Efudex Medication - Uses & Side Effects

Brand name: Efudex

Pronounced: EFF-you-decks

Generic name: Fluorouracil

Other brand name: Carac

Efudex and Carac are prescribed for the treatment of actinic or solar keratoses (small red growths or flesh-colored wartlike growths caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation or the sun). Efudex Solutions and Cream are topical preparations containing the fluorinated pyrimidine 5-fluorouracil, an antineoplastic antimetabolite. If you use an airtight dressing to cover the skin being treated, there may be inflammatory reactions in the normal skin around the treated area. Efudex Cream contains 5% fluorouracil in a vanishing cream base consisting of white petrolatum, stearyl alcohol, propylene glycol, polysorbate 60 and parabens (methyl and propyl). Fluorouracil interferes with the growth of abnormal cells, which are eventually destroyed. Efudex is useful in the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinomas, or slow-growing malignant tumors of the face usually found at the edge of the nostrils, eyelids, or lips.

Efudex Dosage:

• The cream or solution is applied once or twice daily after washing the area that is to be treated with plain water.
• Efudex should be applied preferably with a nonmetal applicator or suitable glove.
• Medication should be continued until the inflammatory response reaches the erosion stage, at which time use of the drug should be terminated. The usual duration of therapy is from 2 to 4 weeks.
• A tiny amount of the cream should be gently rubbed into all of the treated areas with a fingertip.

Uses of Efudex:

• Efudex is recommended for the topical treatment of multiple actinic or solar keratoses.
• It is useful in the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinomas, or slow-growing malignant tumors of the face usually found at the edge of the nostrils, eyelids, or lips.
• Fluorouracil cream and topical solution are also used to treat a type of skin cancer called superficial basal cell carcinoma if usual types of treatment cannot be used.

Side Effects of Efudex:

Some common side effects reported with this medicine include:

• Allergic skin inflammation.
• Severe redness and swelling of normal skin.
• Swelling.
• Increased sensitivity of the skin to sun and ultraviolet light.
• Tenderness.
• Discoloration of the skin.
• Fever.
• Severe stomach pain.
• Bloody diarrhea.
• Chills.
• Eye irritation including burning, itching, sensitivity, stinging, or watering.

Warnings and precautions before taking Efudex:

• Avoid prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays while you are under treatment with these products.
• Tell your prescriber or health care professional about other skin products that you are using, including non-prescription skin products.
• Skin may be unsightly during treatment with Efudex and, in some cases, for several weeks after treatment has ended.
• Your doctor will perform follow-up biopsies if you are being treated for superficial basal cell carcinoma.
• If you have any medical problems such as includes heart, liver, or kidney damage, then you should discuss the history with your doctor before taking this medication.
• Do not use a sunlamp or tanning bed or booth.

Drug Interaction:

• There are no known drug interactions with topical fluorouracil.

Overdose:

• After taking Efudex, If you feel that overdose is suspected, then contact with your doctor immediately.
• Although no specific information is available on Efudex overdosage, any medication used in excess can have serious consequences.
• If this medicine is accidentally taken by mouth, contact your local poison control center or emergency room immediately.
• In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

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