Scabies
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Written by Jim on June 30th, 2007 with
235 comments.
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To Catherine….It saddens me to hear about your grand daughter,
I eased my itching with neem oil, a few drops of tea tree oil, lavender oil, and eucalyptus oil, if u can find peppermint also a few drops, easy on the peppermint to much you’ll feel it. Then add olive oil as a base. It helped me a lot with the itchiness. On sores I melted Vaseline and honey, mixed in the neem oil.. heard that one and it helped on problem areas. hope this helps
Back again. It has now been 7 months. Bleach bath for my husband did not end up working. We have now run clean out of ideas. We are out of permethrin cream – we went through 3 of those. Last round of Stromectil did nothing. We have tried showering with lice shampoo. Doesn’t seem to do anything at all. Still using Neem and Tea Tree Oil (soaps this time). Still washing washing washing…spraying things with lice spray that has permethrin in it. I come back here hoping against hope that someone has found a “cure” but I can see that some people get cured with permehtrin the first time around and some of us seem to have bugs with immunities. This is really taxing. I TRULY WISH a dermatologist would read this site and give advice.
This was pretty easy to clear up for me. I think there’s a lot of mis-information and scare mongering on here. Don’t get me wrong, having these mites was hell for me, but once positively identified progress has been brilliant.
I’m a guy in my mid twenties. I cleaned my house, but just my room would have sufficed, and I’ve been changing my bedsheets every 3 days. I used the 5% permethrin cream which you can pick up without prescription in the uk. Since then the itching has gone down so much I can get a good nights sleep and my skin is improving everyday.
Of course, I’m still itching a bit, and a few new red bumps are forming but this is a natural post-scabies reaction. To be safe I’ve been applying tea tree cream I got from Holland & Barrett which seems to not only do my skin a lot of good, but it soothes and helps the itching stop. I will apply the permethrin skin again when a week has gone by since the initial application, again to be sure. I have also been drinking a bit of sulfur (completely safe) each day and taking flaxseed oil (again from Holland & Barrett) but I think all of this was actually unnecessary.
I find really hot showers to feel so nice while I’ve had this!
I have had scabies three times within the past two years and each time I’ve contracted it from trying on clothes at the mall, specifically American Eagle and Express. The first time I got it was miserable and I had no idea why my skin was itching for three months straight. The second two times however my skin didn’t itch at all and the burrows were strictly limited to my legs. Are certain people more susceptible to scabies? I mean I am a very hygienic person as I’m sure everyone else is. What is with these parasites!!
my son got a rash on his forearm about a wk or two before xmas. he was itching all the time. a few wks later i then found a bump on my wrist when popped a watery substance drained. over the wks me, my 2 yr old n my husband been itching every night n finding bites all over our bodies. (arms, wrists, legs, back, stomach, feet) just everywhere.
after doin 2 mnths of research online to only find out that it was scabies. i finally took my 2yr old n myself to the e.r after being so overwhelmed n fed up with the itching n spreading every night. they prescribed the permethrin 5% cream. after showering my family applied it the same night.my husband slept but me n my son was up all night still itching.i had to giv him some meds to make him go to sleep, i knew he was suffering from the itching n as a mother i cant take seeing that. idk if the cream was suppose to make me feel like that bt my whole body was BURNING!
y do the doctors prescribe you a med that only has the same side effects as wut yur trying to get rid of ?!. i knew that the cream would cause itching,burning,redness etc. but the pain was so intense from the burning. the burning only made me want to itch more n the more i itched the redness n swelling came with it. the doc said to use the cream for one night n then if needed to repeat 2-3 days later.from that experience i feel like the cream was working bt it was so intense it makes me not want to use it again..i used the cream thursday.today is saturday, my family isnt itching as much bt seems to be breaking out more n finding more bites everywhere…..does this mean that i still have live mites eating us up ?!….
or are we having a reaction to the cream ?…. should i use the cream a few days in a row ?… i have been washing everything, vacuuming, spraying, i even got rid of my 2 dogs because of being paranoid. after reading hundreds of comments i feel like im never going to get rid of this..this has been going on for about 2-3 mnths.i just cant imagine fighting this for more mnths or even years………… please somebody help me…………
i also want to add that soaking in the tub with hot water (hot as you can stand) using the oatmeal baths help sooth n mild the itching, i use it for my son. or you can use baking soda/ or cornstarch n soak for approx 30 minutes (or longer), it takes the itching away for about several hrs….
