Scabies ointment

It would seem that when scabies appears, there is nothing particularly scary - it is not pain, not other severe symptoms. But if a person has at least once encountered unbearable itching, when he is ready to tear the skin just to get rid of the discomfort that has arisen, he will understand how unpleasant it is. But it is not only about the discomfort that the victim experiences, the damaged area of the skin - this is an "open gate" for the invasion of harmful pathogenic flora. If scabies appears, it is difficult to get rid of it without the use of drugs. In arresting therapy, various means are mainly used, including scabies ointment of industrial, pharmacy preparation, or homemade.

Indications for use of scabies ointment

Any medicine is initially developed and released for use in a specific area of medicine. There are also indications for the use of scabies ointment:

• Suppression of the vital activity of the scabies mite.
• Acne.
• Seborrheic dermatitis.
• Pediculosis.
• Acne is an inflammatory skin disease caused by changes in the pilosebaceous structures.
• Fungal infections of the epidermis.
• Ointments of this group are also used in the treatment of similar skin diseases caused by infectious lesions of the dermis.
• Treatment of psoriasis.

Release form

The pharmacological characteristics of scabies medications are quite narrow. Their release form is not very diverse either. On the shelves of pharmacies, you can mainly find this drug in the form of aerosols (in cans), creams and ointments (in tubes) for external use.

Pharmacodynamics

When developing ointments for scabies, pharmacists sought to ensure that the pharmacodynamics of the drug would effectively kill the scabies pathogen. That is, drugs of this pharmacological group must have scabicidal properties. Also, anti-itch drugs usually have mild anti-inflammatory properties. The mechanism of the drug's effect on the affected skin is not fully known to date.

Preparations containing sulfur, in addition to anti-scabies properties, also have keratolytic properties, which improves the degree of penetration of active drugs into the deeper layers of the dermis.

If the composition of the drug includes the chemical compound esdepallethrin, then it, being a toxic poison that effectively destroys insects, has a negative effect on the neurons of the central nervous system. This effect is expressed in the discrepancy of cation exchange, that is, a violation of the metabolism of positively charged ions that help in the normal functioning of the membranes of nerve cells. Such chemical elements include magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium and some others.

Piperonyl butoxide, present in the drug, increases the pharmacodynamics of esdepallethrin.

Pharmacokinetics

The pharmacokinetics of the drugs of the pharmacological group under consideration, when used locally, shows their low degree of absorption into the patient’s systemic bloodstream.

Names of ointments for scabies

The appearance of an unpleasant itch that you want to scratch brings many uncomfortable moments in the life of the patient. If such symptoms appear, you should consult a specialist. A qualified doctor will conduct an examination and determine the cause of these symptoms. Only after this can a specialist adequately prescribe a treatment, which will most likely include an ointment for scabies.

The choice of drugs with the necessary pharmacodynamic characteristics is quite wide. Only the attending physician can understand them and prescribe the "right" drug. In this article, we will only introduce respondents to a list of drugs that meet the necessary medical requirements. We will designate some names of ointments for scabies.

The drugs that can effectively solve the problem under consideration include:

• Permethrin ointment.
• Sulfur ointment.
• Benzyl benzoate (Benzylii benzoas medicinalis).
• Medifox.
• Crotamiton.
• Benzyl benzoate (Benzylii benzoas medicinalis).
• Spregal.
• Corticosteroid ointments.
• Antihistamines.
• Permethrin.

Sulfur ointment for scabies

This chemical composition is quite actively used in the treatment of many diseases of a dermatological nature. But sulfur ointment is especially effective against scabies. This medicine has a softening effect on the dermis, cleanses the skin of the affected area from dead cells well. The sulfur-based drug shows a soft antibacterial and antifungal effect. It is practically safe.

The chemical compound sulfur itself does not have any medicinal properties, but its presence in the composition of the drug increases the activity of some organic substances, which has a beneficial effect on relieving itching and more effective healing of the affected area.

The result of sulfur and organics is the formation of various sulfides and pentathionic acid, which have the necessary keratoplastic properties. Such compounds, activating recovery processes, allow accelerating the formation of a layer of young skin cells. Sulfur ointment is a fairly reliable remedy for solving the problem.

Side effects of its application include a slight decrease in the moisture of the skin. One of its most significant drawbacks is that it has a fairly strong and unpleasant odor, which soaks into the patient's clothes, as well as the patient's bedding and bath accessories. At the same time, the treatment process is quite long, which, combined with the odor, does not make this ointment the most popular.

Sulfur ointment is quite inexpensive and can be easily purchased at any pharmacy without a prescription.

