How Do You Know If Your Scabies Treatment Worked: Post Scabies Syndrome
87Scabies Treatment Tips
Many people who treat themselves for scabies feel as though the medication did not work, which leads to further doctor visits and excess use of potentially toxic drugs over multiple treatments. This is not to mention the money spent or stress associated with being unable to find a cure. It would therefore be helpful to understand how to properly treat scabies, as well as what to expect in the aftermath of treatment, in order to ultimately obtain relief. I am writing this to share my personal story in the hopes this information might help someone.
Currently, the standard treatment for scabies is to apply a 5% permethrin cream to the entire body, including the head, as indicated on the medication label. It is advisable to be absolutely thorough, making sure to cover all skin underneath any hair or nails. In my family's case, it was necessary to apply the lotion to our faces, including just inside the nostrils and on the tops of the eyelids (even at the base of the eyelashes), since these were precisely the locations from which we taped the mites and were thereby able to have them identified by a professional. We did this only after consulting our physician, who deemed it appropriate given our symptoms and what was found on the tape. The lotion should be left on over night. In the morning, all clothes that have been worn by an infested person should be washed, along with that person's bedding and any other material items that have been touched and can be washed. It is probably not necessary, but would be a good precaution, to even clean/vacuum out the car. The individual should then wash the cream off of the body. This exact routine should be followed for a second time one week after the initial treatment, so as to kill any mites hatched from eggs that may have survived the initial treatment. There is no known medication that will kill eggs, so the second treatment is a necessity. All individuals within the household should follow this treatment protocol at the same time, even if they are not experiencing symptoms.
Immediate relief is not typically found following the first permethrin application because it reportedly takes 48-72 hours for the lotion to kill the mites. And even after that, many believe the eggs and feces they leave behind in their burrows continue to irritate the skin until the body absorbs or expels the debris. However, this is still unlikely to be the end of the itching. The cause of 'post scabies syndrome' is currently unknown, but many scabies sufferers continue to experience scabies-like symptoms long after the mites have been successfully eradicated. My dermatologist told me that it was once believed these symptoms arose because the body was still trying to expel debris left by the mites. However when the skin of such affected individuals has been biopsied, there has often been no evidence of any such debris. She said it is now thought that the body may be exhibiting a long-lasting immune reaction, either to the mites and their debris that was once but is no longer there, or possibly to the permethrin treatment. Because of the potential for side effects when using any prescription drug, one should be certain to discuss how to use permethrin and what its side effects might be with a dermatologist before using it. A medical professional may be able to suggest some less harsh alternatives. Here, my focus is on permethrin because it is currently the standard treatment, and it is what ultimately worked for my family.
Whatever the cause, itchy bumps may continue to emerge for weeks or even months following successful treatment of a scabies infestation. If you talk to dermatologists who have a lot of experience with scabies, or if you read scabies forums on the internet, you will find that many people report these outbreaks occur in the very places their scabies burrows had actually been prior to treatment. Others report excessive itchiness or twitching in the face after permethrin use. In my experience, itchy bumps emerged in random places that were unaffected prior to treatment with permethrin, including on my face, arms and legs. These bumpy rashes were far worse than the original symptoms and seemed to be at their worst approximately one week following my second permethrin treatment. They continued to emerge periodically for about three months before everything went back to normal. It is extremely difficult for a person who has suffered the trauma of an infestation to ignore these bumps, and to believe they are not simply a sign that the treatment did not work. However in my family's case, it was necessary to wait it out, and over a period of about a month, the outbreaks became much fewer and farther between as well as less severe. In the meanwhile, we found it helpful to use an anti-itching cream such as hydrocortisone, and sometimes an anti-histamine, to calm the body's immune reaction until the symptoms let up. However, again, when using these products, it is extremely important to first discuss it with a physician. Hydrocortisone in particular is a steroid and may therefore have serious adverse side effects.
It is important as well to recognize there may be alternative explanations for continued symptoms. First, inadequate coverage of the body with the permethrin cream (for instance, if your doctor told you not to use it on your head) could leave some mites alive, in which case the entire treatment protocol would have to be followed again. Second, reinfestation could occur if clothing and bedding were not properly cleaned, if all members of the household were not properly treated, or if a person continues to come into contact with an infected person, perhaps that they are dating or work with. Third, some strains of permethrin-resistant scabies have been reported, however this seems to emerge primarily in populations that have chronic widespread problems with scabies infestations, and therefore seems unlikely to occur with just your average Joe who has contracted scabies only once. Finally, the biting and itching could be from one of several other mite species that are known to affect humans, but that do not actually live and breed on humans, as scabies do. These generally include bird and rodent mites, which will be discussed in another hub.
Finally, a note on alternative treatments. In addition to permethrin, several other lotions including benzyl benzoate, sulfur in petrolatum, crotamiton and lindane are effective in killing scabies. Ivermectin (Stromectol) taken orally rather than applied as a lotion, is an anti-parasitic drug that is also effective in killing scabies. Tea tree oil has been shown to kill the mites, but it has not yet been approved for use, and therefore may not be entirely effective, or may have undesirable side effects. I would beware of the many many other bizarre treatments reported on the internet, as they are likely to be a waste of time, energy and money. For instance, various bath ingredients etc. may quell the itch, but will not ultimately solve the problem. There are several homeopathic treatments promoted on the internet, but I cannot comment on their effectiveness as I do not have experience with them.
