Health Information
Warts and Plantar Warts
Medications
If you decide to treat your warts, both nonprescription and prescription medicines are available.
Nonprescription medicines
Nonprescription medicines include:
- Reference Salicylic acid, which softens the skin layers that form a wart so that they can be rubbed off. Salicylic acid formulas include Compound W and Occlusal.
Prescription medicines
Medicines that your doctor may use or prescribe for you include:
- Reference Retinoid cream (Avita, Retin-A). It disrupts the wart's skin cell growth.
- Reference Cantharidin (Cantharone, Cantharone Plus). This medicine causes the skin under the wart to blister, lifting the wart off the skin. This medicine is injected into the wart at your doctor's office.
- Immunotherapy medicines, which help your body's immune system fight viruses, including the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes warts. These medicines may include Reference imiquimod, Reference contact sensitizers, and interferon.
- Reference Bleomycin injection, which destroys the skin containing the wart. But bleomycin isn't often used, because it is painful during and after the injection.
What to think about
Other medicines used for warts include 5-fluorouracil, which is more often used on Reference genital warts Opens New Window, and cimetidine. Cimetidine can be taken by mouth (orally) or as an injection.
As with any medicine, talk to your doctor before using a wart medicine if you are or may be pregnant. Some wart medicines may cause birth defects.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference September 7, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine
Reference E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
|
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