I understand that you get scabies from close prolonged contact with an infected person. But what i am unclear about it HOW does the infected person get scabies? Me, my brother, and sister all have these mites and I’m wondering if the mites just magically manifest out of no where or what?
Thank You!
The Infected
Tea Tree Oil!!!!
To anyone with scabies………….Please Listen to me, go to the food store right now and get yourself some tea tree oil . Make sure you get 100% not 20%. Scrath all the areas for the last time and apply the oil with a dropper, sit back and relax, your on your way to a scabie free life- I did not relize that I was living with this for so long.(1 year) I thought iI just had dry skin.
The tea tree oil will kill the mites, you should also take a bath in epson salt for 20 min.(3 times a week) You should always see your doctor but this is a safe way to rid the critters, I also went to the nature store and bought NEEM oil which kills the mites. Good Luck and I hope this helps you. You should also put 20 drops into the bath tub and bathe in this mixture for a couple of weeks it will soak into every pore on your body and rid the mites.
There seems to be quite a few people asking where/how you can get the mites. Honestly all you need to get is one on you. Bad news is that it could be from anywhere. If you try on clothes that someone tried on before you and you pick up one. As they are small enough to walk through the weave of the majority of clothing, it could have been from sitting down on a train seat. This is not meant to scare anyone. But is meant to be an eye opener. Just as with any bug some people will be more likely to end up getting them from just say one, and then some people are naturally resistant and will never get them.
Getting them does not mean you are dirty, just unlucky. From the date you notice them you could have been infected for as long as 2 months prior or as little as 2 weeks. The time I got them it took about a year to get it all sorted. If I managed to get them again I would get all the creams etc together and go on vacation for 2 weeks so i wouldn’t have to have to clean everything for those 2 weeks. The mites will die off in about 7 days but to make sure I would go for the full 2 weeks. Make sure its to a nice hotel that gets extra stars for cleanliness. I have known people who do this and get their lives back to normal once they come back. If you decide to do this make sure to plan out very well how you will make sure your baggage will be scabie free when you take it down, as you can wear the cream while traveling.
a few things to remember: From my understanding freezing things for 12- 14hrs still kills the mites and eggs. If you have a freezer, use it. So when you get yourself home from where ever, make sure to put anything you want to use the next day in the freezer. Include: Jackets, SHOES, work clothes etc that cannot be washed day in/out. Bag the stuff you don’t want to or cant wash. Put the bag off to the side for 2 weeks to make sure that the scabies have died. Use an iron with steam (when you can) on the bed and all furniture before you use the scabie sprays as it will help kill whatever is living there.
DO NOT USE an iron on anything that has MEMORY foam in it as it will probably damage it. As scabies are microscopic you can use regular large plastic garbage bags (taped together with) on your bed under your sheets as an inexpensive mattress cover. This will help keep the scabies from moving back from the mattress and through the sheets onto you. Remember scabies are tiny and can be on something as small as a hair. So make sure you are aware of where you touch or what can be touching you in your home.
And worst thing is that most doctors etc are not going to be anything near sympathetic.
Good luck everyone
Hi,
my son brought home a bout of scabies 2 weeks ago we treat ourselves with lyclear (permethrim) and it didn’t work so we used derbac (malathion) think that’s how you spell it but anyway that has worked while we were covered in it i washed clothes, bedding, towels etc.. and sprayed fly spray everywhere i could think of even in shoes well this is the day after we all washed the cream off and my husband just went to the shop and i realized when he came home he put his coat on that had been in the cupboard and i totally forgot all about doing his coat so now as you can imagine we have fallen out now as i worked like a dog yesterday cleaning like Mary Poppins so really i just needed to ask if anyone knows what the chances are of being re-infested with them from this coat bearing in mind he wore it only 12 hrs (if that) prior to this.
