Zyclara and Itching: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2013

For Keratosis "I am on week 5. I first used it on my arms with no result, so I decided to do my forehead. A few spots came out. Now I'm doing my chest area... major sun damage! I'm not going to lie, it itches and burns. If all these spots are pre-cancer cells, then it's definitely worth a few weeks of pain and discomfort! I just told my co-workers what I was doing, so I didn't feel the need to 'cover up.' It actually feels better not to have clothes rub on it. I take Advil for the pain. If only I could go back in time and tell myself to get out of the tanning beds, it's not worth it!"

• Sdo...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 11, 2018

For Keratosis "58-year-old female, fair but I do tan. First basal cell at 27; Mohs surgery x2. Also squamous cells and AKs & SKs frozen every 6 months. Aldara too intense. Been using Zyclara every winter for years. Haven’t been brave enough to do my face but need to. Takes 5-7 days to start seeing effect; usually stop around day 10. It’s like trying to stop a speeding train - continues to intensify for several days after stopping. Oozy, itchy just like everybody says, but it works! Flu-like symptoms because Zyclara stimulates an immune response. NOT topical chemo. I do one area at a time and rotate - back or chest or arms or legs. Stimulated lymph nodes are a normal immune response. If I feel 'flu,' I hold off for 2 days. Believe me, the train keeps running but the symptoms reside. Every other day from there then it’s time to stop. I love that it flares spots I can’t see and heals better than burn/scrape or freeze. It’s a drag, but I’m glad to have the option."

• gre...
• May 27, 2011

For Keratosis "I am on the last three days of the 2nd two-week application step. I'm using it on my forehead and cheeks, and what a mess. I'm covered in red, itchy, weeping spots and blotches. I have nausea, but that's the price you pay for baking in the sun as a kid. I'm 62. This medicine seems to work, and if you don't mind looking like your face caught fire for a few weeks to maybe save your life, then go for it."

• Est...
• February 13, 2016

For Keratosis "I am on day 11 of a 14-day cycle, and the first week I experienced flu-like symptoms, i.e., achy muscles, fatigue, and headaches. My only side effect now is a slight headache. I am using Zyclara on my face (temples, forehead, and cheek), and my face is looking pretty ugly right now. It looks like an awful outbreak of acne and is very raw. I have more than a few scabs and a lot of redness where I have been applying the cream. It is very itchy and tender, and to be honest, while I am still in the middle of all of this, I have questioned whether I would do it again. I guess it would be better to answer that in a couple of weeks. I have wanted to stop using it, but it is like swimming halfway across a lake. I think I will be happy in a couple of weeks."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 24, 2019

For Keratosis "I have had a recurring actinic keratosis on my temple (beside my eye) on and off for several years, plus several eczema-like lesions on my cheeks, neck, and behind my ears. I have gone through the recommended 6-week Zyclara treatment, and my skin is much better, almost completely clear, with just a few little areas remaining for which my dermatologist has recommended a further 'cycle' of 6 weeks, which will start in the next few days. I had the usual unsightly red scabs on one side and then the other. They were rather sore and itchy, but not unbearably so. Many friends have commented on how much better my skin looks, which is encouraging! I also have a compromised immune system due to chronic leukemia, but no obvious side effects. I live in Spain, so I have had to be careful about further sun exposure."

• Sus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2014

For Keratosis "26 spots came out the first week. A few were very big (larger than a pencil eraser), and they oozed like a greenish pus. But... only a tiny bit of itching during the healing weeks. Seemed to work great!"

• 58a...
• August 21, 2011

For Keratosis "My bald head, forehead, and face have the actinic keratosis spots to be treated. I tried one laser peel, and it did well for about 6 months. It was painful, and the recovery was as well. I tried Efudex cream several times and had some success. I am on the Zyclara now for 7 days with just some itching, redness, and minor swelling. I made the mistake of being in the sun for 5 hours on the sixth day and had to skip the treatment one night due to some pain. Some sores have begun to appear like old zits. It won't be pretty for several weeks, but it should be worth it to avoid cancer."

• Sta...
• June 23, 2017

For Keratosis "I am currently using Zyclara for a basal cell in my ear. I have had this before about 7 years ago and used Aldara at the time that completely cured it. I was prescribed this cream this time at my doc's recommendation because it is a little milder than Aldara and the skin is thinner in the ear. I have been using this now for 3 weeks without any breaks and have 3 more weeks to go as per my derm. I haven't had any flu-like symptoms, and side effects are just on the treated area: extreme swelling, raw skin, oozing, redness, slight burning, and scabbing. I started with one spot that looked like a pimple, and with the cream came many more. Once I'm done, I am hoping, obviously, that my basal cell is gone and my ear looks like an ear again."

• Tpm...
• August 10, 2016

For Keratosis "I have been using this cream on the front of my ear for a week. There is swelling, itching, crusting, and so much oozing it will drip down my face. Around day 5, I started feeling tired and weak. Then, day 6 and 7, I have felt like I have the flu. I feel awful. Lymph nodes seem swollen, and my throat is sore. My lower back hurt as well one day, but not every day. I was worried the fluid dripped down into my ear canal. My doctor told me to stop using it and come back to see him in 3 weeks."

• J17...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2024

"Used as prescribed. After night 1, I had felt quite a bit of burning, but after seeing it listed as one of the symptoms, I just thought the cream was doing its job. The burning continued to get worse even after I had washed it off. When it reached night 2, I began to get many other symptoms (burning, itching, cold sweats, dizziness, nausea, pounding headache, and I ran a fever of 104). I decided to go to the hospital as the fever wouldn't break, and they gave me medication to help. The doctor told me to stop using the cream immediately. Day 3, the fever was gone, but I ended up having to return to the hospital. My area was now swollen to three times its original size, I had bloody discharge, and the burn had now turned dark purple. The doctor was shocked to see my downstairs area pretty much completely destroyed. He told me this was a severe reaction to this cream and that this was essentially a bad chemical burn in the worst area possible. It's been 5 weeks, and I'm still recovering."

• Anonymous
• January 14, 2011

For Keratosis "I am on my 7th day of treatment and have not experienced any of the side effects, except for the skin irritation where the AKs are prevalent."