Side Effects of Carac or Efudex

Hello Everyone
Just finished my first application of 5% efudex to face and neck. Then sat down to read the 110 posts. Thank you to all of you who posted. I feel informed and more accepting of the fact that I get through this 21 day twice a day routine. It seems the docs are holding their cards close to the vest about suggesting moisturizers, painkillers, or mostly anything that will make this treatment a little easier. Oh well, I am hoping for an easy time but we will see.
Thanks all and good night.

I'm 46 and have had 300+ non-melanoma skin cancers removed or re-removed. I have had them frozen of which in my opinion is a waste because no one will sit to have the proper amount of tissue frozen to insure elimination of all the cancer cells. They always come back and are a waste of pain. My DRs favorite way is the Curette (a loop of wire on a stick) it is a very barberic way to remove them. Combined with the electric needle and the DR can basically melon ball bits of skin off then neatly burn it with the electric needle to kill the cells and also keep it from bleeding this is done at least twice. No one should ever have to smell there own flesh. This leaves a scar like someone put a cigar out on you. MOHs surgery is the best on the face for BCC or SCC. MOHs surgery uses microscopes to insure that all cancer is removed. Expensive. Efudex was a pain and it looked and hurt like hell but when my face, neck and shoulders healed my skin was like new. Best of all...........it was still there! I just had a 1" by .5" piece of SCC removed from my ring finger. Sure wish i could have used a little cream and made it go away. The use of Efudex out weighs the alternative

Hi, I'm the drop out from Carac (couldn't use it do to side effects) I do monitor this site to get the information. I do whole heartly agree with Chris W. If anyone has a BCC or SCC on their face or hands especially, I would highly recommend MOH's surgery. I have had 3 removed by MOH's sx, my hand, nose and neck. Guess it's good I know about this since I can't use the cream. Most big cities have MOH's surgeons, they are dermotologists who do a fellowship in this speciality, they do not close the site until everything is removed. They biopsy and get the results as you wait.If they still see cells they will take another section and biopsy again. I wouldn't have anything else. Yes it is very expensive but I've never had any problems with my ins covering it. Good luck to everyone and Happy Thanksgiving, we do have a lot to be thankful for, Chigirl

I did Efudex 5% 2x day for 21 days.

The first two weeks were not painful, but I began to get quite self consious of my bright red, tight face as those days went by. I used organic Coconut Oil from the natural food store for the first two weeks and it worked great (I avoided the Vaseline as long as possible).

The third week was very uncomfortable and I was glad that I had arranged to work from home. My whole lower face was swollen, bright red, painful, and itchy (my forhead had just a few spots). When the skin started eroding and weeping, it became uncomfortable enough that I kept it constantly covered in Vaseline. I took 2-3 200 mg Ibuprofen every four hours to keep the swelling and pain down. I slept with a towel on my pillow. I only wanted soft plain foods like rice or pasta. It was hard to open my mouth. I could not put water on my face at all as the stinging was too painful.

I did the three week Efudex treament, with a fourth week to heal from the effects of the chemo. I took the fourth week off from work, and felt too awful to even work from home. This was the worst week for me and I really had to focus on healing and sleeping. I did not want to do much else than watch DVD's or play computer games - (neither of these is normally a pastime of mine - but even reading books or magazines or emails or phone conversations were too hard to do.) This really was a week where the discomfort in the face really took priority in my awareness.

I stayed at my boyfriend's house for Week Three and let him nurture and care for me, and run errands. But Week Four I just wanted to hibernate by my self and so went to my own home. I felt worn out from the pain, and irritable. I looked and felt terrible. I just wanted to be alone. My mother and grandmother checked in on me, but they were the only people who saw me.

I stopped the treatment after 21 days. My face felt okay on Day 22. But Day 23 and 24 were the very worst of the whole experience. I was in pain, with my face swollen and weeping and stinging and itching and hurting. My whole face felt like a second degree burn. I kept slathering on the Vaseline, afraid to let it dry out even for a moment as the pain was intense. I was worried about infection as my whole face was a wound. So I used a lot of antibacterial ointment (petroleum base with no alcohol).

Day 26 I woke up and could tell healing had happened as my face did not sting anymore. For the first time in a couple of weeks, I could put my face under gentle shower stream. It felt awesome. And after that - My face healed faster than I can believe.

Today is one week after I stopped the Efudex, and my face is almost entirely clear. I have one place over my lips still to heal. But the rest of my skin looks better than I can remember it looking in my adult life. This was hell, but I have to say - the difference in the end is remarkable. It was a harder process than I expected, but I did survive it.

Other thoughts:

If you are single - stock up on groceries to last you for awhile as you will not want to go out in public for 1-2 weeks at the end. For the final weeks I only wanted soft bland food.

Get lots of water - I drank 2 liters a day to try to keep my face hydrated.

Be sure to stock up on clean towels and sheets as this is a messy process.

I cleaned my house while I still felt well. I did not want to anything in Week 4, and was grateful for a clean house to be sick in.

Plan on wearing clean soft clothes that don't matter if they got Vaseline on them.