I would be grateful for any feed back
Thank you
i had got scabies from a friend an she didn’t even inform me until after she left my house an on top of that i was itching all summer until bout october wen they finally went away but it took four doctors just to figure out what they were because they looked liked flea bites because they weren’t around my finger or my toes at fest they started on my legs an the itchin is terrible at night if feels like you have like spiders or fleas crawlin all over you its nasty an uncomfortable an now after 5 months of bein scabie free i think i might be invested again!!!
I had a friend spend a week sleeping in my day bed, which is like a couch for me and my boyfriend, because it is in the living room. When he was here I noticed he had this weird rash and when I asked about it he said it was poison sumack (don’t know the spelling). We didn’t think much of it. He left (we didn’t change the sheets he slept in) and a few weeks later my boy friend and I noticed we were itching like mad. We had red bumps every where: genitals, armpits, hips, you name it. We sprayed for bed bugs, but then were diagnosed with scabies soon after.
This is what we did.
Before you apply the lotion prescribed by your doctor to treat scabies:
1.) Wear rubber gloves. Place all of your laundry into lastic bags. And I mean all of it. Every thing you touched and walked on. This means- bathroom mats, towels, shoes, oven mitts, pillows, comforters, hats, gloves, coats, EVERY THING. Systematically wash the clothes you want to wear first, because it will take a long time to wash all of your laundry. Change your plastic gloves every time you decide to touch a clean batch of clothes, when you’ve been touching scabies clothes. When the clothes are clean keep them in clean plastic bags until you finish the process of cleaning your house to prepare for the night you apply the lotion. I suggest doing this a few days before the lotion is applied.
2.) Wash your comforter, sheets, and pillow cases before you sleep in it with the lotion on. Also cover your mattress and pillows in a vinel wrap with a zipper closure. Scabies can live inside your mattress and pillows.
3.) Vacuum your whole house. Throw away the bag or rise the canister in hot water.
4.) Disinfect your entire bathroom. Wash the floors, tub, toilet, shower what ever, with something that cleans hard. Do the same for the kitchen.
5.) Anything you can’t wash, put in a plastic bag, or somewhere you aren’t going to touch it for a long time. Some say 48-72 hours but with my paranoia I haven’t touched some things for weeks.
Applying the lotion:
1.) Take a shower. Use clean towels.
2.) Apply the lotion. When applying be sure to get the lotion on every part of the body including: under the fingernails, in the hair line (all up in it), the belly button, anus, skin folds of the genitals.
3.) Put on clean clothes (socks recommended) and sleep in a clean bed. Wear the lotion for the maximum time.
After the hours have passed:
1.) Take off the clothes you wore to bed and place them in a plastic bag for washing. Do the same for the bedding. If you put the cover over the pillows and mattress you only need to wash the blankets, sheets, and pillow cases.
2.) Wash off the lotion and put on clean clothes.
3.) Clean your entire house like you did before the lotion was applied.
I found it nice to take a hot bath, and then slowly put cool water into it to sooth itching.
We started trying to cure scabies on January 1st and it is March 19th, and I’m still unsure if I am safe. I haven’t slept in my own bed since this has happened to me for the fear of infecting my family. So I sleep at my boyfriends place. I used Lindane lotion twice and permethrin cream twice. I still have post-scabies marks and I am trying to stay optimistic about being scabies free. But I am not convinced, and I don’t think I will be until my body stops tingling and itching and the marks go away. This is the most horrific and painful experience of my life. And I am not friends with that kid I let sleep on my couch anymore because of this. This mite will bring you to insanity more then once.
Heidi,
My boyfriend did the same thing. He wore his coat when it hadn’t been washed and we still had scabies after that. But there could be many reasons why we still had it. To be safe repeat the whole process again if your family is still experiencing the rash. I’ve done it too many times to count and I understand how much you don’t want to do it again, but it is inevitable.
After my fourth dose of the Permethrin, insane cleaning rituals and constant sadness and anxiety, I have become completely fed up. My scars aren’t getting any more tolerable, so I said “screw it, I’m going to burn them.”