Doctors recommend two methods of using the drug in question:

• The preparation is applied to the affected skin areas every day before bed for five days. The procedure is carried out before bed, and in the morning, rinsed with warm water. Bed linen and clothes are changed and washed, while disinfecting with high temperature (it is possible by boiling or ironing). Suitable for patients who cannot stay home during the entire treatment.
• The second method is to cover the affected area of the skin with the preparation at night. The medicine is not washed off for four days. During this period, there is no need to change bed linen and clothes. After that, the ointment is washed off, and the linen and bed are disinfected. Before going to bed, the preparation is applied again, which is washed off the next morning. The course of therapy is completed. This method is suitable for patients who do not plan to leave their home during the entire course of treatment.

Both options take the same amount of time to heal and are clearly effective. It should also be noted that all fabrics used by the sick person must be washed and disinfected.

An ointment prepared at home is quite effective. Simple wood ash contains sufficient amounts of sulfur compounds. The ointment is made quite simply: three parts of ash are mixed well with seven parts of any fat. The method of application is similar to the use of industrially produced preparations.

The drug in question can be applied and rubbed into the skin of the entire body, except for the hair and other areas of the scalp.

Benzyl benzoate for scabies

No less effective in the fight against skin parasites is another, also inexpensive ointment, which is actively used in dermatology, including for scabies - benzyl benzoate. It has a less pronounced unpleasant odor, unlike sulfur ointment.

The disadvantage of using this drug is the appearance of a burning sensation in the area where the ointment is applied, which is not a reason to refuse further treatment.

The drug is available in two different dosages. On the shelves of pharmacies you can find ointment of ten and twenty percent concentration. As a rule, the drug of 10% concentration is prescribed to small patients, and 20% - to adult patients. This medicine is taking the leading place in frequency of prescriptions and the effectiveness of the final result of its use.

The method of applying the drug is as follows:

• Before the procedure, it is necessary to take a warm shower. This simple procedure will help rid the affected dermis of the superficial mite and increase the patient's susceptibility to the active substance of the drug.
• Cover the affected areas with ointment, except for the scalp.
• The procedure is not performed for three days.
• Day four: immediately before going to bed, take a warm shower and lubricate the affected areas with benzyl benzoate.
• After each procedure, the clothes, bedding and bath accessories used by the patient are thoroughly washed and ironed.

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Spregal for scabies

Scabies or, as it is also called, scabies is provoked by an intradermal parasite. Usually, male mites "live" on the surface of the dermis, while females go down to the deeper layers of the skin, laying eggs there.

The combined medicine spregal from scabies has high acaricidal characteristics, actively destroying subcutaneous parasites. The active substance of the drug is esbiol, which inhibits the nervous system of the parasite. Penetrating the body of the insect, it introduces an imbalance in the ion exchange in the membrane cells of the nervous system of the insect.

The patient feels the results of using the medicine after the first procedure.

Moreover, this drug is well tolerated by the body even by a newborn child.

Already an hour after application, the medicinal components are detected in the patient's blood. The maximum amount of esbiol is determined after an hour, and piperonyl butoxide - after two hours after application.

Zinc ointment for scabies

Another frequently prescribed drug is zinc ointment for scabies. This medicine has no smell, which is important for active people who are not used to sitting within four walls. This drug can be found in any pharmacy, it is easy to use. But the drug in question also has its drawbacks. When using zinc ointment, the symptoms of the disease are eliminated, the healing and restoration processes of the skin are activated, but at the same time, the suppression and elimination of parasitic organisms does not occur.

This fact requires that in addition to zinc ointment, other medications that allow getting rid of ticks should be included in the treatment protocol. These can be industrially produced drugs or traditional medicine recipes.

This drug is mainly prescribed to people with a tendency to allergic reactions, increased sensitivity of the skin or complications in the form of ulcerative lesions of the epidermis.

Ointment for scabies for children

It is unpleasant when the disease overtakes adults, but it is much more difficult when children are ill. The skin of small patients is still thin, not roughened and more sensitive, therefore, if a problem arises, to solve it, it is not always possible to use the same drugs that easily help adult patients.

The modern range of products from pharmaceutical companies makes it quite easy to select an ointment for scabies for children that takes into account the individual characteristics of the child's body.

There are some peculiarities when using these drugs to treat small patients:

• The medicine should be applied to the affected area with sufficient care by an adult.
• It must be rubbed into all areas affected by the disease, excluding areas of the face and scalp.
• If it is a baby (or a small child), to protect him from getting the medicine in his eyes, it is advisable to put on a vest with sewn-up sleeves or mittens. If this is easier, it is acceptable to apply the ointment while the child is sleeping.

Modern medicine uses such drugs as permethrin, 10% benzyl benzoate, spregal, crotamiton, lindane to solve the problem of scabies in children. But it should be remembered that self-medication should not be done, especially when it comes to children. Any drug should be prescribed only by a qualified specialist. This will avoid the possible risk of complications.