To read about our difficult-to-diagnose-and-treat-yet-finally-successful battle with scabies, please click on the following link: Atypical Scabies Symptoms
If you think you may have bird or rodent mites rather than scabies, please click on the following link: Mites That Bite Humans: Bird and Rodent Mites
More On Scabies And Other Mites That Bite Humans
- How Do You Know If Your Scabies Treatment Worked: Post Scabies Syndrome
Many people who treat themselves for scabies feel as though the medication did not work, which leads to further doctor visits and excess use of potentially toxic drugs over multiple treatments. This is not to mention the money spent or stress associated with being unable to find a cure. It is therefore necessary to understand how to properly treat scabies, as well as what to expect in the aftermath of treatment, in order to ultimately obtain relief. - 6 months ago
- Atypical Scabies Symptoms
Many healthcare professionals believe the scabies mite does not infest the face or scalp, and that it is too small to elicit a crawling sensation on human skin. These beliefs are inaccurate and can prevent proper diagnosis. - 6 months ago
- Mites That Bite Humans: Bird and Rodent Mites
A variety of mites affect humans, causing incessant crawling, biting or itching sensations. It is necessary to identify the source of these sensations in order to obtain relief. - 5 months ago
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If these hubs help only one person, the writing will have been well worth the effort! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for this information. My kids brought home scabies from school. We have all been treated twice, 2 weeks apart. My husband and kids don't have any itching and seemed to be 'cured' over night. I, however, keep getting these itchy bumps that come up and sting really bad. Though the Dr said it is not necessary to apply the cream above the neck, I put it from the top of our scalps to the soles of our feet. I wasn't about to take a chance! The rash isn't as persistent as it was in the beginning and comes and goes, but it is driving me nuts! I am so thankful to read about post scabies syndrome and some ways to ease my discomfort until my body heals itself from whatever is causing it, which I suspect is probably the permethrin cream.
Hi Kathy, I too suspect the permethrin cream is causing its own set of problems. I also wondered if 'spot treating' in between permethrin treatments out of a general paranoia that I might have missed something actually made the immune reaction worse. In any case, I hope you experience relief very soon. Thank you for commenting.
Samoa, One question...Did the itching in ur face continue after treament? If so,how long? Thanks.
Hi Jr., I didn't experience itching on my face so much as I felt crawling, but I did have a bit of itching on my arms and across my shoulder blades, with really tiny red pin prick bumps that were hardly noticeable to the eye. And yes, the itching went on and even got worse after permethrin treatment, with bigger bumps emerging in random places for around 3 months or so. However, during that period, the outbreaks became fewer and farther between, even though they continued to itch and looked horrible (much worse than when I actually had the infestation). Even as far as 6 months out I sometimes would get an itchy bump or rash, it seemed in response to something else I may have been allergic to, e.g., a new pair of earrings caused a rash behind my ear and partly down my neck, something I had never had prior to this experience. But it was manageable, not as bad as the rashes that came in the few months after the permethrin, and it went away in a couple of days. So I suppose you should expect the itching on your face to remain for some time, on and off. So long as you covered everything with your ointment, including underneath your hair, the bases of your eyelashes, and even just inside your nose and ears, you should probably just wait it out. If you continue to spot treat with the ointment (permethrin), you may just be making it worse.
One commenter warns against using permethrin on the face, as he/she has experienced long-lasting adverse side effects after doing this. Due to the unprofessional nature of the comment, I opted not to publish it here, however I do find it important to relay parts of this person's message, since it may be helpful to someone.
The commenter is apparently experiencing twitching of the eyelids after using permethrin on the face. Although my family did not experience this, we did experience itchy rashes that persisted for months but eventually went away, as mentioned above. We did actually tape mites that were crawling on our faces, particularly on our eyelids and in our noses. It was these taped specimens that were eventually identified by a professional acarologist under a microscope, enabling us to seek proper treatment. After discussing this with our physician, he advised that we treat our entire bodies, including our faces, accordingly. And for the record, the medication label does in fact instruct users to cover the entire body, from the head to the soles of the feet. If we had not treated our faces, we would still have the problem today. While experiencing the itchy rashes after permethrin use, I did eventually find a dermatologist who had extensive experience with scabies, and who confirmed the face should indeed be treated, and that side effects such as itchy rashes are quite common and sometimes long-lasting. She made no mention of the potential for twitching, so this may be an uncommon and extremely unfortunate side effect.
Given the potential for such side effects, I would recommend that anyone considering scabies treatments discuss options with a physician who can make a recommendation based on one's specific health status, medical history, and symptoms. I should hope this advice would be obvious, given that permethrin cream is a prescription drug, and therefore requires consultation with a physician before purchase or use.
Follow the directions on your prescription label or the package label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use permethrin exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Permethrin should only be used on the skin or hair and scalp. Avoid getting permethrin in your eyes, nose, ears, mouth, or vagina. Do not use permethrin on your eyebrows or eyelashes.
If permethrin gets in your eyes, flush them with water right away. If your eyes are still irritated after flushing with water, call your doctor or get medical help right away.
Scabies rarely go on the head and face due to high acid ph levels. (The exception is with infants and the elderly.) If you're getting mites in your eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp, ask your doctor about DEMODIX mites.
