What are my treatment options for HPV and genital warts?

6 Comments

1. Daniel says:

   November 10, 2009 at

   The quickest and most effective way to get rid of genital warts is to burn them off with a laser. Go to a sexual health clinic and ask about it. Then at least they’re gone straight away and you don’t need surgery.
2. Infectious Diseases Today says:

   November 10, 2009 at

   There is no treatment for the virus itself, but a healthy immune system can usually fight off HPV naturally. There are treatments for the diseases that HPV can cause:

   Visible genital warts can be removed by patient-applied medications, or by treatments performed by a health care provider. Some individuals choose to forego treatment to see if the warts will disappear on their own. No one treatment is better than another.

   Cervical cancer is most treatable when it is diagnosed and treated early. There are new forms of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy available for patients But women who get routine Pap testing and follow up as needed can identify problems before cancer develops. Prevention is always better than treatment.

   Other HPV-related cancers are also more treatable when diagnosed and treated early. There are new forms of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy available for patients.

   See more on HPV here: http://www.examiner.com/x-7707-Infectious-Disease-Examiner~y2009m5d17-20-million-cases-of-HPV-in-the-US-at-any-given-time
3. tarnishedsilverheart says:

   November 10, 2009 at

   From the price it looks like your doctor gave you a prescription for Aldara. Aldara is a good treatment for some…but it is expensive.

   You can check there website:
   http://www.aldara.com
   I think they offer a coupon for $25 off (not much).

   You may want to see if Podofilox is less expensive if you want to treat the visible genital warts at home.

   Both Aldara and Podofilox can be pretty irritating to the sensitive genital skin.

   It is best not to use any cream with cortizone when treating genital warts.

   They are several choices of treatments that your doctor can use…I am not sure what your co-pay is here.

   Each person is different…sometime it takes the body a while to show visible signs of the virus i.e. warts or abnormal cell changes of the cervix. Your immune system may have taken a dip…maybe more stress, less sleep…or other illness…so your body showed the signs of the virus. Some people do not show signs of the virus until years after the initial infection.

   Most often visible signs of the virus are low risk HPV types…but due to your girls friends positive HPV test…it is probable that you carry both high risk and low risk HPV types. Most men never show visible signs of high risk HPV types (some do). Your girl friend may never show signs of the virus such as external visible warts of her vulva. Our HPV test only confirms high risk HPV types of the cervix…no vulva cells are collected…but most often we carry the virus on the cervix and the vulva.

   It will probably be best for you and your girl friend to use condom for a while..yes both of you share your HPV type…but studies show that condoms use can help the virus regress.

   Personal experience: High risk HPV of the vaginal cuff VaIN 2/3 and high risk HPV of the vulva VIN CIS. I had one excision of the vulva and then used 5 FU (5 FU has been used in the treatment of warts - treatment used at home) I never had a wart…but did have a lesion of the vulva that my dermatologist wanted to biopsy…the biopsy told us it was HPV carcinoma in suit…glad it was gone

   Patient-Applied:

   Podofilox 0.5% solution or gel. Patients should apply podofilox solution with a cotton swab, or podofilox gel with a finger, to visible genital warts twice a day for 3 days, followed by 4 days of no therapy. This cycle may be repeated, as necessary, for up to four cycles. The total wart area treated should not exceed 10 cm2, and the total volume of podofilox should be limited to 0.5 mL per day. If possible, the health-care provider should apply the initial treatment to demonstrate the proper application technique and identify which warts should be treated. The safety of podofilox during pregnancy has not been established.
   OR
   Imiquimod 5% cream. Patients should apply imiquimod cream once daily at bedtime, three times a week for up to 16 weeks. The treatment area should be washed with soap and water 6–10 hours after the application. The safety of imiquimod during pregnancy has not been established.

   Provider-Administered:

   Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen or cryoprobe. Repeat applications every 1–2 weeks.
   OR
   Podophyllin resin 10%–25% in a compound tincture of benzoin. A small amount should be applied to each wart and allowed to air dry. The treatment can be repeated weekly, if necessary. To avoid the possibility of complications associated with systemic absorption and toxicity, two important guidelines should be followed: 1) application should be limited to <0.5 mL of podo-phyllin or an area of <10 cm2 of warts per session, and 2) no open lesions or wounds should exist in the area to which treatment is administered. Some specialists suggest that the preparation should be thoroughly washed off 1–4 hours after application to reduce local irritation. The safety of podophyllin during pregnancy has not been established.
   OR
   Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or Bichloroacetic acid (BCA) 80%–90%. A small amount should be applied only to the warts and allowed to dry, at which time a white “frosting” develops. If an excess amount of acid is applied, the treated area should be powdered with talc, sodium bicarbonate (i.e., baking soda), or liquid soap preparations to remove unreacted acid. This treatment can be repeated weekly, if necessary.
   OR
   Surgical removal either by tangential scissor excision, tangential shave excision, curettage, or electrosurgery

   Alternative Regimens

   Intralesional interferon
   OR
   Laser surgery
   Podofilox 0.5% solution or gel, an antimitotic drug that destroys warts, is relatively inexpensive, easy to use, safe, and self-applied by patients. The majority of patients experience mild-to-moderate pain or local irritation after treatment. Imiquimod is a topically active immune enhancer that stimulates production of interferon and other cytokines. Local inflammatory reactions are common with the use of imiquimod; these reactions include redness and irritation and are usually mild to
4. itsasmallworld says:

   November 10, 2009 at

   I bought this stuff on ebay, it works great on warts. It’s medical grade salicylic acid, I bought it from maggme100 and it’s like 10 bucks, It’s the only thing that has ever worked for me and it works fast! Good luck!
5. violetpretty85 says:

   November 10, 2009 at

   Try a fee clinic in your area. Many of them do STD testing/treatment for free or for a very low cost.

   I would stay away from the creams, I hear they’re messy and take a while to work.

   I’d recommend asking for them to frozen or burned off. I know this sounds horrible, but its really not. My best friend had some frozen off and said she couldn’t even feel it.

   Another friend of mine had some burned off. Basically what they do is apply an acetic (I think) acid to them. She says it burned a little bit but wasn’t too bad.

   If the warts are bigger or stubborn, surgery may be your best way to go. Usually it’s just done in an outpatient style, they just give you a local and use electrocautery to remove them.
6. lol says:

   November 10, 2009 at

   You can get herbal remedies online but not the medical stuff. Thank god I live in the UK… Jesus. If you both have it then I would suggest the herbal remedy before it gets worse.

   I had mine for 2 years without having to treat them because they were so small. When they got bad the first time I used the medical stuff but couldn’t face going back to the doctors the second time so bought the herbal stuff off the net. It does work but it’s a bit slower.