ALDARA
(Also known as Imiquimod)
THE SKIN CANCER “CURE” THAT CAN KILL

By Elaine Hollingsworth, author of
TAKE CONTROL YOUR HEALTH AND
ESCAPE THE SICKNESS INDUSTRY

FOR A SKIN CANCER SALVE THAT IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE, CLICK HERE

Apple cider vinegar in water has been used for hundreds of years to cure skin problems, from sunburn to genital warts. It’s safe and effective and, unlike Aldara, it has never killed anyone. Click here for details

What is the Australian Health Minister doing
to protect us from this deadly drug?  NOTHING!

For the truth, click here

Has a physician recommended Aldara to you? Have you been damaged? See our Hall of Shame, and send your story so we can add your experiences -- help us save lives.

Please feel free to copy this document and spread the word

It takes a courageous person, or publication, to reveal the skullduggery of Big Pharma. Occasionally, however, the truth cannot be suppressed, and when THE WALL STREET JOURNAL revealed that Merck, the maker of Vioxx, had been burying the serious health risks of their COX-2 inhibitor anti-inflammatory drug as far back as March, 2000, a scandal erupted. As Dr. Richard Horton, Editor of THE LANCET, wrote, “The licensing of Vioxx and its continued use in the face of unambiguous evidence of harm have been public health catastrophes.”

A health catastrophe even more devastating than Vioxx is Aldara. The chemical used in this widely sold drug has been known since 1986 to cause cancer. It is so dangerous that the American Cancer Society, The National Cancer Institute and others have determined it is a carcinogen, and have placed it on their lists of most hazardous chemicals. It has even been listed as a laboratory chemical hazard by the US Occupational Safety Health Agency. Yet, doctors worldwide are prescribing it, willy-nilly, to “cure” skin cancers, even though there are safe vegetable-based creams and other proven remedies, including surgery.

This chemical is imiquimod (IQ), and is the only active agent in the popular drug known as Aldara, which is marketed worldwide and promoted very heavily by 3M Pharmaceuticals as a “benign” salve to cure skin cancers. I foolishly used it and it didn’t kill my skin cancer, but it nearly killed me, and left me with a damaged immune system.

Shortly after using the salve I started aching so terribly that I could barely walk. I felt as if I had been poisoned, but didn’t twig that it was the Aldara causing such distress. After all, Gold Coast dermatologist Troy Darben assured me it was a “benign” salve, and I only applied it to a tiny, 5mm diameter (one-quarter inch) area of my nose. I was careful to apply it only to that tiny area, but by the second week of use, my entire nose became covered by a disgusting thick, crusty black scab, and still looks strange.

ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK

Fortunately, I only used the salve for two weeks, rather than for the six weeks that are recommended. Had I used it longer, I would not be alive today to go on a crusade to stop 3M from poisoning unwary people. I quit when I learned, in a terrifying way, that Aldara is dangerous – after the second week of use, I woke at 2AM in an allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock. My throat was so swollen that it felt as if two tennis balls were lodged in it; my ears were throbbing; my nose was dreadfully swollen, and I could barely breathe or swallow. 

My partner and I went to hell and back that night – had I been alone I would have died. I was extremely ill for two weeks afterwards, and for months the skin all over my body burned as if I’d been in a fire, and my back was covered in bleeding, itching sores. I’ve learned since that my other symptoms – memory loss, diminished eyesight, low-level headaches, dizziness and extreme, unexplained weight loss – are common to many Aldara victims. 

3M PHARMACEUTICALS’ INDIFFERENCE 

When I rang 3M Corporate Headquarters in Melbourne I was told that no one had reported adverse effects, other than slight flu-like symptoms. I was assured that my problems must have been brought on by something else. Or, that it was all in my head. I knew this was an outright lie. As Michael Bending, of ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH FREEDOM AUSTRALIA, says, “Drug companies manipulate, steal, murder, obfuscate, lie or commit genocide outright (yes I did say genocide, please see link: http://www.ahf-au.org/codex.history.htm) when preparing their so-called scientific research.”

Knowing about Big Pharma treachery, I put a truncated story about Aldara on my website, hoping to warn others. Thank heaven for the internet, which makes it harder and harder for the “bad guys” to keep their dirty secrets away from the public. There was an avalanche of replies from damaged people. A grieving relative told me about a man in Melbourne who was dying in hospital because of Aldara. A young Australian woman sent a story of horrible symptoms both she and her mother have suffered, some identical to mine. Several women said that their physicians actually painted Aldara on their cervixes, where it goes straight into the body through the mucus membranes! Its use on genital warts is another scandal, and the side effects from this can be horrible. Internet drug pushers are offering Aldara without prescription and without warnings of any kind. The emails keep coming, the tragic stories go on and on, and there isn’t space to list them all. 

Because of the internet, I was able to read 3M sworn testimony in US Federal Court, and now understand why this salve is so dangerous. A 3M pharmacologist testified that during treatment with Aldara, when skin cancers develop into open lesions, and applications continue to be applied, imiquimod (IQ) goes directly into the bloodstream and circulates systemically. This is deadly, according to University scientists, who say this easily leads to permanent autoimmune diseases and worse. Even the conservative Mayo Clinic wrote, “Studies in animals have shown that Aldara/imiquimod… causes bone problems, brain problems, or low birth weight in pregnancies.” I’ll say, and lots more!

Will everyone who has used Aldara react the way I did? No, of course not, because even with our pathetic regulatory agencies, any drug that caused such drastic symptoms in everyone would be removed. Will everyone who has used Aldara be damaged? Absolutely, if they used it on an open lesion. Most, however, will fail to connect the dots, and in most cases will have no way to connect a subsequent grave disease with a past visit to a dermatologist. But the connection is there, as prominent Gold Coast cancer specialist, Dr Michael Tait, says: “In my opinion, based on my observations and research, Aldara should be classified as a criminally dangerous material if used on any open or potentially open skin area.” 

THE CULPRIT: CYTOKINES

Cytokines are small proteins that make up the extremely complex communication centers of the immune system. When bodies are working well, more than 100 of these cytokines exist in perfect harmony throughout the body, enabling it to run like a Swiss watch. Disturb this harmonious environment at your peril!

As the FDA states, "Our experiments show that agents capable of altering the balance between TH1 and TH2 Cytokines impact the initiation, severity and persistence of both systemic and organic specific autoimmunity." 