Hi Lane,
Thank you for your comments. Demodex mites are indeed a problem with some elderly or otherwise immuno-compromised individuals. However scabies infestations of the head and face are not limited to infants and the elderly. This is precisely the reason I have written this series of articles, i.e. to increase awareness. You, yourself, have posted the instructions from the scabies medication label, which clearly indicate one should cover the skin (btw, eyelids are skin), hair and scalp.
Thank you for sharing this! So helpful! I suffered from scabies for almost 7 months before it was identified. I was so scared that I had not gotten rid of the infestion that I did 4 treatments of the permethrine cream (applying the cream twice for each treatment, 3 days to a week apart). I am now occasionally getting red itchy rashes on my hands and body that are worse than the scabies rash itself. Rashes with bumps come and go as well, but it is clear that my boyfriend and I both no longer have an infestation because the rashes and bumps are more random and are less frequent as our last treatment was about five weeks ago. The reason we were able to get so many treatments/tubes is because my boyfriend's mom is a Dermatologist (cosmetic, however, with no previous experience with scabies). Do you know of any long lasting conditions that arise from the treatment or scabies infestation? My rashes feel increasingly similar to Eczema, and I have heard this can be an issue. Thank you!
Hi Charlotte,
The dermatologist I finally ended up with who seemed to have had a lot of experience with post scabies issues said that the itchy bumps etc. can continue to arise for months and months. For us, it was only about one month before the terrible rashes quit appearing, and about 3 months before we had really nothing appearing at all anymore. I have to say though, every now and then, even 6 months out, my husband and I both experience an itching or skin sensation that causes us to worry for a moment that we've been reinfested. Thankfully, it never lasts for longer than a day or so, on and off. I am really wondering if the permethrin treatment does a number on your immune system, causing it to over-react to various stimuli even after the mites are gone. I don't know anymore than that, but you may be able to get more information if you call around looking for a dermatologist who has extensive experience with this problem, i.e. maybe someone who has worked in group homes or possibly refugee camps where scabies are often pervasive and extremely difficult to eradicate entirely. If you do find anything more that you feel is helpful, please drop me a note so I can publish it here for others to see.
Does permethrin cream 5 kill head lice
Dutp - not sure about that - I've read that a 1% permethrin cream is used for head lice whereas a 5% is used for scabies, so by this logic, I suspect that it would, but it might be overkill, particularly given some of the longer term side effects that the 5% seems to be causing. You'd need to ask a doctor or pharmacist to find out the correct treatment option for certain.
Thanks so much! You have given me peace of mind. I am 7 months pregnant, and our daughter brought scabies home from daycare. I've been an emotional wreck about all this cleaning, worrying that everything I'm touching is reinfecting me and therefore my family, but hearing that the permethrin stays active in my system for a couple days and that I'll re-cream us in a week helps me to cope with all of this. Plus, I'm not worried that the treatment didn't work last night because I'm still itchy. I read horror stories online where people have been trying to rid themselves of scabies for 2+ yrs. And I'm not worried anymore. Thanks again.
Hi Moses4,
Thanks for your comment. I, too, went a little crazy with the cleaning etc., but ultimately one series of two permethrin treatments that were one week apart did the trick for us. It just took a few months before we all (parents and toddlers both) stopped reacting to the permethrin. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, as well as for a healthy and safe pregnancy.
I want to thank you, it took so long for me to find a great post like yours and so much information and I didn't know I have to apply it to scalp and nails so I did another treatment. Well I do know this mess burns my face, but everything else is fine. I feel like it does do something to the immune system b.c. I feel sick breathing this stuff in. Well my question is, did you only wash your bedding sheets and pillows and any clothes you had on or did you even clean the mattress and sofas? I'm so worried. I'm ready to steam clean my beds and sofas and car. I know you said vacum the car but I'm freaking out with a cleaning spree. I feel like everything is infested. My boyfriend refuses to get treat and I don't know what to do. I'm so depressed. I'm scared to send my son back to school b.c. he brought it home from there. My mind is just screwed up, I cry day and night worried. Maybe b.c. I'm allergic to dust mites and to be infested with scabies is ten times worst to me. I fear my son (5 years) has it very bad. But your article has releived me some, except as far as the cleaning. My doc said use hot water, but what about the sofas and bed mattress?
Hi Mesha,
Definitely wash clothes, sheets, blankets and even stuffed animals (if your son has them) in hot water, as your doctor said. Then you should dry them in a dryer because anything the hot water did not scorch or wash away will be dehydrated and therefore die from the heat in the dryer. The mites, when off of a host, are actually not that hard to kill. As for mattresses, it seems highly unlikely that a mite would make its way through the sheets and onto the mattress since they are not known to burrow or set up shop in random places. They are attracted to the CO2 and heat from your body (this is how they find a host) and spend most of their time under your skin. I would, as a precaution, vacuum the sofas and the inside of the car(s), including car seats for children, and if you are still worried, cover the sofas with a sheet for a few days so no one is sitting directly on a mite that may have dropped off onto the furniture when you were infested. This would be incredibly unlucky, but if it did happen, it would not be many mites - there are only believed to be 12-15 mites on any infested individual, so it's not like there are thousands of them falling off of your body and crawling around your house. It is important, and somewhat comforting, to remember these mites cannot live off of a host for longer than 48-72 hours. So, if possible, it might ease your mind to just leave your house for a long weekend after treatment, taking with you only recently-washed clothes that could not have been infested. Any mites that are in the house should die off by the time you return.
