The
“We treat people, not
just problems.”
John
L. Pfenninger, M.D.
(989) 631-4545
Dr. Pfenninger’s approach at The
Medical Procedures Center, P.C. (MPC) is to usually start wart treatment with Candida antigen injection. A small amount of the dead yeast will be
injected into as many warts as possible.
It is not necessary to inject every wart, but as many as possible will
be treated limiting the total amount used to 1 cc. You may want to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen
before a visit to help with the discomfort.
The advantages of injection therapy are that it is quick, and there are
no scars from the injections or open sores to deal with. You can immediately return to full activity,
including swimming, sports, jazzercise, etc….
No special care is needed. With
injection therapy, the body’s immune system learns that wart tissue is
abnormal. Unlike other treatments, if
the warts go away with injection therapy, they rarely ever return.
The side effects of injection therapy with Candida have been very rare. Very rarely someone will develop a rash, hives, itching over the
whole body, or swelling.
This indicates an allergy and will mean that the patient can no longer receive any further
injections. Itching and redness in the area of
injection is to be expected, however.
Rarely, there will be some mild blistering. Often the warts will turn somewhat black
and the crust will fall off. About
one-third of the time, a second injection will be needed one month later. Half of the remaining warts will respond to
the second injection. For those warts
that have not responded to the first two injections, a third one a month later can
be tried. (We do not normally give more
than three monthly injections, but in some instances we have given them up to
five times.) 85% of patients will have
cleared their warts after the third injection.
If all injections have failed, then another method will be needed.
If you notice a rash after treatment, please call our office as soon as
possible. If you develop hives
take Benadryl immediately and call our office. (50 mg for older children/100 mg
for adults) For children less than 5
years old, check with us about the dosage.
Generally a follow-up visit is
scheduled for one month after the first injection. If you are absolutely sure the wart(s) is/are gone, cancel the visit at least 3
days before the scheduled visit or
you will be charged a $50.00 “no-show fee”.
If you’re not absolutely sure the wart(s) is/are gone, keep your
visit. Let us decide if further
treatment is necessary.
*Note Regarding the Candida solution – the medicine used for the injection. For your first visit, the medication will be taken from our supplies. However, if further injections are
needed, you will need to pick up a bottle from a pharmacist and bring it with
you to the second visit. On your first
visit, the doctor will write a prescription for you. Many times, one injection is all that is
needed. Do not purchase the material for
your second visit until you find that it will be needed. If it appears that the
wart is not going away with the first injection, then about 2 or 3 days before
your next scheduled visit, go to the pharmacist with the prescription and pick
up the material. The antigen costs around $100 and may not be covered by your
insurance. Be sure the pharmacist knows it is being used for treatment, not just testing. Candida antigen (Candin) is not carried
routinely by most pharmacies. The
hospital pharmacy is more likely to have it.
Call beforehand to be sure they do.
Other pharmacies will usually order it for you if you call them a few
days in advance. Keep it refrigerated until your office visit. No
further purchases of Candida antigen
will be necessary even if three or more injection visits are required.
If Candida injections fail, we may
try Bleomycin injections, cryotherapy, cantharidin liquid, or other techniques. If more than one treatment of Bleomycin is needed, you will be required to purchase it. Warts are tough but we’ll
try our best to resolve them the quickest way, and also limit scarring. Help us by eating a diet rich in fruits and
vegetables and taking a multivitamin.
We’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have.
Copyright, 2011. John L.
Pfenninger, M.D 02/11