I know this sounds barbaric, but the oils and soaks and soaps just aren’t cutting it. Every time I light up a cigarette, I hold the tip as close to the burrow as possible without touching it. OMG so painful, but nothing compared to the itching and shame.
After that, I put several coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails clear nail polish over the burrow areas.
Guess what? Good-freaking-bye, scabies.
I don’t recommend it, but I know you’re all sitting out there, frantic and worried, searching for answers and solutions like I was and will continue to. Bless you all, I wish you the best.
Now maybe I can hold the man I love, as I have not laid a finger on him for months for fear of giving it to him.
whoever said you cant catch scabies from your dog is a liar..our dog caught a severe case of mange. We tried all the home remedies and potions. after a few months we noticed intense itching and mite bites in patches all over are bodies. So unbearable we could not sleep. We tried all the human medications. And nothing seems to get rid of the mites.
The medicine we purchased for our dog we noticed he has not been itching and sleeps through the night. He is not fully recovered from mites but the lotion is working.. we decided to use it on ourselves.. I am telling you this dog mange medicine got rid of the intense itching and the bumps and rashes were hardly noticeable the next day..Its called nu-stock…
I got mine tube off ebay.. I believe this dog mange medicine gets rid of all kinds of mites..If you want relief from scabie mites. I would go with this nu-stock..best relief I have gotten since we caught mites.. We are now able to sleep at night…Hopefully once the dog is fully cured we will be too…
just got diagnosed! i got it from my job at a senior home. my employer has told me i cant come back to work until i can get a cleared skin scraping. i am on day two. i have faithfully took hot baths with bleach and applied the cream. bagged everything up and am waiting to be scabies free…wish me luck!
My last post was July 2009. I am not 100% clear but are doing pretty good these days. I think another few months and I will be on cloud 9.
I am now healthier than I have been in years too.
I want to share with you my secret. I reckon I know how these critters work. My theory is these microscopic critters build there homes from tiny cotton fibers they harvest from your clothes, so a tight clothing will help them flourish. hence these colored fibers. Now note they can’t use polyester, I wear polyester as much as possible. They use our skins own natural enzymes glues the fibers together and build a nest. when they go out to harvest they go to the skin surface, and this explains the itching and sharp pin like pains when they burrow through the skin, or when an egg is extruded. Our skin produces salt and the bodies own defense will be to surround the parasite in some crystals, they can live in these gritty crystals.
Ok so now here is what is working for me.
I take slow hot shower to open up the skin pores and gently massage the problem areas. next use a mild shower gel, we don’t want something too strong as it will start to destroy our skins own oils. Rinse off proper. Now your skin will be ready. I use a mixture of cooking oil and olive oil about 50/50, I put it in a spray bottle ready or use it last me about a week. If you want add a few drop eucalyptus or tea tree oil drops its even better olive oil is smelly so a little flavor will make it smell nice too. So while wet apply the oil all over your body hair ears every wear. The critters like creasy areas of your body, you will know what I mean like butt, behind ears in ears, elbows behind knees, breast creases. Massage the oil in, be gentle and take about 5 minutes. Now use a small towel and dry your self all over, be gentle and try not to scrub. Now spend another five minutes to continue massage with your hands and you will start to feel the grit coming out of your skin, collect the grit and rinse it down the skin with little running water. I then rinse out and clean the shower ready for next time. In my room I use a hair drier just to evaporate any surface water. I wait a little time and sense some movement in areas I just rub a little to bring the grit to the surface and just wipe it on a little toilet tissue , which I flush away later.
I have been doing this for about a month and have almost 99% shifted them from body. I can sleep good at night and sometimes when I feeling the crawling sensations at night I spray a little of my mixture and massage. It seems the oils penetrates the skin enough to loosen the glue so the crystals can’t stick.
Now for my eye lids, ears and nose areas I use simple Vaseline petroleum jelly use a pure one so as not to irritate the skin, I feel them pop out sometimes, so wipe with a tissue, and massage a little more . I know these things can even jump because at night I have felts the sensations on my skin. Whenever I feel activity I oil up again, then wash and oil up again. The oil does dry my skin out. so once a week I use a proper skin moisturizer after I have dried off.