Of greater concern, after reading your post, is the reaction your face is having to the permethrin treatment. As I've described in the article, it seems permethrin may be causing a whole host of problems on its own, sometimes irritating the skin even worse than the scabies, and in some cases for a very long time. If your face is itchy (nobody in our house had itchy faces during treatment, it was only after treatment that we began having rashes that were extremely itchy, even worse than the mites themselves), I would be worried about what the permethrin may cause down the line for you, so tell your dermatologist, who may be able to give you something else for your second round of treatment (you need to treat twice, one week apart). There is actually an oral treatment that probably won't elicit the skin reaction that permethrin does, but it can cause its own set of serious problems (with the liver), so you'll need to consult a doctor for appropriate options.
Also of concern is your boyfriend's refusal to treat himself. People often don't know they have scabies until 4-6 weeks after infestation, and even at that, they don't always show the typical symptoms so still may not know they are infested. Your boyfriend could therefore be infested and not know it, and thus continue to re-infest you or your son, particularly if he is frequently sharing a bed with you or holding your son (scabies is believed to occur commonly in younger children since they are held so often, putting them at greater risk of contact with an infected person). I would have a very serious discussion with your boyfriend before allowing him to stay at your house or touch either one of you until he agrees to treat himself. Also, you'll need to let the school know, if they don't already, so that anyone who has been in contact with your son knows he/she has a possibility of being infested too.
Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will try my best to answer. In the meanwhile, I am keeping my fingers crossed for you and wish you a speedy recovery.
Thank You so much. I don't know what I would do without you right now. Your such a helper. Better than my doctor. I will be in touch!
I actually do have a question. Did you have any issues with your mouth and tounge? Bumps, swollen, or ne reaction?
Hi Mesha,
Before we figured out that we had scabies, and therefore before we treated ourselves, I sometimes felt small bumps on my tongue that were not itchy or swollen, but just felt like something needed to be scraped off. I have never read anything suggesting that scabies go inside your mouth, and you are definitely not supposed to be putting the permethrin inside your mouth, so I may have just been having a random immune reaction to the infestation. I did not, however, have any such problem during or after treatment. You should definitely talk to your dermatologist about this, since it may be a reaction to the permethrin, and a lot of people seem to be having adverse reactions to permethrin for indefinite periods of time. The good thing though, at least in our family's case, is that the reactions we were having, which were not in the mouth but on the skin pretty much at random places all over our bodies, did eventually subside. But it took months.
Okay, well I didn't put it in my mouth but my face of course and I also may just be having an allergic reaction to the drug and I do get those bumps you mentioned, but I will call my doc. Tomorrow, thank you. By the way Happy Mothers Day!
Hi
My son and I have been treating for scabies for 5 months now. We were told not to treat our faces and scalps so we didnt at first. However after the 3rd time we treated face down. The last 2 trtmts we did scalp down. that was 4 weeks ago. I am still getting non itchy bumps while the old ones have not gone away. Last week my son woke up with a red burning itchy rash on his neck and less so on his back and stomach. Also in his armpits. Throughout the day it spread but tgen disappated. The rash seems to be healing somewhat but he is still very itchy and my bumps wont go away. I also feel like i have dust on my eyebrows and sometimes feel movement on my eyelashes. we have treated, sigh, 13 times in 5 mo, the last 2 scalp down. ive washed and cleaned everything. my bed is wrapped. Im at my wits end. I can not use this cream again but this ju doesnt seem yo end. What am i doing wrong? please help. Thank you
need peace,
Your symptoms sound identical to what our family experienced. And the advice you received from your doctor to not treat your head was also the same advice we initially received. This is outdated information. If you read the instructions on the permethrin label, it says to treat the head, including under your hair, but not to do the eyebrows or eyelashes (presumably so it doesn't end up getting in your eyes), and not to get it in your eyes, nose or mouth etc. In my case, I felt the mites on my eyelashes as well as just inside my nose, so I treated both areas even though the drug label says not to, and was just very careful not to get it in my eyes. This worked for me, however one person who previously left a comment on this article claimed she treated her face and has now had non-stop twitching of the eyelids for 3-4 months. Not to mention that many more people (myself included) seem to have experienced immune reactions (prolonged itchy rashes, seemingly caused by permethrin, that appear in various places on the body for months after treatment) that are very similar to the actual scabies symptoms themselves. So it may be that permethrin is causing you and your son's persistent rashes. The fact that you have used it so many times may even have made the problem worse. However the fact that you still feel crawling on your eyelids is a bit disturbing, especially if you did not treat this area because you were following the instructions on the drug label (which I am not qualified to advise against - you'll need to talk to a doctor). In other words, you'll need to determine if it is possible that you've missed something due to inadequate coverage, or if you are simply having a reaction to the permethrin even though the mites are already gone, or alternatively, if you are continually coming into contact with another infested person.
