Tagamet made warts worse before curing them
Q. When my daughter was 7, she had a number of warts on both her hands and feet. We went to a foot doctor who prescribed Tagamet for them. He told us that the warts would actually grow quite a bit at first, then totally disappear. This is exactly what happened. Much to her horror, they grew quite large and then disappeared.
A. Cimetidine (Tagamet) has immune-modulating activity (International Immunopharmacology, May 2019). Some researchers believe it is this immunotherapy that gets rid of stubborn warts. It may also account for the initial growth and eventual destruction of the wart tissue.
Q. About 20 years ago, I was hospitalized for diverticulitis and treated with Cipro IV. That night, I had dramatic and terrifying RLS (restless legs syndrome). Every single time I started to doze off, without fail, I was startled awake with RLS. It was very disturbing. Nothing they gave me could stop the RLS.
After that first experience, I’ve found that various supplements and prescriptions can trigger it. I can manage the condition but not eliminate it, using every remedy your website recommends.
I remember being asked on a medical intake form if I was allergic to anything. When I described the problem with ciprofloxacin, I was told it didn’t count. Since then, I have put down “rash” to make sure they don’t prescribe it. And I’ve extended my allergy list to all fluoroquinolone antibiotics since I found that Levaquin also caused it. Do others know about this problem?
A. You raise a fascinating question. Scientists have not conducted many studies on medicines that can trigger restless legs syndrome, also known by its medical term, Willis-Ekbom disease.
The official prescribing information for ciprofloxacin (Cipro) or levofloxacin (Levaquin) lists twitching, myoclonus (jerky muscle contractions) and hypertonia (involuntary muscle jerking) as possible side effects, along with many other extremely serious complications. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics carry a black box warning that encourages health care providers to avoid prescribing such drugs unless there is no alternative treatment.
Q. I had suffered from migraines from the time I was 12 years old. As an adult, I suddenly began to suffer from constipation as well.
To try to manage the constipation, I started taking chelated magnesium every night before bed. No more constipation, but better yet, I have not had a migraine in months!
In the rare event that I wake up in the morning with a twinge of an incipient migraine, I take a BC Powder. You have to be careful with that because it can lead to rebound headaches if you take it too often. Then I dab some peppermint oil on my temples and the pain goes away immediately. I hope this information helps other migraine sufferers.
A. Your accidental discovery that magnesium helped prevent migraine headaches is confirmed in the medical literature. A review of “non-pharmacological” approaches “… such as riboflavin, coenzyme Q10 and magnesium and acupuncture, are used for the management of migraine” (Open Medicine, Nov. 23, 2022).
If you would like to learn about both medications and other non-drug approaches, you may find our “eGuide to Headaches & Migraines” of interest. This online resource can be found under Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”