WOW! This is what the FDA scientists state, yet this same agency, that is paid by the public to protect the public, approved this deadly drug in the full knowledge of what it does. The FDA does not even bother to warn physicians that Aldara destroys the cytokine activity which their agency specifically warns about. And it’s not just the FDA -- 3M has snowed all the regulatory agencies that I am aware of, and when people complain to them, these agencies send out form letters stating that 3M research proves that Aldara is safe. I've seen these letters, and they make my blood boil. This isn’t good enough!

Dysfunctional immune systems with broken cytokine communication centres are responsible for virtually all of the common autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, diabetes, coeliac (celiac) disease, and hundreds more. As a small example of what can happen, sometimes Aldara victims find that their weight plummets, and no amount of gorging will bring it back to normal. This is because Aldara can destroy the villi in the small intestine and the stomach lining, causing victims to slowly starve to death. 

THE MUCOUS MEMBRANE OUTRAGE

Mucous membranes are tissues that line body cavities and canals, such as the face, mouth, throat, nose, lips, eyes, urethra, rectum and vagina. They also occur in intestinal linings, and even in the brain. These protective membranes produce a thick, slippery liquid called "mucous" that protects the membranes and keeps them moist. Without this crucial mucous, terrible damage can occur all over the body.

There is evidence that 3M has known since their original trials that Aldara attacks and destroys mucous membrane tissue. Yet, they continued developing, and then promoted, this drug without any warnings about this pernicious side effect. 3M had the gall to claim that Aldara in no way destroys or permanently alters the immune system, and actually claimed that it helps the immune system. 

It was only because Texan Richard Beasley exposed the truth about the Aldara /mucous membrane connection on his website that finally, after years of his Herculean efforts, 3M was forced to admit the truth and re-write their product literature. He blew the whistle on many of their other "omissions" as well, and forced them to make lots of changes. As I have said many times, if it were not for the internet, corporate criminals wouldn't have anyone to put the brakes on them. Now, if only doctors would do their homework, and governments would do their jobs, millions of people would not be put at risk of serious illness, and even death, because of this highly profitable drug. 

BUT WAIT... THERE’S MORE, AND IT'S MUCH WORSE!

Women --- If your doctor suggests using Aldara on your genital warts or, God forbid, on your cervix (yes, some doctors do this!) run screaming to a doctor who isn't a criminal. If you consider this extreme, think again: putting this mucous membrane-destroyer on, or in, the vaginal area can be an invitation for permanent injury or, worse, cancer. Because of the cytokine activity, Aldara has the capacity to eat away the delicate mucous membranes of the vagina, and there is no reason to assume these membranes will ever re-grow. Your doctor will not have the wit (or the desire, because of lawsuit fear) to connect his ill-considered action with your "unconnected" new condition, that he has caused. 

How Richard Beasley has managed to carry on his five-year crusade to stop 3M, I will never understand. As just one tiny example of the terrible damage he has suffered, he said, "I went to the emergency room bleeding from the nose and mouth, because the cytokine activity had eaten away all of my sinus mucous membrane tissues. It has never re-grown, and I now have severe dry nasal passageways that I must spray with moisture agents three times daily, just to keep going." 

CORRUPTION 

Naïve people may wonder how it could be possible that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and the other government agencies world-wide that are supposed to protect citizens from dangerous drugs, could have approved this killer drug. The answer is simple -- corruption. How 3M managed to get it through in the US I don’t know as yet, but I will find out eventually. I do know, however, that a physician who worked for the Australian TGA during the Aldara approval process ended up in a cushy, high-level job with 3M, and I have proof of this unholy alliance from US Federal Court transcripts. 

This alliance is the famous, long-term “revolving door policy” so beloved of the FDA, which is probably the most corrupt of all US Government agencies. And, as is well known, so many other countries follow along like sheep, thinking the FDA has verified research and that it’s perfectly all right to unleash upon the public new, inadequately tested, money-spinners from Big Pharma. Like Vioxx. 

A well-publicized example of this is the scandal of Arthur Hull Hayes Jr., MD, former head of the FDA, who had to resign when it was discovered that he had been taking bribes from pharmaceutical companies. True to form, he went off to work for the company who manufactured the neurotoxin, NutraSweet, which he had pushed through the approval process because Donald Rumsfeld pressured the FDA to do so. (Rumsfeld, before going into government, had been the CEO of Monsanto, the company which owned the patent on Nutrasweet.) There are thousands of stories such as this, which are the subject of many articles and books, and I would like to force all of these men to read testimonials from people who have been horribly damaged because of their unethical behaviour. Such as from this 25-year-old Turkish girl:

...99% that my diseases are due to Aldara... I have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Graves Basedow disease. My doctor said it’s 99% that my diseases are due to that cream, Aldara. This is only one of my other probable autoimmune disorder. Although my family would not like me to take legal action (they find it useless) I’m going to gather all documentation I can and will talk to a lawyer as a start. I’m not letting them live with what they’re doing to people. This is totally a murder! Knowing they would harm people but hiding documentation from them. S.H. Mustafa Istanbul, Turkey

Aldara wrecked Richard Beasley’s life for the past five years. As he says, “I would have been better off had it killed me outright.” As a result of Mr. Beasley’s horrible experience with this drug, and his subsequent lawsuit against 3M, he has performed a great deal of research on Aldara, and he has conclusive evidence that 3M falsified and manipulated its research programs to obtain the most positive results.

Would they do that? You bet they would, and for the same motives Merck Pharmaceuticals had when they lied to save their two-and-a-half billion-dollar money-spinner, Vioxx. Merck was exposed, and now 3M must be exposed before any more people are maimed. Mr. Beasley stands ready to assist anyone in the media with the courage to go against this powerful company. He has in excess of 9,000 pages of quality evidence and testimonials from injured persons that are so damaging to 3M that they tried, in US Federal Court, to muzzle him and shut down his website. In this suit they stated, “If this information Mr. Beasley has is allowed to be made public to the world at large, it will do irreparable harm to our company”. 3M asked the court to either have Beasley’s research destroyed or turned over to them. They lost the suit. Please visit his website, www.aldara1.com, for more details.

Persuading the media to expose Big Pharma is a gargantuan task. 3M blindsides with scientific lies, as Merck did; doctors who have damaged their patients won’t admit fault; governments are in Big Pharma’s pockets; the FDA is partially funded by Big Pharma “user fees” and much of the media is, and has long been, gagged by their sponsors. US$20 billion spent yearly, in the US alone, by Big Pharma advertising sees to that!

Please ignore them: to learn the truth, read the results of research done by the National Cancer Institute and The American Cancer Society. Their studies were reported by the U. S. Health and Human Services National Toxicology Program, and written up in their REPORT ON CARCINOGENS, ELEVENTH EDITION:

“IQ is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. IQ administered orally caused benign and malignant tumors in multiple species (mice, rats, and monkeys) and at multiple tissue sites, thus providing sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals.”