I shower twice per day, as soon as I come home from work my clothes go straight into the washing m/c for a maximum wash cycle, mine goes to about 85c. I don’t boil wash any more. don’t forget wash bedding daily. I do one wash cycle per day.
Listen these things will migrate to safe areas like under finger nails and toes, lips and even into your mouth. I know it’s happened to me. For my scalp, I use the oil but rub a tea spoon of vinegar, it smells for a little while but clears quite quickly so I don’t end up smelling like a chip shop at work.
~The final things to note you may notice whenever you touch things like opening a door, pushing a door with fingers, pressing keypad. There will be sharp pin like pains. There are two types to look for. One is a fast prick exit type and pain clears quickly. The second is a sharp prick followed by long burrowing type pain. For the second type I quickly apply the vinegar and rub the oil in. Then I just spray clean object I touched. When I handle food I wear disposable vinyl gloves. I never eat food with my hands. These bugs sense heat, moisture. You know whenever I started washing the dishes, the running water in the sink, was enough to give me crawly sensations on my face and hands. Even making the tea, the hot water steam was enough to excite them. Since I have been doing the oil routine they have stopped almost so ?I know it is working for me. I know its going to take many months and have been battling this for a few years now. I tried to rush and found they just hibernate, So I ended up damaging my skin. take it easy protect your skin and slowly exfoliate these things out, once you got me moving rub the oil in so they can slip out and get smothered. No need to over oil up as you just end up staining all your clothes, bedding, and feeling uncomfortable.
We are up against some tough creatures here. Oh yeah I found when I used strong things like sulfur or lice shampoos, the movement instantly stopped, makes you feel as if your cured. BUT as soon as the chemical wears off they come out again. If what some the texts out there suggest these creatures in there cocoons can survive for years. I daily vacuum my living area. Lastly to fight from within, I eat a boiled egg sandwich 4 or 5 times per week, daily one orange and one banana. I Always take one greens and carrots with my main meals. To keep the healthy vitamins in my system. Sadly I do smoke but I know I will be even healthier when I stop. You know this healthy food diet my eye site has stopped detraining, I wear specs and things got to the point I could not read the print on the computer screen with out changing specs. Now I am back to my original specs which I have had for the past 20 years and can read the print with the same specs.
Finally I keep a brush in your car and brush the gear stick, steering wheel, seats before you get in so no new ones will latch onto your clothes or skin. My work area and chair I brush off too.
I have a very long story about my family’s scabies incident. I am happy that I was able to find a non invasive or chemically harsh treatment that worked so well we have not had an episode of it for the past 2 years and i believe that if you follow the natural scabies remedy we found, rather than trying those harsh chemicals you will find relief.
***I WOULD NOT GET IVERMECTIN FROM A FEED STORE AND USE IT, A DOCTOR CAN GET YOU AN RX AND IT CAN BE ORDERED OVERSEAS. NEVER TAKE MEDS MADE FOR HORSES OR DOGS***
I have had scabies for 2months. I did 4 weeks of treatment with Permethrin 5% with ZERO improvement in my skin.
This is what worked for me:
20min bath every night with 1 cup Borax / 1 cup Baking Soda
Sulfur/Vaseline 10% after bath
All of these can be bought at grocery store.
I have it everywhere…chest, back, armpits, arms, groin, legs, feet. After 2 days, I saw healing. Not completely healed yet, but its the first time I’ve seen healing.
This is the routine:
I washed all clothing, then bagged them and put them away. I only use 2 underwear, 2 sets of socks, 1 change of clothes, 2 sets of PJs (one shirt longsleeve so Vaseline doesnt get on my bedding).
Make a bath with 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Baking soda(it’s good for irritated skin). When I get in bath I hold my nose and ears and get my hair wet in tub. DONT LET THIS BATH WATER GET IN EYES/MOUTH. I turn on water briefly and get it off my face. Next I wash my hair with sulfur shampoo, put in pony tail for 5min, then rinse in tub. I have exfoliating mits and I GENTLY wash my whole body with the sulfur soap/shampoo. Stay in tub total of 20min(I have stopwatch). Make sure your whole body gets soaked.
