases I have and the medications I take. I have a HUGE list of references regarding everything Crohn's, AS, neuropathy, etc.

I NEVER had a single wart pre-Imuran. Now I have seven remaining out of a couple dozen I got while on Imuran. They have been frozen multiple times but always return. It is so very frustrating.
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