There’s more from the American Cancer Institute and National Cancer Research:

“IQ (imiquimod) bound to DNA in many organs of cynomolgus monkeys and rodents dosed in vivo. In rodents treated in vivo, IQ induced DNA damage, gene mutation and DNA damage in animal cells in vitro. It induced mutations in Drosophila melanogaster and DNA damage and mutations in bacteria. Gene mutations in c.Ha-ras and p53 genes were found in some Zymbal gland carcinomas induced in rats by IQ”

THE BOTTOM LINE WINS AGAIN

Yet, in spite of compelling evidence that Aldara is dangerous, 3M ignores the scientific proof and continues making millions from it, while claiming in promotional literature that, “It is safe, effective, easy to use, and offers an alternative to treatments that destroy healthy skin.” Really? They should have seen the thick, black crust on my entire nose after applying this “safe” cream to one tiny area; they should have observed me in anaphylactic shock; they should have noted all of my other terrible reactions to their “safe” money-maker. 

Dr Herbert Slade, Director of 3M’s Pharmaceutical Division, had an entirely different story to tell when testifying under oath in US Federal Court. Lying would have resulted in a jail term, so he admitted the dangers, saying, “..the drug signal is quite non-specific. It doesn’t have a signature, doesn’t say you have a virus or you have a bacteria or even cancer. It just says you have got something that is not supposed to be there, and have a look at it, do something about it."

When Dr Slade was asked if there were any studies where Aldara had been introduced directly into the bloodstream of humans, he answered, “Aldara would not be injected into the bloodstream.” He went on to testify, “There are two reasons to give a drug (Aldara) by the IV route …One is to get something called absolute bioavailability… The other reason to give the drug intravenously to animals is to kill them.” When Richard Beasley was near death, a 3M pharmacologist told him that by applying Aldara directly into his open wound, he had introduced Aldara into his bloodstream by what amounted to an IV delivery system of the drug. In other words, the same route 3M scientists use when killing experimental animals.

RICHARD BEASLEY EXPLAINS HOW CYTOKINE DISRUPTION AFFECTED HIM

"The cytokine activity, plus the imiquimod molecules that reached my blood circulation, damaged the lining and villi inside my stomach and small intestine and damaged my colon. Because of this, I developed irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease, with resultant loss of nutrient absorption. This created a frightening weight loss, which all my doctors told me was caused by the gross cytokine activity all over my body. I developed nerve damage, my tear ducts and sinus membranes were destroyed, I have lost 35% of my hearing and, worst of all, I ended up with Parkinson's Disease, and my brain has been seriously damaged. And I was in perfect health the day I went on Aldara. Two weeks later, I had all of this damage, and nearly died in the hospital.”

HAS YOUR DIGESTION BEEN DESTROYED BY ALDARA? THERE IS HOPE:

Richard explains how his extreme weight loss was curtailed. “They found a very high bacterial growth in my stomach which was tested by a breath-a-lyzer. This device measures the gasses given off by stomach bacteria, and it can quickly determine if there is an overgrowth of this bacteria in the stomach. In my case there was, and it led to bloating after meals, swelling of the stomach, and gas. The doctors were able to correct this by prescribing antibiotics.”

GWEN WARD’S EXPERIENCE WITH ALDARA

This lovely, 87-year-old diabetic, partially blind war widow from Southport, Queensland, developed a skin cancer near her eye. She told me that she entrusted her care to dermatologist R.M. De Voss, who prescribed Aldara, acting against the recommendations of 3M to never use it on the face, and not to prescribe it to elderly patients. It is nothing short of astounding that a physician would use any drug on so fragile a patient without checking it carefully. A cursory glance at the Physician’s Desk Reference would have shown Dr De Voss that this drug has sinister side effects, and Mrs. Ward could have been spared weeks of pain. Because she wasn’t warned, this poor woman woke after the first application with her face bloody and stuck to her pillowcase, and was so ill she couldn’t eat. She discontinued the drug after only two applications, yet continued developing sores all over her face, and every night for weeks her sheets and pillowslips were covered in blood.

Dermatologist Troy Darben, of Robina, Queensland, was similarly unconcerned by my advanced age (77), the fact that it was to go on my nose, right between my eyes (exactly where 3M says it should not go) and my admonition that I do not react well to drugs. I believe that both of these physicians, and any other health professionals who prescribe this dangerous salve, are committing malpractice. I told Mr Darben what Aldara did to me, and if he persists in prescribing it, he will be culpable. It is my intention to make a directory of doctors who continue prescribing Aldara, in spite of all the evidence against it. Their names will appear on www.doctorsaredangerous.com, and I hope everyone damaged by the combination of 3M and ignorant doctors will send me the names of prescribing doctors. 

Pharmacists should not get off lightly, either. I was astounded by the smug attitude of the chemist at Soul-Pattinson Pharmacists in Mudgeeraba, Queensland, when I told him Aldara nearly killed me and suggested that they should post a warning. The letters I sent to the CEOs of the three big Australian pharmacy chains were also a waste of effort: Andrew Vidler (Terry White), Elmo DeAllwis (AmCal) and Jeff Sher (Soul Pattinson) now know how dangerous Aldara is, and if they persist in selling it without a warning, they cannot plead ignorance. 

GOVERNMENTS – DOCTORS – PLEASE PAY ATTENTION!

Aldara is uncontrollable and unpredictable in what it will destroy, and virtually without boundaries of pharmacological actions. In short, it is an experiment for the user each and every time it is applied. Other 3M officials even testified that, “There is no way to predict the outcome, nor the new patient’s response prior to application.” This clearly makes Aldara one of the most dangerous drugs on the market today. Because warnings and contraindications for this drug are totally insufficient, or non-existent, doctors are unaware of the unique pharmacological action of Aldara, and are opening themselves up to personal injury lawsuits and, much more important, placing their patients (including babies!) at unimaginable risk. Using Aldara certainly placed me at risk and, even though the natural therapies I have used have been helpful, it is unlikely that I will ever fully recover the robust health and vitality I had pre-Aldara. Troy Darben and 3M have badly compromised my health and made a mess of my life for the last eight months, and it is my intention to join Richard Beasley’s crusade and devote what time I have left to exposing the truth, and warning people through the media, the internet and word-of-mouth. Will you help?

WARNING: You are not home free if you used Aldara on your body, rather than on your face. It is just more dangerous on the face, and more dangerous if you are elderly.