Then I empty tub and take shower. Put conditioner in my hair and wash briefly with normal soap.
Put on sulfur ointment EVERYWHERE, be careful eyes/mouth duhhhh.
Leave on ointment until next bath treatment.
Borax is awesome, look it up on wikapedia…I have been washing my clothes in it, dishes, and cleaning with it also.
I have been sleeping on a inflatable bed and putting bedding in dryer for 10min before AND after I sleep on it. GOOD LUCK AND DON’T GIVE UP!!!
This is how I got rid of Scabies. It’s the cheapest way and the only way I could get rid of them. If you get lazy, you’ll have them for months or years, but if you listen to what I have to say you can be rid of them in about 2-3 weeks. Scabies live a lot longer than 3 days on clothing, don’t believe that one. I had a robe that I hadn’t worn in a month and it re-infected me. It may be the truth about hard surfaces.
The eggs will hatch every 2 ½ days. People say 3 days, but if you listen to that you’ll never get rid of them. You’ll probably notice new bumps 2 ½ days after the first application. That’s when you need to reapply all the creams, etc. You killed the adults, but the eggs were already under the skin. Now you’re killing the new hatchlings. You need to get rid of them before they lay eggs.
I had them for 6 months and never passed them on to my kids or husband. After you’ve had it for a while, you’ll know the difference between a regular itch and a scabies itch. You’ll continue to itch for about a month after they’re all dead, but if you don’t have new bumps, then you’re healed. I re-infected myself twice. Once at the doctor’s office, and again with a robe I didn’t wash.
Shower daily 1-2 times. Use the body wash and shampoo listed below and then cover your body with sulfur lotion. Use all the products at one time. Start the Ivermectin, Permethrin, Sulfur lotion, body wash, and shampoo on the same day. Have no mercy on those little bugs or they’ll ruin your life.
Avoid shaking hands and hugging people. If you give it to them, they’ll give it right back to you. Tell people that you’ve been working out really hard and your muscles are sore, or tell them you might have poison ivy. That will keep them away for about a month.
Materials List
Raid Spider spray – about $5 a can
Ivermectin – horse wormer 1.87% – about $5 per tube
Permetherin – Cattle spray 10% – about $10
Tea Tree Oil Body Wash
Sulfur Soap – Found at herb store.
Sulfur – yellow comes from a flower – buy at herb store for about $6.
Petroleum Jelly
Favorite Lotion
Bottle of Tea Tree Oil – Pure is best – $10
Laundry – Wash bedding daily until you’ve not seen new bumps for at least a week. Wear disposable gloves when stripping beds. If you have a heavy comforter, take if off your bed and have it drycleaned or throw it away, because it needs to be washed daily and if it’s too big, the hot water can’t saturate the layers. I guarantee it’s infested with the scabies. Don’t wear anything twice without washing and drying it including coats and robes. I never had the scabies on my feet so I didn’t have to wash my shoes, but it was winter and I wore socks always. Wash clothing in HOT water and dry on HOT. When putting dirty clothing of infected people in the washer, use disposable gloves. You don’t want anymore bugs than you’ve already got. Moving wet clothing to dryer you don’t have to wear gloves because the dryer will kill the bugs. Use a fresh pair of gloves every day. Use a different pair of gloves to pull clothing out of dryer and fold it. If you don’t you will re-infect yourself and spread it to your family. Keep infected people’s soiled clothing away from other family members clothing in garbage bags. That way you don’t have to wear gloves all the time you’re loading the washer. Don’t put dirty clothing in the baskets that you’ll use for clean clothing. You’re re-infecting yet again.
I first caught them on my hands. If that’s the place you know that you have them, then don’t touch your bare skin with your hands and keep sulfur lotion on hands at all times.
Body Lotion – Add Sulfur to body lotion. 1 parts sulfur to 10 parts lotion. Keep this lotion on your body all the time. If you are only infected on your hands, use the lotion everywhere anyway, but put it heavily on your hands and slip a pair of disposable gloves over them. Leave like that as long as you can. If anyone asks, tell them you’re deep moisturizing your hands. It really will do that for you so you’re not lying. You can also rub stinky tea tree oil all over yourself.
