Scabies Treatment

Self-Care at Home

Although you cannot cure a case of scabies without prescription medication from a doctor, there are certain things you can do at home to prevent reinfecting yourself or your family.

• Wash all clothing, towels, and bed linens in hot water. Do not allow air drying. You should use the dryer.
• Use the medication as prescribed and instructed. Do not use it more than instructed because you risk causing chemical irritation of your skin.
• You can also treat itching with antihistamine medications such as diphenhydramine ( Benadryl).
• Cut your nails and clean under them thoroughly to remove any mites or eggs that may be present.
• Vacuum your rugs, furniture, and bedding and throw the vacuum cleaner bag away when finished.

Medical Treatment

The most appropriate treatment is for a topical medication or cream to treat the scabies and anti-itch medications for relief.

• The medication most commonly used to kill the mites is called Elimite (or permethrin cream). The medication is applied from the head area to the bottom of the feet. It is left on for 10-14 hours and then washed off in the shower. It is best to apply at bedtime and then wash off in the morning. This treatment is then repeated in 1 week. This is safe for use in children as young as 2 months. An older medication called Kwell (lindane) is rarely used because it is not very safe in children and may cause neurotoxicity (dizziness, seizures). Pregnant women may receive the permethrin once or can receive another medication, sulfur in petroleum, at night for three nights.
• Many different anti-itch medications are available in the antihistamine class. The most common is diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Other medications used aretriamcinolone 0.1% cream, hydroxyzine (Atarax), cetirizine (Zyrtec), and promethazine (Phenergan).
• All family members and close contacts should be treated. If a child with scabies attends daycare or a person is institutionalized (such as in a nursing home or prison), then staff in contact with the person as well as others should be treated. It is best to treat everyone at the same time to avoid reinfection.
• Occasionally, the rash area can become infected. This is separate from the scabies and is usually a bacterial infection. If this occurs, it is treated with an oral antibiotic or an antibiotic ointment applied to the area.