Richard Beasley, after great effort, has compiled an amazing scientific Monograph which proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Aldara is incredibly dangerous. Any scientist or physician who reads it will be convinced that this drug must be banned and 3M discredited for concealing the truth. This important document can be found at www.aldara1.com.

If you, or someone you know, have been damaged by Aldara, please send your story to elaine@doctorsaredangerous.com. Let us know the name of the prescribing physician and the pharmacy where you purchased it. See our website, www.doctorsaredangerous.com, and spread the word to everyone you know. Help us fight back!

Elaine Hollingsworth
Director
Hippocrates Health Centre of Australia
P.O. Box 1440
Mudgeeraba, Qld
Australia 4213
(07) 5530-2939

The preceding essay on Aldara was mailed in February 2006 to every dermatologist in Australia. Included in the envelope was a cover letter from the Gold Coast cancer specialist, Dr Michael Tait, as well as a copy of the full page advertisement the Hippocrates Foundation placed in magazines in every English speaking country in the world.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR AUSTRALIAN VICTIMS: If a dermatologist prescribed Aldara to you after February, 2006, without warning you about its dangers, you have an excellent case for damages, as every Australian dermatologist had the above essay by that date. I will help in any way I can if you wish to proceed in this matter. 

Click here to download the above ad in printable format (PDF)

We hope that this will cause Australian dermatologists to think twice before prescribing this dangerous drug or, at the very least, inspire them to read the contraindications clearly written in the Physician's Desk Reference. (See below).  If, however, they ignore our well-researched warnings, they will not be able to plead ignorance when the lawsuits start pouring in.

USEFUL LITIGATION MATERIAL

The Physician’s Desk Reference, which is the bible for all practising physicians, states under ‘Precautions’ the following:

“Aldara should not be used on the elderly, during pregnancy and lactation or on children”.  They also say “it should not be used within 1cm of the hairline, eyes, nose, mouth and ears.”  Further, that Aldara cream “should not be used to treat urethral, intravaginal, cervical, rectal or intra-anal warts, due to the unknown local tolerance and potential systemic absorption.  Aldara cream has not been evaluated for the treatment of warts in these locations.”

If you are elderly, or used Aldara above your neck, we believe that you are entitled to sue your doctor for malpractice if you have been damaged, as your doctor ignored 3M’s warnings when prescribing Aldara.

MORE FRIGHTENING NEWS FOR ALDARA VICTIMS

THE DRUG USED IN THE CALAMITOUS DRUG TRIAL IN THE UK RECENTLY IS SIMILAR TO ALDARA - BOTH ARE IMMUNE RESPONSE MODIFIERS (IRMs).

For those of you who do not know about Aldara  - it is a highly promoted cream made by 3M Pharmaceuticals and used for skin cancer and genital warts, and now even for freckles.  It is known to cause severe autoimmune disease and can even kill.

Aldara and TGN1423 (the killer drug made by German firm, TeGenero, and tested by the American firm, Parexel Research Co),  are not precisely the same, but they are both designed to stimulate and manipulate the immune system into performing hazardous things, and the consequences for both are identical when things go wrong.

A number of clinical documents have referred to TGN1412 as an IRM.  IRMs are well known by many in the medical community to be extremely dangerous, uncontrollable and unpredictable.  Independent scientists warn that IRMs should never be used on humans, under any circumstances.  I'm sure those men in London who were paid 2000 pounds to participate in the trial would agree.

Texan Richard Beasley, and the many hundreds of people who have contacted us about their horrible experiences with Aldara, learned the hard way that it causes the immune system to swing completely out of control in the same general manner as TGN1412 did in these men.  Our symptoms were similar, but of course not as drastic, as in the tragic drug trial.

The main difference is that we used Aldara on our skin, and not as injections.  As Dr Herbert Slade, the doctor for 3M Pharmaceuticals (Aldara's manufacturers) testified in US Federal Court, the only reason to inject Aldara into an animal is to kill it.   We weren't injected, but many of us nearly died merely by putting it on our skin for short periods. 

The two men who were lucky enough to receive the placebo, rather than TGN1412, described the almost immediate reaction of the  six who received the injections of the drug as "a scene from hell".  They described wailing wrecks, men tearing their shirts off, screaming that their heads were going to explode, fainting, vomiting, losing control of their bowels, writhing and convulsing.  One was described as resembling the Elephant Man, one had purple limbs and another had a head three times its normal size.

NEW SCIENTIST reported on 17 March, 2006, that... "A catastrophic over-stimulation of the immune system may have caused the  horrific reactions suffered by six men taking part in the first human clinical trial of an experimental drug."

Exactly.  This is just what IRMs do.  This is just what happens to Aldara victims, but subtly.  We are left with severe, permanent, altered immune systems, and have to endure a long battle of living with autoimmune attacks on our organs and tissues for the rest of our lives.  Some die, and so far it hasn’t been  possible to prove that Aldara was the culprit, because no doctor, other than Australian Dr Michael Tait, has the courage to stand up and be counted.  The media won't touch their buddies, the multinationals, the dermatologists are in denial (no doubt terrified of lawsuits) and the government stands firmly behind Big Pharma.

People Power is our only hope!

Photo of Elaine with Aldara Warning Message

This is where I bought the Aldara cream which nearly killed me.
My warning letter to the CEO of this company was to no avail!

Following are just a few of the many emails we have received about Aldara’s danger.

There have been hundreds of phone calls and letters as well.  We have done everything we can to alert the Australian government to the extreme danger of this drug, but have received replies that make it obvious the government cares only about Big Pharma and nothing about the health of Australian citizens.   This makes us really angry and we hope you will take the time to complain to the Health Minister.

Dear Elaine,

 

During the last week of November, 2005, I made the biggest mistake of my life, and used Aldara cream for BCCs on my face. That was more than eight months ago, and I have not recovered. Following are a few of the symptoms this cream caused: 

 

There were several diagnoses—erycephelus, acute systemic lupus, lymphoistic vaculitis and discoid lupus (unsure of spelling). Doctors prescribed antibiotics, then cortisone, because one doctor was afraid I would go into anaphylactic shock. Nothing helped.

 

I have been left with compromised connective tissue, skin and vascular system problems and an elevated red blood cell count, with blood cells that are stuck together and thick.

 

Conventional physicians had no idea what was wrong, or how to help me, and didn’t want to connect my symptoms with Aldara, even though I found other victims with similar symptoms on the internet.

 

The only help I have received was from naturopath, Catherine Chan, in Ourimbah on the Central Coast of NSW. She gave me hope and brought some relief with Chinese herbal remedies.