Shampoo – Put favorite shampoo in a small bottle and add tea tree oil or sulfur. Mix and use on hair and neck. Tea tree oil will make hair oily, sulfur dries it out. Either works to get rid of bugs.
Spider Spray – Spray everything with this stuff. Scabies are in the spider family. Spray mattresses, car seats, steering wheel, carpet next to bed, purse straps, wallet, favorite chair.
Permetherin – Mix 1 part Permetherin with 1 part petroleum jelly. This mixture is the same as the expensive tubes they prescribe at the doctor’s office. Make sure the original Permetherin was 10%, this makes it 5% when you’re done mixing. Apply this mixture every 2 ½ days. It’s been my experience that the bumps came back every 2 ½ days not every 3 days like the government has on their sites. Preferably at night, it will get all over your clothing. Make sure you wash this off the next morning. You shouldn’t keep this on your body for more than 10 hours.
Scratching – DO NOT SCRATCH, if you do, clean out fingernails and cut them back. You are just spreading the bugs everywhere.
Ivermectin – Only use if you can’t get any relief from anything else. I used the Ivermectin and it made my eyes so sensitive to light for about 24 hrs. that I had to wear sunglasses most of the day. If you go this direction, it does work. Take twice the amount you would give a horse that weighs the same as you do. I would not give to children. Take this every 2 ½ days until there are no more bumps. It took me 4 rounds. I think this was the most effective part of my treatment mixed with the sulfur lotion.
Body Wash – Mix favorite body wash with tea tree oil or use sulfur soap.
hey. now i’m in war with this filthy mites…
many treatment i seek.. still waiting for the result in the next couples month..
though… i feel a bit relieved since it seems to me there are no new burrow coming out..
but im will not lessen the measure to keep attacking this mites with Vaseline, sulfur, permethrin and maybe lindae
My marriage is on the rocks. I am convinced that hubby is delusional about having scabies. That being said, here is our story.
We stayed in a really shabby hotel room about 2 months ago. It was the last room in town and we either could stay there or sleep in the car, since we have a small child, we chose the motel room. We woke early and left to a better one. We washed when we got in and changed our clothes.
A few weeks later hubby starts going on about how he is itching. We have treated the whole family multiple times with the cream from the Dr. (appx. 6 times for hubby, 3 or 4 for me, and 2 for our small daughter) I have not seen any rash or marks on any of us, nor do I itch more than the occasional itch from a hair brushing against my skin or something similar. Its definitely NOT a constant itching, and I have no problems sleeping at night. My daughter IMO also doesn’t scratch more often than normal. (hubby watches her like a hawk) He claims that she is. I have asked friends and family to watch us and there opinion is the same as mine. We have spent time in relatives houses and none of them seem to be infected. We also left our home for 10-12 days ( hubby thinks its 10, I think it was longer) and went from hotel room to hotel room, GOOD ones, Best Western or better types. We never stayed more than 2 days in one, and we used the cream the first night and the last night of our trip. We also bagged our clothes and kept dirty in a dirty bag all tied up, and clean in a clean bag. They never touched any furniture unless we were wearing them. We got a rental car, we also sprayed/vacuumed our house and washed ALL the stuff that could be washed before we left and bagged up anything that would fit into a bag. I got a new cheap purse so that it wouldn’t be contaminated, daughter got a new car seat, we all got new shoes (even though they were leather sandles, hubby insisted that they would get in them).
I am at my wits end. We have seen at least 4 different dr.s one being a dermatologist and another being a wise man who was from Africa and had had many experiences with scabies. They all gave the cream, but I feel as if they were doing it as a just in case.
I have had lice a few times as a kid, and I remember how that itched. I know if it was anything like that I would be going nuts. But its not like that at all. and my body has no marks or anything on it. Neither does my daughter. Hubby keeps thinking he sees some on him, but I don’t see anything that dosent look like where he was scratching and all of it goes away in a few hours at most. Please post your thoughts.
