Cimetidine (Tagamet) is a drug which is histamine H2 receptor antagonist which was mainly used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcers. There are plenty of anecdotes on how it can be used to successfully treat warts (verrucae), however the controlled trials of cimetidine for warts are suggesting that it is probably not as effective as the anecdotes are claiming.
The recommended dose of cimetidine for warts by those that advocate its use for them is about 40 mg/kg/day.
Cimetidine, as it is taken orally does have a slight risk of side effects whereas there are other treatments for warts that are effective that carry almost no side effects. The cimetidine side effects include diarrhoea, a skin rash, dizziness, increased fatigue, constipation, muscle pain, confusion, and a headache. The slight risk of those needs to be weighed up against the potential benefits in the context of there being many other options to treat warts.