 

I have spent $5000 so far trying to regain my health. I believe it is wrong that Aldara is permitted by Australian regulatory agencies and if it is sold, there should be strong warnings on the packages.

 

Rita Kelly, Toomey’s Road, Mt Elliot NSW 2250

 

 

 

Richard, I need to know if Aldara cream has been linked with lesions on the brain or multiple scheloris? 

 

How can I get the information on Aldara that will convince my neurologist that the cream is the culprit that I know it is.  This is no coincidence and I cannot get anyone to see the correlation.  The two year statue of limitations to sue 3M or my dermatologist is up in March and she just keeps wanting to do more testing which is financially devastating to me.  I will gladly pay you for copies of whatever it is that I need to get her to understand that this is my problem.  I am at my wits end financially and emotionally with this.

 

If I don't file suit, they will continue to use it on people and they will continue to hurt us.  You are the only person I know other than Elaine who will talk with me about it.  Let me know how I can get my hands on what you have so that I can make my neurologist listen.  I will gladly pay you whatever the cost is to get this material.  I am running out of time. 

 

Now my neurologist wants to do a spinal tap after seeing the MRI with all the lesions on my brain.

Topsy Spellmann, ABR, CRS, GRI

 

I wish I had read your web page sooner!

I was recently prescribed Aldara to treat 2 small basal cell carcinomas on my chest and began using the cream three weeks ago. My specialist did warn me that there would be some localised inflammation but he did not mention any other side effects, nor did he inform me of the cost of the medication or that there was an option to purchase a single sachet (Aus$15) to trial my reaction. He gave me a prescription and as I have never had a bad medical reaction, I went straight to the pharmacist and had it filled.

I was a little shocked to be charged $100 for 6 small individual sachets and to be given several pamphlets describing a range of side effects and cautions and the interesting statement that “the exact way Aldara works is unknown”, however I still had faith and began the treatment.

I applied the smallest amount of cream to two spots on my chest approx 1cm2 each every second day for three days, I had used less than a third of one sachet when I stopped. By the sixth day I was experiencing flu like symptoms, headaches, aching bones and kidneys, sore throat and sinus. I was unable to work or get out of bed for a week and even 2 weeks after stopping I am still having aches and fatigue. Also my whole chest has erupted in postulating sores and is extremely sore, ugly and sun sensitive (like the worst prickly heat rash ever). 

 Only time will tell whether Aldara has been successful in curing my skin cancers but the effects have not been worth it. I would have preferred to have them cut out as I have done before. I am also angry that I cannot get a refund for the unused sachets as both the specialist and pharmacist say this is not possible! This is blatant profiteering and I will be complaining to the relevant Australian authorities and consumers groups.

I hope you have recovered and lend my support to your protest against irresponsible doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

Yours truly,

Caroline George  

----- Original Message -----

From: Ralph Plen

To: Empowerment Products

Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 7:22 PM

Subject: Re: This document should open

 

thanks for sending me this information Elaine. All very interesting.

 

Just to give some background to my case, Aldara was prescribed for (HPV) a wart by a general practitioner. When I re-presented myself to him after reacting violently to the Aldara he explained that he had been prescribing it to a lot of his patients for (HPV) warts as well as skin cancers, and that this was the first time that he had seen a reaction to it. And stated that it had been successful in all other cases where he had prescribed it. So it's more than dermatologists that need to be made aware of the possible effects of Aldara. His solution was to prescribe Elocon for the reaction, needless to say that script went straight into the bin.

 

Interestingly while waiting for some mechanical work to be done on my car today I called into a pharmacy to get some information on Aldara and possible side effects, and when I spoke to the pharmacist she flatly refused to speak to me about it, very defensively excused herself, and said that I should discuss the matter with the pharmacist who dispensed it. End of discussion.

 

But what concerns me in this whole sorry episode is that I wasn't given enough information by the GP or the dispensing pharmacist to make an informed decision - the prescribed treatment was presented by the GP in a positive upbeat manner relative to the traditional treatment of burning off the warts using liquid nitrogen - and there was no mention of investigating more natural remedies.  And no mention of possible side effects.

 

After the side effects appeared I read in more detail the pharmacy fact sheet, and when I read the disturbing statement 'although the exact way that Aldara works is unknown, it is believed to be due to its effects on the immune system' I started researching Aldara on the internet which is when I came upon your site.

 

If 3M don't know how Aldara works then they probably don't know or may be suppressing its possible negative side effects and under those circumstances they probably shouldn't be marketing it.  That they are marketing it and that some doctors are prescribing it raises some significant ethical questions.

 

I won't go into any conspiracy theories between governments, regulators and pharmaceutical corporations  - ultimately we are all responsible for our own health, but to do that we need to make fully informed decisions on matters relating to our health.  I accept that the pharmaceutical companies are profit and share price driven and not altruistic organisations, but if we can't trust our GPs to represent our best interests then who can we trust?

 

Hippocrates would turn in his grave...

 

Regards, we will discuss further - are you sure your phone lines are secure?

Ralph Plen 

 

 

Dear Elaine,

He used the cream on his chest, back and on one spot behind his ear. He had used it for 6-8 weeks then took 2 weeks off then was seen by his doctor, Dr. Jennifer Jones from Brigham and Woman’s Hospital and was told to start a new round of cream. He had started doing this and came home on Wednesday night July 26 with a high fever and chills, By next morning he was in severe respiratory distress. He went to the hospital by ambulance and the ER doctor said that he had pneumonia in both lungs and it had gotten into his bloodstream and the toxins had started to shut down his organs. He passed away by 8pm that night. Have you heard of this happening to anyone else? He had been well before using Aldara.

Nancy

From: elaine [mailto:elaine@doctorsaredangerous.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 4:01 PM
To: Chunglo, Nancy
Cc: Richard Beasley
Subject: Re: aldara cream

 

Elaine,

My husband recently passed away at age 44 after developing septic shock. He had been using Aldara cream for skin cancer. Do you think that Aldara could have played a role in his death?

Nancy Chunglo

Dear Elaine,

I just wanted you to know that all of your hard work just saved my life.  A new doctor to me (dermatologist) gave me this creme to place in the most private of areas for one genital wart which had just been frozen.  Her admonition was to use this cream three times a week with three refills.   Based on the information on your website I will never use this cream!