I think the first thing you might want to do is call around to find a dermatologist who has a lot of experience with scabies, and who is aware of "post scabies syndrome" and all of the problems that permethrin treatment seems to be causing. If you get someone with no experience, you are only going to continue to repeat this frustrating experience over and over again. Next, make sure this doctor knows how many times you have treated with permethrin, and ask for an alternative treatment. There is an oral drug called ivermectin or stromectol that is supposedly effective in killing scabies as well as other parasites. I believe it is a bit more expensive, and some doctors are hesitant to prescribe it because it can cause problems with your liver. But if your doctor doesn't think your liver should be an issue based on your personal medical history etc., then he/she may prescribe this so you don't have to deal with skin creams anymore. I believe you have to take even the oral medication twice in order to kill any eggs that hatch after the first treatment (there is no known drug that kills eggs). In the meanwhile, ask for an anti-histamine that will help calm your symptoms so you and your son do not continue to lose sleep over this issue. I wish you the best of luck in obtaining relief. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will do my best to answer them.
Thank you for taking the time to assist us. It is greatly appreciated. Finding a good doctor is a big issue. Almost every one says something different. One dr told me to apply the cream every 12 hours til we had no bumps left. However even with the cream on I developed new rashes. I did make sure to cover our faces including eyelashes and just inside our noses. Even still I felt movement in my eyelashes. We kept the cream on for 7 days, showering and reapplying. After applying the cream to our scalp I suffered a massive migraine. What I dont understand is although i continued with random non itchy bumps and my son continued to itch it took 3 weeks to develop a rash. I thought we would have an instant reaction since we had already been exposed. I think we are still infected based on the fact that my old bumps have yet to heal and because of my eyes. As far as cleaning goes, I have all fabric sealed or locked in closets but we moved in Feb and have yet to unpack. Do you think im safe to at least unpack nic nacs and non material objects. I have read so many different things on cleaning and am unsure if i do in fact need to wipe down everything including plastic toys. As fas as Ivermectin, I was given a script in feb but am skeptical about the safety, especially for my 8yo. If it isnt safe for him it makes no sense to take it myself especially if he could just reinfect me. Also is there a possibility this cream just isnt working. My son isnt in school and we arent around the people who infected us. We also dont have physical contact with anyone. Its just the two of us. Thank you again for your help.
need peace,
My goodness, it sounds like you have gone way overboard with the permethrin. First make sure you've used the 5% permethrin cream for scabies, and not the 1% that is available for head lice. Then, if you are sure that 1) you and your son were adequately covered, including faces as you described, and 2) that at least one of these full treatments was one week after another one (doesn't matter how many times you did it in between because some of the eggs may not have been hatched yet so it wouldn't have killed the eggs), I would suspect that the mites are dead and you are both reacting to the permethrin. Even what you are feeling in your eyelashes could just be an immune response after having had the mites there and treating them with permethrin. I, too, felt this for a little while after my first treatment, but not for long. The itchy rashes, however, continued to emerge for about 3 months. My kids also developed itchy, bumpy rashes for a couple of months after treatment, it doesn't necessarily have to occur immediately. You are the first person that I have read to have had a migraine though. Definitely both of you should lay off of the permethrin.
You might want to start calling around for a doctor who has experience with scabies. Just ask whoever answers the phone at the doctor's office how many cases of scabies the doctor has treated, and whether or not they've had patients report this type of reaction following treatment. Once you find someone, see if they can recommend an anti-histamine to ease the symptoms while you wait for a month or so to see if the rashes and itching begin to lessen (they might not disappear entirely within this time period though, it took about 3 months for us).
Also discuss whether Ivermectin poses a real threat to either of you, as 8 years old is not so young that it may be safe to take it - this would just provide another weapon in case the mites are still alive, even though I am really wondering if anything could have survived that much permethrin. There is what seems to be a rather remote possibility that you have a strain of permethrin-resistant scabies, in which case the ivermectin would be a good idea, but I would not assume this until you stop using the permethrin for a month or two and assess whether rash outbreaks are becoming fewer and farther between. In other words, I would assume you are having a reaction to the permethrin before I would assume the permethrin is not working.
As far as unpacking, this is really the least of your concerns. The mites cannot live off of a human host for longer than 48-72 hours. So if your things have been packed and stored for at least that much time, and you have washed the clothes and bedding and even stuffed animals you may have touched before treatment (or just stored them away for the 48-72 hour period), then my bet would be that anything in your belongings has long been dead. I did not bother with wiping down everything in our house, as the mites are not really attracted to random objects or places. They follow CO2 and heat to find human bodies, and spend most of their time under your skin anyway.
Above all though, you really need to work overtime to find a good doctor. Even if the scabies are gone and you and you son are just reacting to the treatment, someone ought to be monitoring you both until these symptoms lighten up. Especially since you've overdone it with a chemical treatment, which is never good.
need peace - one more thing - you may want to also have an eye doctor take a look at your eyelashes to see if he/she can see anything unusual there. the actual mites may be hard to catch since they are mostly under the skin, but unusual burrow marks etc. may be seen, or there could be mite feces or eggs in a scraping of the area.
zwe have found the Tea Tree Oil works to kill the scabies. My hubby did the cream and it did not work. I did research on the net and found that people have used Tea Tree Oil and it works. He sprayed his surroundings down in the oil, of course, it was diluted. Also look at the Naturasil web site where herbal products are used. We are seeing results in just three days!
P,
That is great news. I have read on the net as well as in at least one scientific paper that tea tree oil works, but that it has not yet been approved for use in the treatment of scabies. I am not sure why this is. Were there any adverse side effects? Thank you for commenting.
