Scabies Treatment

The treatment of Scabies is fairly easy with prescription medications. Currently there are no over the counter medications that are effective or recommended in treating Scabies.

There are several steps to Scabies treatment including eliminating the mites with medication as well as eliminating the mites in bedding, and clothes. All clothes, bedding linens and towels need to be washed in hot water and dried with dry heat. Items that can not be washed, need to be stored in zip-up plastic bags and placed in some out of the way place for a couple of weeks. This will starve and kill the mites.

You will need to visit your doctor to get prescription treatment for Scabies. There are several prescription creams that can be administrated. One cream called Elimite (permethrin) needs to be applied from the neck down and left on overnight. In the morning it should be washed off and this treatment should be repeated again in seven days.

Lindane is also available as a lotion, cream and shampoo. Just as Elimite, it is usually applied in two separate treatments which are administrated about a week apart. This medication is not considered safe for a child under the age of 2, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.

Crotamiton lotion 10% and cream 10% known as Eurax, Crotan, is another topical treatment for Scabies. This is a non-chemical medication and is usually recommended for a baby with Scabies.

Ivermectin is an oral medication but it has not been approved by the FDA for the treatment of Scabies. The CDC recommends this drug to be taken at a dose of 200 micrograms per kilogram of body weight as a single dose followed by another dose 2 weeks later. But one must remember that an oral medication has a much larger risk of toxic effects than topical such as Elimite. It is usually prescribed when topical medications have failed.

Antihistamines such as Benadryl are recommended for use to provide relief of the intense itching. Often a short course of either topical or oral steroids is needed to help with controlling the itching.

Sexual contacts or family members will also need to be treated if they have symptoms or have a relationship where transmission is likely.

One problem is that itching can continue after treatment but will eventual disappear. You can get some relief from the itching by soaking in cool water and using calamine lotion which is available over the counter.