The wart is not that disturbing to me anyway.  But the cure could have killed me.  I am an Epileptic, have moderate degenerative disc disease, osteoporosis, sleep apnea very bad,  COPD, and if that isn't enough already to deal with just had spinal surgery to remove overgrowing bone on the inside of my lower spine2 years ago during very caused a fluid abscess from L4-S3 the pain was excruciating and getting it diagnosed took an act of a very irate husband and threat of lawsuit for the doctors inaction.  Finally the doctors did extract the fluid which reduced the pain and pressure on my spine.  In the meantime this caused me to have continuous pain induced muscle spasms and tremors which are like clonic seizures.  I didn't lose consciousness completely like a grand Mal but am unable to speak during these occurrences.  This all occurred in the Year 2004-2005.  It has taken me this long to be able mentally to sit at my computer and write messages and read.  I estimate that I have had over 300+ seizures caused by the pain. 

You deserve a great big hug from me for protecting me from doctors who are dangerous, and drug companies who are becoming rich from doctors.  I was given Neurontin to cure my spasms that is another drug to watch out for.  Lawsuits are pending.  I have discovered that pharmaceutical sales reps go to doctors offices and besides giving them free samples and literature - they are also given personal invitations at conferences in Hawaii etc and they are promised donations to the hospital's research facility in this case USC hospital in Los Angeles.  PS: By the way the actual buildings do not belong to USC or its faculty, but to a different corporate company which is a profit making company and traded on the stock exchange.  Yet all of the donations that people make to USC for research - not all goes to research.  Some goes to facility building.  Expose this publicly and you might get their attention. 

I would love to hear from you privately - at my email and share the good things in life that come my way and
Thank you again!  

 

Love,
Phyllis

Phyllis A Robbins Los Angeles, CA 90041,

     

Hi!  I am smcgro@yahoo.com I saw your web site about aldara.  I would like even more information on this.  After two days in the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack my Dr was unconcerned about the fact that I used Aldara after my daughter discovered that my symptons were as you described, I would like to confront her with this information and would like to know if there is any new findings

 

Sincerely,

smcgro

2nd e-mail to you regarding aldara.  I used aldara on my nose and a spot just under my eye.  I too had big black scabs on my face. These scabs were open when I tried to contact my doctor I could only be put through to the nurse told her of how horrible my face looked and felt I was told to continue to use the salve.  I did.  I live in Perry Florida

 

Maybe 2 years ago my sister used aldara on her nose.  She started losing weight and was unable to gain it back.  She has had brain cancer for about 7 months now. My name is Louise Townsend and I have another story about Aldara that might interest you.  My husband, Bob, was prescribed Aldara to use on his face on 22nd December 2004.  He had suffered from BCC and SCCs for many years and had always had them frozen, burned or surgically removed.  This particular BCC was very close to the outside of his right eye (actually just outside the rim of the lower eyelid) and I believe the doctor didn't want to operate on that area.  Bob was prescribed Aldara to use on his eye area.

Bob was told to use the cream for 5 days out of every 7 days for a period of 6 weeks.  He used the cream until the 27.12.04 and stopped because he felt headachy and unwell and the BCC was very inflamed.  He started to use it again on 2.1.05.  Eye area became VERY inflamed and erupted into a weeping serous wound. We went to our GP about this and was told to let the wound heal, then recommence the cream.  Asked the doctor if the headaches and irritability were due to the cream and were told no.  The eye area became
very puffy, weepy and inflamed.

On 10.1.05 Bob started using Aldara again.  He started to vomit and feel dizzy. On waking in the morning he felt OK until he got up then he would start to vomit as soon as his feet hit the ground and he would wake up with bad headaches.  This continued on a daily basis.  He gradually began to lose his balance and was falling over a lot.  He was also losing weight and had no appetite.

By the 13.1.05 we started to see that the symptoms happened after the use of the Aldara and Bob decided to stop using it for a while.  The symptoms appeared to improve while he was not using the Aldara, then on recommencement the symptoms would worsen. We went back to the doctor who prescribed the Aldara and asked if the cream could be causing his illness. We were told it wouldn't be connected and to continue using the cream.

18.1.05 Bob restarted using the cream to see if the symptoms would worsen. Guess what.  THEY DID.  He only used the cream for 3 days and then stopped for good, but his symptoms didn't go away, they continued to worsen.  I looked Aldara up on the web and found that Bob had a lot of the "possible but rare" side effects.  We went back to our GP and again asked if Aldara was the cause and were told that it couldn't be the cream as it was topical and wouldn't be absorbed into the system enough to cause this problem.  What he failed to recognise was that when Bob had been using it on his eye area and it was an open wound the cream would have been absorbed directly into his system.

To cut a very long story short (and if you are interested I can give you all the details, names, dates etc) Bob was hospitalised in February after losing 10 kilos in 5 weeks.  The doctors still didn't know what the problem was after all their tests.  It wasn't until 20.4.05 and a brain biopsy that they all agreed that he had Primary Cerebral Lymphoma, brain cancer. Bob had become so sick he almost died.

Telling our 2 daughters (9 and 13 years old) that their dad was probably going to die was the hardest thing I have EVER had to do.  We went through 8 months of absolute hell.

Bob ended up having 4 rounds of chemotherapy with a drug called methotrexate at a dose 300 times the normal dose, enough that if they didn't give him an antidote at exactly the right time he would die.  He went through this 4 times and them had five and a half weeks of radiation to the brain.

Bob was so sick his weight got down to 48 kg and he was paralized down one side.  He couldn't even feed himself or roll over in bed. I stayed at the hospital every second night and slept next to his bed so that I could turn him when needed and do what I could to make him more comfortable.  Our daughters didn't just lose their father for his time in hospital they lost their mother too, as I was there most of the time.

The positive side to all this is that he is now at home.  He started to walk early this year and his weight is now back to normal.  His MRIs show no sign of the cancer and he feels better every day.  The saddest thing for me is that I have lost the husband I once had and our girls no longer have the father they once had.  But at least we still have him.  We don't know what the future holds but I firmly believe that because his illness was caused by the Aldara, and the Aldara is now not being used, there is NO reason for his cancer to come back. We take every day as it comes and make the very best of our time together.  He is nowhere near back to normal and maybe never will be, but like I said, at least we still have him.

I hope this information is useful to you and feel free to e-mail me if you want more detail.  I have also been in contact with Richard Beasley (a very lovely bloke) and know that Bob is by no means on his own in what he has gone through, but believe me, I have never seen anyone so close to death as Bob, and not one of his specialists gave him much hope of making it. I love taking Bob back for his check ups and seeing the looks on his specialists’ faces, they are so happy and proud.  These doctors (the oncologists) saved his life and I will forever be in their debt, so glad we got good doctors when we really needed them.