P - just in case you've returned to this site, would you mind mentioning how you did your treatment, i.e., did you cover the entire body, for how long, and how many times? Also, after a few weeks have gone by and you have remained scabies-free, would you mind just dropping a note to let me know so I can post it on here to let others know this is a viable option, and whether or not there are any adverse side effects they should expect?
Many thanks!
I just spoke to my husband. He is the one with scabies. He told me to tell you-Samoa6-that Tea Tree Oil works great. He still has them but hey are drying up and going away. he used teh permethrin cream last week and kept breaking out bad. I read about tea Tree Oil and we trie dit with him and it does work. It takes a little time but it works. He still has a few break out bumps maybe 8 in four days but he is treating his environment as well. But his imporovement with the Tea Tree oil is of great improvement. I ordered the naturasil family apckage and when he comes through I am going to give it to him to use as well. they said the effective rate of curing scabies with their homeopathic system was 98%. It is a sulfur soap, cream that contains tea tree oils and others. So he wanted me to tell you that is is lots lots better since using Tea Tree Oil. He noticed a change the first time he wiped down in it. He use a rag washcloth and pours the tea tree oil on it and covers his body after showering and in between if he goes to itching. It takes the itching out and the bumps are dying up and some have already gone away. He says he is very pleased with his results. Like I said we have not started the Natuasil treatment from the looks of it the system should work to get rid of the scabies.
The only side effect is maybe dry skin. But nothing like the chemical cream it made him sick as a dog!
Many thanks, P!
I only wonder whether the permethrin actually worked and just caused the side effects everyone is talking about, which were then alleviated by the tea tree oil, or if the tea tree oil actually did the trick. I would love to read comments from anyone who has used tea tree oil alone, and had it work
Samoa6--My hubby is a 100 percent better. he idd go ahead and use the second Permethrin treatment only because he was waorried about them not going away. BUT the Tea Tree Oil got I would say most of them gone. He is still using the Tea Tree Oil and going to use Naturasil 's kit as well. No more bumps coming out his skin is dry which might be good to get rid of the critters. His itching has subsided. This is his second week and he is almost recovered. So yes Tea Tree Oil does work wonders. He diluted it and sprayed his environment-bed pillows and covers. He also put Tea Tree Oil in his clothes when he washed them in hot water. He is so much better. His skin is almost normal! So try Tea Tree Oil.
Thank you, P. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Hi samoa6 I have done 2 treatments with the permitherin 5% I found out that I had scabies in April and since then it has been a fight tryin to get rid of these critters I have washed everything in my house bought new bed sheets vacuumed all floors and rugs and still seem to have this. For a while in between treatments it seemed to go away only to come back again I went to the dr again 2 weeks ago and did one more treatment of the permitherin it helped to calm it down this time however I am still gettin new tracks on my skin and bumps there not horrible but still noticable to me and others who looked at my skin I haven't been in contact with the person who gave it to me since I found out. And nobody else in my family has got this. My itching is no where near as bad either.
Are the bumps and track marks after effects of me taking the medicine or does it sound like I am still infected?
Hi Frustrated,
Unfortunately, it seems that the only way to find out is to stop doing the permethrin for a while. My family had bumps etc. appearing after treatment, badly for about one month and then less so for approximately two more months. It actually seemed to be worse after treatment than it had been before, so I think it may be worth it to wait it out, and talk to your doctor about using something to calm the itchiness etc. in the meanwhile. The symptoms should begin to lessen over time. If you wait for a month or even two, and the symptoms do not seem to be lessening, then you may want to consider whether you have been reinfested, or whether the treatment even worked the first time. I do suspect, though, that if you covered yourself well with the permethrin the three times you have used it already, that you may just be having a reaction to it that will eventually go away. As I've been telling everyone else, it is critical that you find a dermatologist who has had a lot of experience with scabies and who is aware of this after-effect. If your doctor just automatically assumes that more bumps equals treatment did not work, then he/she does not have much experience and you should find someone else to at least monitor your recovery, and what may turn out to be a reaction to the medication.
Frustrated----Read my post about using tea Tree Oil and Naturasil. My husband is in his second week and I saw him last night and his bumps are almost all gone. He has used two treatments of Permethrin 5% cream and it helped some but the most help came with using tea Tree Oil. he diluted Tea Tree oil in water and sprayed his surroundings down and that helps kill them on the inside. He actually threw away some old covers and old tennis shoes that came into contact with him. Considering how he was last week till this week. They are almost ALL gone. He has no more itching and no more bump break outs in over three days now. My hubby swears by the Tea Tree Oil. He put it on his skin straight from the bottle with cotton and an old rag. Yeah it is strong and will open you head up but it has made a dramatic difference in the way he was last week and the way he is now. NO MORE BREAK OUTS OR NEW BUMPS NO MORE ITCHING OR ANYTHING!!
Thank you both samoa6 and p for your comments this has been the longest 2 months of my life it seems with having this I will go and buy some of the tea tree oil tomorrow and try that.. I will be excited and relived to see if this will help! My fingers are crossed.
I will let y'all know how it goes!
P--one more thing does your husband wash off the tea tree oil after so many hours?