10% benzyl benzoate ointment does not contain enough active ingredient to treat the disease in an adult, but it is quite sufficient to relieve the problem in a small patient.

Another drug that can be used to treat children is Spregal, which is one of the most effective drugs for treating scabies. The course of treatment lasts about five days. This is enough to cope with the problem.

Before starting treatment (both for an adult and a small patient), the patient's skin sensitivity to the prescribed drug should be checked. Testing is simple: a small amount of the drug is applied to a small area of the epidermis and a certain amount of time is waited. If there is no allergic reaction, the ointment can be used.

Odorless scabies ointment

If there is a need to treat the pathology in question, and the patient cannot afford to stay at home (he needs to go to work, go to the store, use public transport, etc.), there is a need to use odorless medications.

If the patient needs to be prescribed an odorless ointment for scabies, the doctor may choose zinc ointment. But in this case, he will have to prescribe other drugs with antiparasitic properties at the same time. This is due to the fact that the mentioned drug does not have such properties in its pharmacodynamics. It only effectively relieves the symptoms of scabies, which bring discomfort to the patient.

Method of administration and dosage

The range of medicines with the properties necessary to relieve the problem under consideration is quite extensive. Therefore, in order to effectively solve the problem, adequate treatment is necessary, which can only be prescribed by a qualified doctor. He will also give recommendations and prescribe the method of application and dosage of the medicine.

All medications of this pharmacological group, in order to obtain the maximum therapeutic result, should be used in accordance with a number of recommendations.

• Before the first application procedure, it is necessary to test the patient’s skin sensitivity to the drug.
• If there is no allergic reaction, the medicine can be used.
• Immediately before application, it is necessary to take a warm shower. This will wash off some of the insects (males), which are usually found on the surface of the dermis.
• Dry the skin slightly with gentle movements of the towel.
• Apply a small amount of ointment to all affected areas of the epidermis.
• Then the procedure is repeated according to the schedule described in the instructions included with the medicine.
• It is worth remembering that after each change of clothes, bed and bath linen, it should be thoroughly disinfected. Boiling the fabrics and subsequent ironing at high temperatures will do.
• The procedure is carried out only with clean hands (without using cotton swabs or other auxiliary means). After applying the preparation, hands should be washed thoroughly with soap under running water.
• Avoid getting the ointment into your eyes, mouth, or nasal passages. If this happens, rinse your eyes, nose, and mouth with clean water immediately.
• To avoid re-invasion, it is advisable for family members of the patient to also undergo a preventive course of treatment.

For example, when using 6% sulfur ointment in the treatment protocol, the medicine is applied to the affected skin for 24 hours, during which it is not washed off. The underwear that the patient wears and sleeps on should be old but clean. After all, the unpleasant specific smell of the drug is quite difficult to eliminate later.

It is advisable to start therapeutic procedures with Spregalem in the evening, shortly before going to bed (this is approximately after seven o'clock in the evening). The medicine will treat the affected skin throughout the night, without causing additional discomfort to the patient. It is especially necessary to carefully apply the ointment in places where there are anatomical folds (groin area, spaces between the phalanges of the fingers, etc.). After the recommended time for applying the medicine has expired, its remains should be washed off with a warm shower using soap. Dry the body carefully with a towel. Repeat the procedure as many times as prescribed by the doctor. Usually, the duration of treatment is five days.

But it should be remembered that after the course of therapy is completed, the skin surface must be monitored more closely for another eight to ten days to avoid relapse.

If necessary, the treatment course should be repeated.

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Using scabies ointment during pregnancy

The female body is quite sensitive to various external influences. Especially representatives of the weaker half of humanity begin to treat their body more reverently when conception has occurred and the woman is going to become a mother. During this period, any disease and any infection threatens not only the health of the woman, but also her unborn child.

But here a paradoxical contradiction arises: during the period of bearing a fetus, it is desirable to avoid taking any medication, and at the same time, if an invasion has occurred, then urgent intervention is necessary to prevent even greater complications.

The use of scabies ointment during pregnancy and lactation is permissible, but the decision to introduce the drug into the therapy protocol should be made only by the attending physician or obstetrician-gynecologist who monitors the pregnancy. The decision to prescribe scabies ointment is made if the real need for drug intervention in relieving the woman's health problem significantly exceeds the potential negative impact that the chemical compounds included in the drug can have on the normal development of the fetus or an already born child.

The most commonly used drugs in this situation are benzyl benzoate and spregal. A number of drugs are strictly contraindicated for use during this period. For example, medifox or permethrin.

If symptoms of the disease appear in a woman during the period when she is breastfeeding her newborn baby, and, to relieve the problem, it becomes necessary to use an ointment for scabies, then doctors recommend stopping breastfeeding for the duration of therapy.

