Has Anyone Experienced This Skin Condition?

Hi L.,
I am not sure exactly what the term is you used...Is it like a Plantars Wart? I have seen Tagamet used for those and it works well. Tagamet is an older generation drug used for heartburn and for some odd reason works well on warts...I would take it if thats what the case is!
Good luck!

Yes - my five-year-old has it at the moment. I've been very lucky because he's got it very mild but the dermatologist puts some kind of irritating/acid on each molluscum which we wash off after 45 minutes or so. It forms a little blister at the site and (mostly) the molluscum goes away. We've been back about four times now - every two weeks - but my five-year-old is very nervous of shots etc and doctors doing anything to him, so this treatment seems best because it takes a couple of seconds to put on the treatment and it doesn't hurt at all when it's applied. Sorry - that's the only treatment I can advise on because I haven't tried any others. Eventually, the molluscum will go away - I believe it's a virus and disappears after about four months. Good luck - Alison

L.,

Both of my children have experienced this horrible virus. Our pediatrician suggested leaving them alone as they will go away on their own. She explained that removing them can cause scars. But, if I'm not mistaken it took close to a year for them to disappear. Yuck!

My son had them on his face and in and around his ear. When they started to go away they all appeared very red and infected (some of our friends thought he had chicken pox :) then they just disappeared. He has one pitted scar in his ear that hasn't gone away.

If they aren't scratched then the virus doesn't transfer from what I remember. If one became irritated I would cover it with a bandaid to prevent the spread.

I hope this helps.

C.

Ask to have the Dr. call you and ask all of your questions.

Hi L.,

I just wanted to mention that Tagamet is a heartburn medication. Are you sure this is what it is? I just wanted to point that out to you, just in case you hadn't looked it up yet. I am sorry you are experiencing this with your son and I wish you and your son luck. I fortunatly have never had to go through this but it does look like you have some good advice and responses.

Good luck and Take Care,
S.

Hi L.---I was also curious and looked up the condition. I started with wikepedia, knowing that sometimes it is not a reliable source of info. At least, it gives a place to start. One thing that I like about this source is that it offers suggestions for home/natural treatments other than ingesting a prescription. I would use that as last resort. Here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscum_contagiosum

The article talks about all kinds of treatments, and unfortunately, it looks like cimetidine may not work very well. I would google the condition and then do some research. You are the boss. You should be able to work with your doctor and have him do the treatment that you want for your son. I kind of like the duct tape approach, depending on how many and where your son's lesions are located.

My other advice would be to make sure your son's immune system is as strong as possible and the best way to do that is through is diet and adequate sleep. I am taking a series of wellenss classes, and most health issues can be addresses with diet. Obviously, diet takes a little longer to help heal an illness, but you can start now to make sure you are all healthier when the 2009 winter cold and flu season arrive. But this does not address your immediate concerns, so if you would like to talk more about this, just give me a call.

Good luck. It may not seem like it but it will be over soon. In health, D. ###-###-####

Helllo L. i had no idea what it was so i looked it up and did something i am not big on copy and paste because i wanted to make sure i was saying it right but this is just a bit of what i came up with good luck What side effects may occur?
Side effects cannot be anticipated. If any develop or change in intensity, inform your doctor as soon as possible. Only your doctor can determine if it is safe for you to continue taking Tagamet.

Side effects may include:
Breast development in men, headache
Less common side effects—agitation, anxiety, confusion, depression, disorientation, and hallucinations—may appear in severely ill individuals who have been treated for 1 month or longer. However, these reactions are not permanent and have cleared up within 3 to 4 days of discontinuation of the drug.

Sometimes an at-home treatment is prescribed. These treatments include applying a topical retinoid, topical immune modifier, or other topical antiviral medication.

During treatment, some growths may appear as others are fading. This is normal.

An option, especially with young children, is not to treat molluscum and wait for the growths to disappear. This avoids exposure to possible side effects from treatment; however, if rapid growth of new lesions is noted, a dermatologist should be consulted. It is always possible for a person's skin to get infected with the virus again. The condition may be easier to control if treatment is started early — when there are only a few growths.
•••

A dermatologist is a physician who specializes in treating the medical, surgical and cosmetic conditions of the skin, hair and nails. To learn more about molluscum contagiosum log onto www.aad.org or call toll free (888) 462-DERM (3376) to find a dermatologist in your area.

All content solely developed by the American Academy of Dermatology

um you can google it, and there a website drugs.com and rxlist.com and will tell u about the drug!

My son had this years ago and that is the treatment that finally worked. Those things literally popped out after awhile and never came back. It did leave a little pit where it popped out from but those went away. Seems to me we also put some kind of cream on them also?

Hi L.,

My two year old son had this several years ago. We opted to avoid the "burning/freezing" option - didn't want to put him through that. After online research, found a silver nitrate treatment we ordered. Basically these are drops that you apply directly to the molluscum - can't recall how often, but at least once/day until they are gone. I think it took awhile, but it seemed like a painless way to deal with it. You should be able to find more info by googling. Good luck!!

I take this drug during the summer for hives on my arms that develop due to an allergy. I thought it was strange when I was prescribed this med because it is typically used for stomach issues, however it is a histamine blocker also. I used it for the first time last year for about 5 months and it worked great and I never had any side affects from it, even when I stopped taking it. Good Luck

Hi L.:

Yes, both of my children experienced that frustrating molluscum contagiosum one summer. I did take them to a dermatologist several times throughout the summer to have them frozen off. He never prescribed any oral meds. I would definitely check with a good dermatologist first!

L.,

I was not aware of molluscum contagiosum...so did a search on it to see, if nothing else, I could find a Tagamet connection. To the point...I could not. Personally, based on what I did find...your feelings of taking him to a dermatologist seem reasonable and justsified. Please feel free to check out these to webpages I found. Pretty sure you'll find what you want to know with-in them...and therefore feel qualified in making the right choice for your child. Best of luck!

http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/viral_mo...

http://www.drugs.com/pdr/tagamet.html

Hi L.,

I would consider taking your son for a second opinion. I know lots of meds are used for different conditions but the Tagament (Cimetidine) is something I take myself for acid reflux. I don't know how the two could possibly be connected.

I hope this helps - S.

My 3 1/2 year old has this we call them bumps. Our ped perscribed an acne gel (can't remember the name right now) that we used on them 3 times a week. She started out with over a dozen and we are now down to just a couple. Right now I am leaving them alone and letting them heal on thier own. They don't really seem to hurt they are just annoying. Depending on how many your child has I would check into other treatment options.