I was diagnosed with scabies at nearly the end of April. I used more than half a bottle of 5% Permethrin cream from the neck down and left it on for 14 hours. I am barely 5'3 and weigh 115lbs, so needless to say, I put on way too much Permethrin. The next day I had severe itching and tingling from too much Permethrin so I took Benadryl as I was advised to by my doctor and ended up having an allergic reaction to food which I found extremely odd and very scary as I had difficulty breathing. I thought that because of all of this, there was no way the mites could have possibly survived and did not do a second treatment of Permethrin. Now, almost 4 weeks later, I am starting to develop the same type of rash I got when I first was diagnosed. I have not had any contact with the person/baby that I got the rash from and I washed all my clothes, bedding, and bagged everything that I couldn't wash that I had touched while I had the mites for 2 weeks. I did not vacuum. The old rash has cleared up a lot but it is still present. But I can tell it is old because the bumps are completely dried up. The new bumps are where the old bumps were it seems but it is hard to tell whether it's just the old rash getting inflamed because I slept in at my Mom's and she did not have the A/C on, or if it's really new rash. I am going to a doctor today, but what is your take on what's going on just using the information I provided?
T - as you have probably read in the article as well as many of the comments, these bumps can emerge after treatment even if the mites have already been killed. They do not have to emerge immediately, either. They can continue to emerge, disappear, and re-emerge in other places for months, even though the treatment has been successful, as in my family's case. Of concern, however, is that you did not treat your face, and you did not follow up with a second treatment to kill any eggs that might have since hatched and reinfested you. Since it is impossible to determine whether a) you did not kill everything to begin with, b) you've been reinfested by eggs that hatched or c) you've killed the mites and are now reacting to the treatment, I would first assume your treatment worked and wait it out for at least a month to see if the outbreaks become fewer and further between. If the rashes and itching still seem to be persistent at that point, then you may want to consider the possibility you are still infested, and treat again with something other than permethrin, since it seems to have caused so many problems. Although effective, this is a bit of a scary drug, and not something I would want to mess with, particularly if it (or something else in combination with it) affected your breathing. There is an oral medication, Ivermectin/Stromectol, that is available that you could talk to your doctor about. Alternatively, one commenter here has used tea tree oil with success. Please keep us posted of your progress, so that others may read what you have (hopefully) found to be successful.
even in post scabies can the bumps appear to be tracks? When i found out i had scabies i only had them on my hands. two weeks after my first treatment i started to have new bumps on my hands that looked like water blisters. they did not itch as badly as when i was told i had scabies. These bumps would go away within a couple of days. then i started getting them on my shoulders.. they would itch (not as bad) and then go away. until the last two weeks in which i began getting them on my stomach, chest, legs, arms... pretty much everywhere. and they itch like crazy! of course i was told to only do the cream once... on my entire family (no one in my house has it except me) before i read this i decided to do the cream again still being told to only apply from the neck down. uggg when the bumps started to appear i wasn't that worried b/c i had read about post scabies and just assumed that what was happening.. esp since i wasn't have the intense itching like i had before but then i started seeing track marks on my leg and my wrist. then i became concerned, which is why i chose to apply the second treatment. now my skin felt ok after the first day, now the itching is even worse... the bumps are going away but still itchy... could i really be re-infested or is it the cream? HELP
Hi Jen,
I never really had much in the way of bumps or tracks before treatment - just itching and mainly a crawling sensation that was driving me crazy - but after treatment I had major bumps and what appeared like Poison Oak, which did actually look like lines or tracks of bumps. My whole family had this, much worse after than before treatment. But it subsided eventually, as mentioned in the article. The odds are that one treatment will most likely do the trick, however two treatments spaced one week apart are optimal to avoid re-infestation due to eggs hatching since the treatment does not kill eggs. Also, if you read the label on the permethrin, along with my and others' horror stories, you are supposed to treat your head, including under your hair, because scabies do infest this region too. So, my guess is you are most likely reacting to the treatment, but there is certainly a possibility that you a) missed something that may have been on your head or b) you've been re-infested due to eggs that were present but not killed by your first treatment. If you go for another month and your outbreaks do not begin to subside, at that point I would begin to consider the possibility that you might still be infested.
thank you so much! i'll keep you posted. i think my biggest concern is that i'm nursing and i'm so worried that my 10 month old son gets it. so far he has had no signs of it. so i hope it can stay that way. My dr wasn't even sure in the beginning that it was scabies... she didn't do any scraping, only called in another dr for a second opinion. i had never heard of it nor do i know how i could have gotten it. it's crazy!!
Jen - My son was just about one year old too when this happened to us. Watch for dotted rashes on him, checking sole of feet too. I saw this early on on my son but did not recognize it as anything in particular. In retrospect, it was probably the first sign of scabies that we had.
you know its interesting you said that b/c i have seen bumps on him, but they come and go, not in clusters like mine. i'll see like one on his leg. then one on his bottom. i'm trying not to be paranoid or read into any of it, but i just don't know anymore.