Please contact me if you want.

Regards
Louise Townsend

Elaine, I was prescribed Aldara by my dermatologist for use on my lip after seeing the doctor for a red raised area on my lower lip.  Dr. Chip Cox, Victoria, Texas, advised me that it was a "bengin lesion" and prescribed Aldara to be used on my face and my lips.

I used the cream for 16 treatments and made an appointment to see Dr. Cox who told me the lesion was gone and I was cured.  Within a couple of weeks the lesion came back and my health insurance carrier changed my coverage and I then had to see a dermatologist who was in their PPO plan.  I made an appointment to see Dr. Lykes, another dermatologist in Victoria, Texas.  Dr. Lykes biopsed the lesion and it was a confirmed basal cell carcicnoma.  I drove to Houston to MD Anderson Cancer Institute and had the cancer removed. 

Both my upper lip (which was not operated on for cancer) and my lower lip started burning almost immediately after I started using the Aldara.  I assumed that it was a sign that it was working as I have used Retin-A for many years and it burned in the beginning of my treatment so I did not worry. 

I made several appointments with Dr. Lykes and advised him that my lips felt like they were on fire or burned badly.  He advised me that I would just have to wait and see it the nerves would be regenerated after the surgery.  I reminded him that my upper lip burned, not just the lower lip that had the cancer removed.  I told him that it would have to have something to do with the Aldara cream as there was no other factor involved.  He kept assuring me that I would just have to wait for the nerves to regenerate.

In December after my surgery in June I finally told Dr. Lykes if he did not know what was wrong with my lips I wanted him to refer me to some doctor who would.  At that point I was getting very upset and very tired of my lips burning all the time.

Dr. Lykes referred me to Dr. Katta who is on staff at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.  She tested me for contact dermatitis and found nothing.  She advised me that she thought that it was nerve damage and suggested that I see a neurologist.

I saw Dr. Suzanne Gazda who is a neurologist in San Antonio, Texas and she advised me that the chemicals in Aldara which are absorbed into the mucous membranes had permanently damaged the nerves in my lips.  Now the damage has spread to my tongue and my gums and teeth.  I cannot eat anything that is barely cold without having searing pain in my teeth.  I am also having problems with severe headaches, sleep disturbances and constant fatigue.  No one will ever convince me that this is not all related to the Aldara.  The neurologist in San Antonio suggested that I get all my records and sue the doctor who prescribed the Aldara to be used on my lips.  I will never go to another health professional without questioning what drugs they are prescribing, what are the side effects, what are the doctors’ credentials, etc.  I will forever be affected by using Aldara.   Shame on you 3M Pharmecuticals!

Topsy Spellmann, ABR, CRS, GRI
REALTOR
Cornerstone Properties
5003-F John Stockbauer
Victoria, Texas 77904
361-576-2353 Office
361-503-3016 Pager

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I used Aldara and had back ache sore eyes, I received no literature and when
I asked the chemist they had no info. So I rang 3m and had the info emailed
I asked why the Doctor or chemist did not have literature and the woman said
that they were running a bit behind! The info does say not to put on the
nose near the eyes or hairline the hairline I did. I do know of a lady who
has died. She had cancer and unbelievably her doctor prescribed Aldara for a
lesion near her eyebrow.  Why would a doctor give it to someone with a
compromised immune system? Because they don't know of the dangers. I am
going to copy your article and send it to doctors and chemists in my area.
Thankyou.

 

I have forwarded this to my sister who also has used it and has had sinus problems ever since Prescribed by a Dermatologist not just a GP like I was. My sister was also wondering if it can cause depression? I am not even sure I should put it in the rubbish bin.
Regards

Bernadette Jameson, East Ringwood, Victoria 3135. Australia

 

Elaine

Hallo Elaine...
I have read your Aldara story and appreciate what you have done to alert the company 3M, dermatologists and chemists and everyone else about the unacknowledged and seriously damaging side effects of using Aldara....

As requsted, I report my own reaction to Aldara use.

I am a 75 yr old woman, and have recently had an experience with Aldara, when my doctor prescribed it for a (biopsy diagnosed) sBCC on the middle of my nose, half way between the bridge and the nostril. After two and a half weeks of using it without being given the customer information sheets, and using it 7 days a week instead of the 5 days the manufacturer suggested, I woke up daily with discomfort and wetness affecting my eyes. .  My doctor therefore told me to stop using Aldara immediately....  my nose had indeed come up in redness and sores that were crusting by this time, but I expected that, and at that time I had no other symptoms (luckily as I now know).

After stopping the Aldara daily applications on the nose, my sores healed and the eyes improved back to normal.   But subsequently, I have been having extreme irritation in my mouth, particularly the upper palate, for the past four to five weeks.  It has been so painful that I have not been able to wear the partial denture that has given me absolutely no trouble for eleven years.  The dentist was unable to explain the severe discomfort.  But it was not until last week that I found your report on doctorsaredangerous.com.au and started to suspect I was having a reaction to Aldara.  Up to then it was a mystery why my mouth was so damn sore with no let up for well over a month!

Today I saw my doctor and reported my suspicions that Aldara was the possible cause of what she termed gingivitus.  She (who is a friend, as well as my doctor) examined my mouth, and  became very thoughtful... then told me that she had another woman patient who had had a persistent gingivitus for about six weeks.   She immediately checked her records relating to that patient, which revealed that this woman also had been prescribed Aldara, although for use on her hands, not on her face.

Both the doctor and I were equally surprised !.. it confirmed my suspicions about Aldara, and she immediately wrote out an Adverse Reaction report to send to the appropriate authorities, noting the two patients with the same response.

The doctor also rang my local chemist who had suggested that I was having a "uric acid reaction" as a result of the Aldara use, and I will try to find out if she has come across other people with a uric-acid response.  I had to ask her what is  "cytotoxic" ... apparently they are designed to destroy cells growing more rapidly than normal (i.e. as in cancer)  ... but as the cells lining the mouth etc. are also of a kind that naturally rapidly grow and replace themselves, it can also target these, and of course all mucuous membranes.

I feel fortunate that (up to now) this has been my only reaction, feel most sorry that yours and other people's have been so severe.   I am using slippery elm, made into a paste with plain yoghurt, as a salve to keep in my mouth for as long as possible.  This is helping, and hopefully may help others affected with mucuous involvement?

