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Imuran and warts

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Posted 7/8/2012 11:52 AM (GMT 0)
Hi
I know this has been brought up a while back, but I wanted some new perspective. I take 150mg of aziathioprine daily and have been battling warts for the last 6 years. Has anyone else had this issue? What types of treatments have you used? I am visiting a dermatologist this week and hopefully get some ideas. Thanks
Posted 7/8/2012 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
Since it's a virus, it's possible that the aza has lowered your resistence and they're persisting. But, I've had warts throughout my life. When I was a young teen I had them cut out (on my hands/fingers. One burnt off..sheesh, what a horrible ordeal.

They don't cut them out anymore, I BEGGED!!...they freeze the hell out of them...over and over and over and over and over again each time they come back.

The last two, the new dermatologist froze the two persisting ones (finger and under big toe) in one session about 5 times until they blistered and turned black. OMG, the toe one was so painful!!! But, they've never been back.

I've had none for 2 years. whew!

Hope yours are treated and go away for good
q
Posted 7/8/2012 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
As you haven't yet been to the dermatologist I may hazard a guess that your 'warts' just might be AK (Actinic keratosis).   I'm not trying to scare you but I was on 150mg of aza for about five years and had a big problem with skin issues, mainly around the scalp area.

These raised rough lumps are kinda wart-like but are usually not as visible as a true wart.     They're a common side effect of aza especially for fair skinned folk who are susceptible to solar damage to start with.   In my own case some of it was self inflicted through years of hat-less stupidity on the golf course.   Aza just finished the job.

IF you have AK it's nothing to get too perturbed about as it's curable  with liquid nitrogen (Quincy's freezing). If that doesn't work there are alternative topical creams etc.  You just have to keep an eye on it because as long as you're on aza it will inevitably recur.

I was taken off aza but mainly because it had lost it's efficacy.  My skin problems abated pretty much ever since.

Let's hope it's nothing serious, good luck!

Posted 7/8/2012 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
I have had problems with (what I think might be) warts from my last prednisone round. I got in line to see the derm too (will eventually be seen in a couple months or so!).
Posted 7/9/2012 12:35 AM (GMT 0)
I have always gotten warts (since I was young). I'm 35 now and still get them. I do think they have increased in frequency since I started imuran almost 7 years ago. I have them frozen off at the dermatologist.
Posted 7/9/2012 7:16 AM (GMT 0)
Warts are caused by a couple of specific strains of HPV (a.k.a. Human Papillomavirus.) There are hundreds of strains out there, the vast majority of which are harmless, and most of us have some strains of HPV on us all the time. (A couple of other strains can also cause cervical cancer.)

The ONLY treatment for HPV is your own immune system, so it makes perfect sense that warts would occur or get worse while on immunosuppressants. I don't know much about treating the wart once it's present, but as far as the HPV goes, just do whatever you can to boost your immune system: get plenty of sleep, try to maintain a healthy diet, ***take lots of vitamin C*** (the more the better - you can't overdose on it), maybe try melatonin (at night) and/or echinacea, all of which will boost your immune system. I asked my doctor recently if these sorts of supplements would interfere with or counteract my immunosuppressants, and she said they would not.

I have only had a couple really tiny warts over the course of my lifetime, but I HAVE had the HPV that causes cervical cancer. Tested positive for it for over a year and then completely got rid of the HPV simply by taking daily vitamin C supplements. (Of course I wasn't on immunosuppressants back then, so I don't know how that will affect things with you.)

Good luck!!
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