You're not paranoid. With your son, as with you, it is entirely possible he is cured and just reacting to the permethrin. Both of my kids had the same bumpy reaction, but then it all stopped eventually and everyone was fine. Just watch him, since he may be how you became infested in the first place - small children are often most vulnerable because they are held by so many people so often. He could have gotten it at a daycare or even just a birthday party, which we believe was the case for our son. Again, odds are you are all fine and just reacting to the treatment. But keep an eye on things, and also, one commenter mentioned using tea tree oil helped with the rashes after treating with permethrin. She seems to think the tea tree oil killed the mites, but it is impossible to tell if the previous permethrin treatment killed them and then the tea tree oil just calmed the reaction to the permethrin, or if the permethrin did not work but the tea tree oil actually did . . . anyway, you could always try putting that on your skin to see if it offers any relief. Other people report that it does as well, it just hasn't been approved for treatment of scabies yet - not sure why. Alternatively, you might be able to use an anti-histamine to ease the itching while waiting for symptoms to (hopefully) subside. Discuss these options with your doctor, particularly for anything you plan to use on your kids. Also, I believe in the supposedly rare cases in which scabies infest your face, it is supposed to happen most often with infants. So watch his face as well, since I think you mentioned you did not treat above the neck.
I tried the tea tree oil for the first time last night I put about 20 drops in my bath water then rubbed it all over my body from neck down and left it on over night I awoke about 4 in the mornin to bumps on my right hand itching pretty bad put some tea tree oil on my hand and it stopped the itching so I went back to sleep. My body has been itching pretty bad today I layed in the tanning bed around lunch and thought most of my itching could of been from that. I got home a couple hours ago and went for a run I'm now sitting down relaxing and I am itching worse than ever I have tracks and welts all over my arms and legs.. I'm going crazy right now. Should I try the tea tree oil again tonight or no? Is this just a reaction to me running?
Hi Frustrated,
I am not sure what to tell you about tea tree oil since I have never used it, but if your symptoms are worse after using it then it may not be the best option for you. I also suspect that laying in a tanning bed will not help any skin condition, and that running/sweating will only exacerbate itchiness in general until you take a shower.
When you used the permethrin, did you cover your entire body, including your head, twice, with treatments one week apart? If you did, I would stop using anything on your skin and talk to a doctor about using even an over-the-counter anti-histamine as much as the label instructions permit until your symptoms let up. We had tracks and welts all over too for some time after using permethrin, but they eventually disappeared after a few months, as I stated in the article.
However if you did not a) cover your body adequately to begin with, two times, one week apart, or b) treat the others in your household, then there is no way to rule out the possibilities that you either a) did not get rid of the mites entirely or b) are getting reinfested by someone in your household who does not have overt symptoms.
Hi samoa6
I covered my entire body from neck to soles of my feet as the dr had directed me to do I also had my husband do the same thing even though he was and still does not show any symptoms of having scabies. I have had him do it the same times I did the treatment just to be sure. I'm just at my wits end with this I started itching in march found out that I had this in April. I'm in my young 20s just got done with college and going to the dr and buying the creams are so expensive not to mention our electric bill went up over 70 dollars last month due to doing laundry several times a day in hot water. I have had no itching on my face and am now out of the cream. Do you think i could still be infected because I didn't treat that area? This is just very embarrassing it's summer now and I would like to wear dresses and go swimming without having to worry if I'm gonna have a break out. Would you suggest just to leave it alone for a while to see what happens? What did your family do while still breaking out and trying to wait it thru to see if the treatment did work and this was just the aftermath of using the cream?
Frustrated - The odds are you probably did not have any mites on your face or head, although that does happen to some people, so I would recommend waiting it out. We used an over-the-counter anti-histamine to calm the itchiness and let us get some sleep. We also used a 1% hydrocortisone cream on our rashes, but not too often because it's a steroid. Check with your doctor to ask if these measures would be appropriate for you to do while waiting to see if the rashes go away. We wore long sleeve shirts etc. for a while, but really the worst of it was over about one month after our second permethrin treatment. I would avoid tanning beds, over-exposure to the sun or anything else heat-wise that would exacerbate your skin condition and just shower immediately after exercise. If your outbreaks do not lessen over the next several weeks, then you should consider the possibility you are still infested. But I would wait, because what you are describing sounds exactly to me like what we experienced, which turned out to be only a reaction to the permethrin, or at least that what we are left to assume at this point. It went away eventually, and we are fully cured.
Thank you so much you don't even know what a help your post has been to me. Reading your story has truely been my peace of mind. So I'm hopeing/praying that this is just a reaction to the cream so I will wait it out to see. And though I know you have not used the tea tree oil would you suggest me using it just to see or just put regular lotion on because my skin is very dry?
The tea tree oil is supposed to have anti-septic properties, which may dry out your skin, making the itching etc. even worse, although I am really not sure if anyone has ever reported this or not (besides reading your previous comment, I have not read about this specific issue). So if you have regular lotion that you normally use, maybe just stick with that for now, rather than adding new things that could worsen existing problems, or create new ones. If you don't mind, please write again in two-four weeks to let everyone who reads this know if you are (hopefully) getting better. Good luck.
Thank you!!!I will defiantly write again around then to let you know my progress!
livingthenightmare 3 months ago
Thank you sincerely, for the most informative, extensive and comforting information on scabies infestations that I have found in these late night, frantic weeks of suffering- along with the fear that the "cream is not working". Benedry every night is helping greatly, as well as hydrocortizone cream. The benedryl especially calms the inflamation and eratic itching. I was desperatly afraid that nothing was having a "curing" effect, but thanks to you, in humble gratitute, I do have hope. Bless you for caring enough about the rest of us who are searching the net day in and day out for more info. You are an angel.