Contraindications to the use of scabies ointment

Many patients believe that if the drug is used for external use, it is completely safe and cannot harm a person. But this is not true. Any medication, affecting the human body, is able to treat, but at the same time, it does not always have a positive effect on other organs and systems. There are also contraindications to the use of scabies ointment, which are limited to such pathologies:

• In case of hypersensitivity to the components of the drug.
• Drugs in this group should not be prescribed to children under three years of age.
• If the patient has obstructive bronchitis.
• If the patient has a history of bronchial asthma.
• Prescribed with special caution to small patients, pregnant women and those who breastfeed. Prescription is made only according to medical indications.
• Tendency to allergic reactions.

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Side effects of scabies ointment

Medicines of this pharmacological group are distinguished by good tolerability. But due to the fact that the human body is individual, it may react or not react differently to the introduction of a specific medicine, manifesting itself with certain symptoms. Side effects of the ointment for scabies may also appear. Quite rarely, but it is possible to observe slight hyperemia, the patient begins to feel a slight tingling and burning at the site of application of the medicine.

If any undesirable effects occur, stop using the medication and consult your doctor.

Overdose

To date, cases where an overdose of drugs of this pharmacological group and form of release has been detected have not been described. If for any reason the drug gets on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, nasal passages, in the eyes or inside the body, it is necessary to immediately provide first aid to the victim by rinsing with clean running water. It is imperative to seek medical help.

Therapy methods include rinsing the affected body parts or stomach (if ingested). These procedures should be carried out as soon as possible, within the first hour after the drug has come into contact with unauthorized surfaces. Then the patient is prescribed any enterosorbent (for example, activated carbon).

Interactions with other drugs

It is much easier to predict the patient's reaction when using one drug in the treatment. It is much more difficult to do this if complex treatment is required. Such a therapy schedule is fraught with some unpredictability if the doctor is unable to predict the result of the mutual influence of drugs present in the treatment protocol. Therefore, in order to achieve the necessary therapeutic effectiveness, while preventing pathological complications, it is necessary to know the consequences of interaction with other drugs used to relieve the problem of scabies.

Ointments for scabies, due to their external application method, show a fairly neutral reaction to drugs administered internally that belong to other pharmacological groups. However, it is still difficult to call them absolutely contactless.

For example, sulfur, which is part of sulfur ointment, is capable of interacting with certain chemical compounds, creating sulfates and sulfides.

It is not recommended to mix zinc-based ointment with medications that contain resorcinol, as this mixture leads to the formation of a melting substance.

Otherwise, there is no data to indicate the effect of active ingredients in scabies ointments on other drugs.

Storage conditions

High pharmacological characteristics of a medicinal product largely depend on the careful observance of its storage conditions.

• Anti-scabies ointments should be stored in a room where the temperature does not exceed 25°C.
• Medicines should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
• The room must be dry.
• The storage location should not be accessible to children.

Best before date

If all the requirements for the storage conditions of the drug are met, its shelf life is two years. After this period, it is not recommended to use the ointment for scabies, since the intensity of the pharmacological characteristics is significantly reduced, and therefore, one should not expect an effective treatment result. The time frame for the effective and safe use of the drug is necessarily reflected on the cardboard packaging and on each tube of the drug.

Anyone can catch this disease, even an absolute "clean freak". The only difference is that in clean people the severity of the disease will be significantly lower, and only isolated lesions may appear on the surface. But in both cases, you cannot do without treatment. And here, scabies ointment will come to the rescue - not only an effective, easy-to-use, but also a relatively inexpensive medicine. Their range is quite large, so each patient can purchase, if necessary, a remedy that will be most effective for his clinical picture, and also commensurate with his wallet. It is only necessary to remember that the prescription of a particular drug should be given by a qualified doctor. This approach to solving the problem of the disease will avoid many health problems and complications of therapy. During the treatment, you should carefully follow all the requirements for the procedure for applying the drug and other rules for servicing the patient. Do not forget about his epidemiological environment. People who were or are in close contact with a person affected by scabies must undergo preventive treatment. Otherwise, no one is immune from the return of the disease.

The best ointment for scabies

The form of release of drugs for scabies considered in this article is attractive because, while demonstrating high efficiency and ease of use, the medicine has a relatively low price.

Most of the medicines are well tolerated by the patient's body, without causing an allergic reaction. Only some of them have a fairly specific smell, the rest have a relatively tolerable "aroma". Ointments for scabies "stick" well to the surface of the epidermis and have high penetration into the deeper layers of the dermis, which determines the expected result.

Such characteristics are possessed by medicinal products such as sulfur ointment, benzyl benzoate, crotamione, permethrin ointment and many other ointments that meet the necessary pharmacological properties. Each of them can be called a combination of the best ointment for scabies.