Scabies Treatment Using Bactrim

Scabies is a common and irritating skin infection caused by burrowing mites. It's transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, particularly between family members and people living in close quarters. The usual symptoms are itching and rash, especially between the fingers, on the elbows, on the genitalia in men and around the nipples in women. While scabies is not a bacterial infection it can sometimes cause secondary bacterial infections which require other drugs for treatment.

Causes

• The itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis, is the culprit that causes the disease. The female mite burrows into the skin to lay her eggs; once the larvae hatch they emerge to mate and the cycle repeats. The mite can only live for a few days in the absence of a human host. Lack of good hygiene and overcrowding are the key factors that encourage the spread of scabies.

Treatments

• Physicians typically treat scabies with a pediculicide, a cream that's applied all over the body from the neck down to kill the mites. Lindane, permethrin and crotamiton are all common options. Lindane shouldn't be used in children under 2 years of age in or pregnant or nursing mothers. It's essential to clean your clothing and bedding because the mites can survive for up to three days outside a host and may take the opportunity to hitch a ride on your friends and family.

Bactrim

• Bactrim is the tradename for an antibiotic with the active ingredients sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, often administered orally although also available in other formulations. It's typically used to treat ear and bladder infections, among other conditions. Like most drugs, bactrim has side effects, often including dizziness, sleep problems or a swollen tongue, although it has in some cases caused more serious allergic reactions.

Bactrim and scabies

• Some doctors have prescribed Bactrim to treat head lice or even scabies on the theory that the antibiotics will kill the gut bacteria that inhabit the lice (or the mites), thus hampering the parasites' digestion. At present this approach isn't widely supported by experts and is not recommended, nor is the drug approved by the FDA as a pediculicide. In general, taking antibiotics for conditions that do not result from bacterial infection is unwise, since the drug can foster the development of antibiotic resistance in other bacteria. In some cases, however, scabies can provide the right conditions for harmful bacteria to cause a secondary infection.

Secondary infections

• Harmful bacteria can colonize open wounds to cause infections; secondary infections of scratch marks are actually fairly common with scabies. If a secondary infection develops, doctors will often oral antibiotics like Bactrim to kill the bacteria. Consequently, while antibiotics are typically not prescribed to treat the mite infestation itself, they are sometimes prescribed to treat secondary infections. The above information is not intended as medical advice; as always, if you're in doubt about what treatment is right for your condition, as always, it's best to check with your doctor.