New To Carac

Well, I'm new to the message board and new to Carac.  I've had 2 Mohs surgeries, one quite invasive on the side of my nose that has left a nasty, lumpy scar from major reconstruction, and another on my neck.  Everything I've had has been basal cell, thank goodness not squamous or melanoma, so things could be worse.  I've used Solaraze without much success but never Efudex or Carac.  My dad has been through two rounds of Efudex, so I know the drill.  But what I've been reading about Carac's side effects has me concerned.  Maybe I'm just worrying myself into a headache after only one day of using it.  How soon did everyone start experiencing the headaches, nausea and dizziness, if they did have those symptoms?  I've also been through one Levulan/Blu U, which helped my face but that's all they treated...guess it's not good for chest/back/arms.  I'm starting just with the Carac on my chest/neck/arms, then doing my face this fall when I can take time off work.  I'm more depressed than anything, since I figure I'll have to do this for years to come since I'm only 52.  Guess that's what I get for being a Swedish kid that swam year-round for the first 16 years of my life without sunscreen.  I'm glad I found this board - I don't feel so alone.

 

Not to worry...I completed six weeks of Carac treatment last year and experienced none of the nasty side effects you mentioned. I had had several Mohs procedures along with some "burn offs," mostly on my face but also on my legs. Like many 60+ years olds, I had gone blythly through childhood enduring excessive amounts of unprotected exposure from the sun.

After seeing a picture of me with my daughter at her wedding I was appalled at how evident were all the redish lesions on my face- mostly my forehead. When the dermatologist at my last procedure suggested Carac I jumped at it. After a few days I looked worst than ever as the fluorouracil

attacked the facial lesions turning them a bright red. But eight weeks after starting treatment I was practically lesion free. My lone complaint is that Carac is pricey and the tubes of cream are pretty stingy. Also, your doctor will prescribe another less expensive cream that moderates the cosmetic appearance of the cream. My family says I'm looking a lot better. So, go for it!

 

 

 

 

On 4/30/2007 Silvertip wrote:

 

Not to worry...I completed six weeks of Carac treatment last year and experienced none of the nasty side effects you mentioned. I had had several Mohs procedures along with some "burn offs," mostly on my face but also on my legs. Like many 60+ years olds, I had gone blythly through childhood enduring excessive amounts of unprotected exposure from the sun.

After seeing a picture of me with my daughter at her wedding I was appalled at how evident were all the redish lesions on my face- mostly my forehead. When the dermatologist at my last procedure suggested Carac I jumped at it. After a few days I looked worst than ever as the fluorouracil

attacked the facial lesions turning them a bright red. But eight weeks after starting treatment I was practically lesion free. My lone complaint is that Carac is pricey and the tubes of cream are pretty stingy. Also, your doctor will prescribe another less expensive cream that moderates the cosmetic appearance of the cream. My family says I'm looking a lot better. So, go for it!

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your reply.  The support really helps.  It's been a week now and the worst part for me is the constant itching.  I thought I'd see more lesions by now, but maybe the Solaraze did eliminate some of those....but the redness and itching is getting worse.  I know there's more to come, but I'm getting to where it's already waking me at night.  I know what you mean about the pricey part...and those little tubes don't seem to go very far.  Has anyone else noticed that the cream is difficult to spread because it soaks in like a sponge the minute it hits your skin...or is that just my skin?  I know Efudex is easier to spread...does anyone know why some doctors prefer Carac over Efudex?  I keep hearing it's the "new thing," but I really don't know if it's supposedly better than Efudex or not.