I went through two rolls of papertowels on my face in one week. This is messy.

I took mega vitamins everyday. I also took Omega essential fatty acids because I heard that they are good for helping wounds to heal.

Buy Vaseline, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone creme, ibuprofen. I had no trouble sleeping but some people do, so consider sleep aids.

I could not tolerate anything on my skin made with alcohol in the base, such as the first antibiotic and hydrocoritsone cremes I used. This mistake was excrutiating.

I used generic brand tripple antibiotic ointment maximum strength in a petroleum base. I used this daily on open sores in the 4th week.

I used Vaseline and Triple Antibiotic creme when I was most uncomfortable. For the first two weeks I used Coconut Oil to keep my face moist with no stinging chemicals. The final week I used Vitamin E oil to help the healing.

I slept a much as I could at night. I felt worn out by the healing process. It was hard work.

Hello All,
Thanks to Prettiwoman for the checklist and items that should be nearby if needed. I will make certain I have things to sooth, cool, moisten, and preoccupy my time. I am planning on getting 100% up to date with my work which I can do from home. However, that sometimes gets sidetracked but I will certainly have the time. I lost a friend to this many years ago at a young age, never really understood, it seemed like such a rare occurance back then, nowadays it is much more up front and in the public eye. So many young kids don't know the danger and double down with tanning beds on top of it. My older son takes very good care, my daughter just ignores the danger somewhat and my yougest son thinks like all young guys that he is invincible. Maybe getting a glimpse of my puss in two weeks will make them think harder about sunblock. With the ozone the way it is I think this will only be getting worse and will probably be covered more as an elementary school item for all. Sorry about the rant.....
Nite all...
Be well.

I just began treatment yesterday-I had mohs surgery to remove a BCC from the tip of my nose, three months ago. the chemo treatment is to last 4-6 weeks. i initially thought it would be limited to my nose-but alas, my derm said the entire face... now i know why he wanted me to wait until after the holidays to begin, after reading these posts. But i had prepared myself somewhat for this and want to get it over with...now i know that i will not be feeling the best over the holidays or my birthday but hey, the alternative is worse. So i know that i will get through this-thanks to all who have posted and i plan on coming back to this board for more reassurance during this trying time. Pam

Hello Pammy,
Just to let you know that today is my completion of two weeks of application twice a day. If yours goes like mine it should be very easy for you. That is what I think will be. I am only speaking from two weeks experience and I still have one more week to go, however, I think my biggest annoyance was some undue anxiety I had at the begining, so do not let that bother you, it is not that bad and not worth getting upset. As a matter of fact, today will be my first day that I am staying in the house. And that is probably more due to the fact that we are having a nasty weather day. I have no headaches, no pain, very little sunburn type sting, not even, but that is about it. I look like I have very bad acne. I hope you have the same two first weeks that I have and wish you the very best on your treatment. Keep busy.

Thank you for sharing your experience, thus far. I too, hope that the balance of your treatment goes as well.
My I ask where you had/have the cancer? Did they do surgery?
I'm not so much afraid as I am in shock-due to the fact that this all began with a little tiny red dot on the end of my nose, which for a couple years, I thought was a zit that would keep coming back....then one day, I had this very strange feeling about it, went to my doc who referred me to the dermatologist, and I'm thinking that its just going to get frozen off, long story short, it ended up being taken out through Moh's surgery and then a trip to the plastic surgeon right afterwards for the closure of the wound...and now this...it certainly puts a new perspective on things for me...Thanks again for sharing.

Hello Pammy,
The treatment area for me is the entire face. Last spring I saw the dermatologist for a small red zit that has been around on my forehead on and off for about 3-4 years. At times it would feel rough, sensitive to the touch and sort of burn if rubbed. He suggested that it be sliced and sent for testing, I agreed, and it was done right then. During removal for testing he said he was sure that ir was cancer and would be removing more right then, and I agreed. It healed perfectly and I was later told it was a baso. This summer when I returned to check on the healing I asked if he could look at an area that felt similar to that but over my eyebrow. He froze that area. This fall on my visit I pointed out another area that felt funny. He said that I have a few places and rather than freeze many he suggested I do the Efudex treatment. So here I am. I met a client two days ago who had MOHS beside her eye near the hairline and it was almost invisible. I am still doing the same as two days ago. Fine. You will be also. Everyone is wired differently but I would suggest having something relaxing handy. Half an ativan, warm milk, anything that works for you if needed. I took half an ativan on some of the first evenings but not by the second week, so I think I was just a little anxious at first. If you like keep me (us / other posters) informed and we wish you well.

Day number four of treatment-my face is beginning to show some signs of redness and it feels dry. Last night, several hours after I had done my treatment, I put some "free" lotion on my face, and man oh man, did that burn and itch. Guess I will be looking for something else to use. Its funny because i know what i will look like in about 10 days...and i keep looking in the mirror all the time to see if errosion is happening....this is so surreal right now...i do have xanax on hand...sometimes i think that i think too much.
problem is, i get quiet and dont talk about things...i'm scared.