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Permethrin cream is used to treat scabies, a skin condition caused by mites. It can cause intense itching, but usually only one application is needed. Scabies is spread by close contact and can affect anyone. Norwegian scabies is a more contagious form that can be transmitted by brief contact and can live on surfaces for days. Permethrin is also used to treat fleas, mites, and ticks in animals.
The most common side effect of permethrin cream for scabies is intense itching that can get worse once you start treatment. Even if all scabies mites and their eggs are dead, itching, stinging, or stinging may continue for up to two weeks after treatment with permethrin cream. If symptoms continue beyond two weeks, a new scabies infestation may have occurred. Less common side effects of scabies creams include bloating, headache, dizziness, and abdominal pain.
Permethrin cream is usually prescribed once a person has been diagnosed with scabies, a very small mite that burrows under the top layer of skin and lays eggs. The condition usually causes extreme itching that can get worse at night. Some people notice faint, crooked lines on the skin or a rash that resembles pimples. Scabies frequently inhabits the areas between the toes or fingers, the wrist, elbow, or waist. In infants or young children, the face, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet may be affected.
Typically, only one application of the cream is required. Apply all over the body, including the head, feet and under the fingernails and toenails. After about 14 hours, the scabies medication is washed off and the mites and eggs should be dead. Dead mites may continue to itch for up to a month after permethrin cream is applied, but it usually stops within two weeks.
Scabies is spread by close contact with someone infested with mites. Sexual contact with an infected person poses a high risk of infestation, as does living with family members who have scabies. A doctor will generally treat the entire family with permethrin cream. Scabies occurs worldwide and affects people of all backgrounds and income levels. Outbreaks of scabies are commonly seen in prisons or nursing homes where groups of people live in confined spaces.
A more contagious form of scabies is Norwegian scabies, often called crusted scabies. Thousands of mites can live under the skin, which can look like a thick crust where the bugs are. This form of scabies is also treated with permethrin cream and can be transmitted by very brief contact with an infected person. It can also live for two or three days on towels, bedding or furniture.
The presence of scabies is diagnosed by a skin scraping examined under a microscope. Sometimes one of the mites is removed and checked under magnification to determine if scabies are present. After a person is first infected, symptoms typically appear in four to six weeks. If a person has had mites in the past, itching may appear sooner. Usually, no more than 15 mites infect the skin, where they can live for up to two months.
Permethrin is also used to treat fleas, mites and ticks in animals. A mite from a pet can infect a human, but the mite cannot reproduce and dies quickly. These mites can cause mange in pets and should be treated to prevent their spread.