As a result of all this I have been researching Radium Weed (more commonly known as chickweed) as a remedy for skin cancers of all kinds.   There is a deal of information on the web/net, and the sap has commonly been known and used for probably thousands of years to get rid of spots/warts/discolourations, etc.. I know several people who have used it and it leaves no scarring !  You may have heard in the last days reports on the ABC news that a company in Brisbane has developed a "gel" based on this common herb/weed, which is called "euphorbia peplum". But of course - despite positive results in 71% of cases so far - their gel is still undergoing trials and will not be available to the public for four years!   Dabbing on  the sap of the tiny  radium weed, once daily for maybe only one or two or three days, causes some blistering but when the scab comes off about ten days later the area is absolutely scar free and clear.

You probably know about this, but I now have a plant and am planning to use it on my nose as soon as my mouth heals.

Regards, Amitabha Jo Phillips
Ocean Shores, NSW

My primary care doctor recommended that I see my Dermatologist about places on my face and head.  I am a 85 year old male and bald.  The Dermatologist removed a Squamous Cell Carinoma from my right face at the base of my ear about the size of a silver dollar.  The at the same time perscribed Aldara cream for me to start using on my head.  Within in a week I had sores all over the top of my head.  He admits that it is probably the same kind of cancer I had on my face.  Now after almost 8 weeks of use my head is so sore and bleeding I can't stand it any longer.  The Dermatologist wants me to keep treating it for a total of 12 weeks.

 

Shortly after I started using the Aldara cream I woke up one morning feeling as if I was dying.  My blood pressure was 207/101.  I have never had high blood pressure before.  My eyes started watering and getting very blurry.  At my last visit he told me the cancer may have spread to my eyes.  I have an appointment with my eye doctor the 27th of April.  I have been feeling very bad with no energy at all any more.  Your site has opened my eyes to the truth.  I am going to call my Dermatologist tomorrow and tell him I am off of the Aldara cream.  I will also take a copy of your report to him.

 

James A. Eagle

2137 Bull Swamp Rd.

North, SC  29112

Email: jimax45@bellsouth
From: <eagle1956@earthlink.net>
To: <jimax45@bellsouth.net>

Yes, it is O.K. to use my emails for your compaign against Aldara.  I notified my doctor this morning and referreed him to your site, so he would understand why I am off the cream.  I am not sure it still won't be the cause of my death.

 

Jim Eagle

 

I have tried to reach this poor man for some time, but no luck.  The following is what Richard Beasley says about what was done to him:

 

It's a wonder this guy isn't dead.  Aldara is not to be used for Squamous Cell Carcinoma or SCCs.  That comes from 3M, FDA, and every other entity on the face of the Earth.  Next, these same entities say that the dr. should biopsy the lesions to make sure they are either BCCs or AKs and not another type.  Now, few if any doctors do this because they don't think they have time or they simply think they can tell by looking.

 

Using so much Aldara on such a wide area is nothing short of murder or attempted murder.  The poor guy was pumping it into his blood circulation and head.

 

Richard

From: "teri fitzgibbons" <teribail@yahoo.com>
To: <aldara1@aldara1.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 9:44 PM
Subject: drug reaction


> hello, i am writing about my husband’s experience with the drug  Aldara.....he was on this drug for 9 days and has not been right since....joint stiffness in the morning and pain in joints all the time.......he was taking this drug for basal cells on his head and put the cream on only 4 times during the 9 days.....he is a very active 64 yrs and is into outrigging ocean racing here in Australia, and his health is getting worse....says he feels like a little old man.....getting up earlier before the races and has to exercise his joint before he feels like himself......trying to deal with this as best as he can....went to doctor and still in testing stages....the doctor here in Australia turned this news into the Australian medical board....not sure what is going to happen other then wishing we never heard of this drug.......will keep you informed......

Teri

I have been using Aldara for the last 13 months and my warts are getting larger and the number of them is also increasing but I was pregnant until 4 months ago and my doctor told me that the Aldara may not be nearly as effective when you're pregnant. At this point, I probably need to have mine surgically removed because of their size.

 

 

Can you believe this Elaine?

Iwas prescribed it a couple of years ago.  The dermatologist treated me with CO2 burns and said that I could use the cream over the lesions.  I then had an ulcerous breakout that looked like herpes and I went to another clinic and it was tested to not be herpes but more of a chemical burn nature. I assumed I had underestimated the strength of the cream and stopped using to let the lesion heal.

I could feel that the Aldara affected me when I used it with the itching, sweating, tight chest, nausea, dry eyes, metallic taste, slight dizzyness, upset stomach, diarhea, severe muscle and joint soreness and stiffness in the back, neck and arms.  Physical and mental exhastion.  My doctor wanted to prescribe antidepressants but I felt "poisoned sick" not sad.   I didn't put the two together right away.  I was referred all around to specialist doctors trying to find the root cause of the symptoms: rheumotologist, hematologist, gastroentologist...

Blood tests, xrays, MRI, ultrsound... found low blood counts with the most severe being platelet count which is connected to the immune system and seemed to bring out the most concern in the hematologist. He then took a piece of marrow out of my lower back like drilling out a plug of wood to look for cancer.

I left work just before Christmas and I have been trying to figure out how to get healthy again.

I had major problems with Aldara... it worked at getting rid of the warts easy enough, but I’d be so sore, itchy, raw... yuck. It was worse than a yeast infection. I actually scratched myself to the point that I was bleeding and couldn't stop scratching... my doctor told me it just meant the medication was doing its job. I stopped Aldara because it's easier to go get warts frozen off than it is to live like that... just my experience. Hope it helps

From: pamelarwilliams

To: elaine@doctorsaredangerous.com

Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 4:22 AM

Subject: Aldara story

 

I was diagnosed at the beginning of this year (2006) with a basal cell carcinoma on my upper lip.  I am 44 years old with fair skin, red hair and freckles.  I knew my day had been coming, because I grew up going to the beach and getting sunburned.  My dermatologist quickly set up a date for me to undergo the MOHS procedure to remove it.  I showed up on the morning of the procedure, the Dr. walked into the room and said he had changed his mind and wanted to try this cream on me instead.

 

He gave me the Aldara prescription and off I went.  I was personally thrilled because this was an alternative to surgery and being left with a surgical scar on such a prominent place on my face.  He told me that one woman he had prescribed it to had called him back a few weeks later and said, essentially, that she couldn't take it anymore, just cut it out!  I thought she was probably a wimp and I thought I would be fine. 

 

When I picked up the prescription, I read all the information that came with it, including the side effects.  I tend to be highly optimistic and just assumed the side effects wouldn't happen to me.  After a few days (actually nights) of use, I started to notice that my lower lip, just below where I was applying Aldara, was becoming inflamed.  I thought I was getting a canker sore there.  It seemed