Warticon

Warticon cream is made of podophyllotoxin which is a plant extract recommended for the treatment of small, soft genital warts.

Podophyllotoxin has antiviral properties, which means it can directly attack the virus responsible for your genital warts – HPV (the human papillomavirus).

The active ingredient in Warticon is a spindle inhibitor, a toxic substance which naturally occurs in the roots and rhizomes of the Podophyllum plant, which can be found in parts of Asia and North America. It inhibits the division of cells and thus prevents the warts from growing and spreading. Over the course of several treatment cycles, the warts should clear up.

Because genital warts are caused by a virus, it's difficult to say for sure whether the problem will come back. It’s best to start the treatment as soon as you've been diagnosed. Do not wait until the warts have spread, as the treatment of large areas usually requires the use of surgical methods.

Once you’ve been infected, you'll need to check for warts regularly, as you could get more outbreaks.

Make sure you wash your hands before and after each time you use the Warticon cream. Also, clean the infected area with soap and water (and dry it gently) before using the cream.

Do not use Warticon on open wounds, sores and bleeding or infected warts. Avoid contact with eyes, mouth and inner genital areas. Remember to wash your hands after each time you use the cream.

You should avoid having sex while you’re infected with genital warts or using treatment, as the infection is highly contagious and will easily spread to your partner(s). The areas that you’ve treated are also likely to be irritated and sore, so sex can make this more uncomfortable, and can slow down the healing process.

It's also important to avoid sexual activity you've applied the cream, because the cream is likely to be transferred to your/your partner’s inner genitals during sex. If this happens, the cream can cause severe irritation.

If you do have sex regardless of the disadvantages, please remember to wear a condom. A condom will not prevent the spreading of the virus in 100% of cases but significantly reduces the risk of infecting your partner. You should continue to use a condom for 3 months after the end of the treatment, as the virus may still be present.

Never use over-the-counter wart treatments from the chemist to treat genital warts. These types of medication are designed to treat an entirely different type of wart and will not affect your sexually transmitted infection. These medications will, though, severely irritate the area.

When you start the treatment, you should apply Warticon twice a day for 3 days in a row and then wait 4 days before re-applying the cream.

If the warts haven’t disappeared after this first cycle of treatment, you can repeat the treatment. If you need more than 4 of these cycles of treatment, you should take a 1-week break between the treatment periods for every cycle after the first 4.

If you've been diagnosed with genital warts, you can use our online assessment to order a genital wart cream (to be delivered to your house or preferred address) if our doctors think it's suitable for you. We currently prescribe Warticon, and can also offer a prescription for Condyline, which contains the same active ingredient.

Warticon is for external use only. The active ingredient podophyllotoxin is used to treat anogenital warts (warts on the genitals and around the anus, not inside these areas). The cream is suitable for people of any gender.

Warticon is a topical cream, which means it's used on a particular place on your body. It should be applied directly on the surface of the warts and works best on clusters of small warts. Warticon stops the warts and prevents the infection spreading further.

Tougher, bigger warts might have to be removed surgically – by freezing, cutting, or chemically burning them off. If your genital warts have spread over a large area, you may require treatment at a local doctor’s surgery or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic.

Warticon contains 0.5% w/v podophyllotoxin. In addition, the cream contains phosphoric acid, ethanol, Patent Blue V (E131) and purified water.

Because Warticon is a cream, its side effects are primarily skin reactions such as:

• burning
• itching
• soreness

Warticon often causes mild irritation where the cream is applied, usually on the 2nd or 3rd day of application, as the cream is burning off warts

Some patients also experience a burning sensation or tenderness of the skin where warts are being treated.

It’s quite rare for Warticon to produce strong side effects. If you experience strong discomfort, you should stop using the treatment immediately, wash the cream off, and contact your doctor.