Got diagnosed with Scabies a little over 2 weeks ago. My doctor prescribed me with Hydroxyzine (pills to relieve the itching), Permetherin .5% cream (kill off the mites), and Verdeso foam (to help ease the itching). Did my first Permetherin treatment last week. Today was a week after my first treatment and I will put on the cream for a second time for my second treatment. I’m worried though because today I noticed some new bumps in an area that did not have bumps.(I assume the worst) so I think they might be active mites since they took so long to appear (after my first treatment of Perm); so does this mean that the first treatment was ineffective in killing off the mites? Or were they eggs that hatched after the first treatment?
And I’ve discovered areas where my rash is with black spots inside the bumps scattered in areas of my arm and leg. What are these? Should I pick them out?
I’m trying to convince my family members to take the cream for treatment but they refuse to listen to me. None of them had direct skin contact with me, but I was “contageous” for the first couple days returning home (from college) before I was diagnosed/getting treated. Are the chances still high for them contracting this? My boyfriend and I had direct skin contact before I was being treated, and he hasn’t shown any signs/symptoms so I just treated him a week after my first treatment.. so I started my second treatment today, and he started his first.. since I waited to treat him, has this increased my risk of becoming reinfested?
I don’t know how many loads of laundry I’ve done. But I plan on (with gloves) washing ALL the clothes I packed in my luggage (as I touched/packed them while I was infected) that I’ve returned home with, and I wash my sheets daily, and vacuum the carpet daily, and couch. I always make sure to wear long clothing and socks around the house to prevent my skin from touching less surfaces. I try to wipe hard surfaces down with disinfecting wipes but I’m not sure if this is enough.
Bumps appeared on my face after I had been diagnosed, and before I did my first Permetherin treatment. Am I allowed to put the Permetherin cream on my face? My doctor had directed for me to put it on the chin down to the feet. Would it be safe to put it on my face? Also my scalp (haven’t felt it been itchy) but should I put the Permetherin on my scalp too?
I am so frustrated. I’m stuck at home cleaning and worrying, I’ve been dealing with this ugly looking rash, I can’t wear my clothes and it’s so beautiful and warm outside. I feel like such a monster always being covered up. I want to see my friends again and want to get rid of this horrible thing.
my boyfriend got them from staying at a friends house, then he came over to my house and he kept itching but he said it was from dry skin. and then i started itching a couple weeks later. i’ve used the permethrin 5% and cleaned everything and got rid of them. & my boyfriend thought he did too, well he didn’t and gave them back to me
and ever since then i havn’t been able to get rid of them. i’ve used the cream about 5 more times and even covered my body in bleach and bathed in bleached to the point it started burning. i don’t know what to do.
every time i try a new treatment, i wash my bedding, vacuum my floors, mattres, and pillows. i wash all of my clothes and never used dirty towels or anything. i’ve even bought several pairs of new flip flops. i don’t know how to clean the seats of my car. I’m thinking that’s how i keep getting them back. it’s either from my car, or my purse. idk how to clean my purse. i’ve switched back and fourth. but i only have two purses. and they are both leather. idk what to do and after reading some of these other stories, i started crying. i’ve had scabies for about 6 months and don’t know how to get rid of it.
my boyfriend has now gotten rid of it and REFUSES to see me until i do. it’s been about 3 months since i’ve seen him 
how do i clean them out of my car and my purse?? please help please! 
Hi…my family has been inflicted with scabies twice in 5 years. what I have found is doctors still believe one treatment of elimite kills them. eliminate was invented in the 1950s. these parasites have had over 60 years to evolve and become resistant.
and yes it is sad that doctors are treating us like we are crazy. what i have found that works is slow and steady wins the race. it’s not like head lice where one treatment and washing of bedding and your done….well…that’s if you have boys and can cut hair short. Girls are harder…i know.
first step: get eliminate from your doctor or pediatrician for your family. this decreases their population by about 80%. But you still have them in your skin, deep body fat and environment. don’t plan on getting anymore elimite. most doctors are too afraid to prescribe too much eliminate. a second treatment 10-14 days apart can make you extremely sick and nauseous.
second step: order sulfur soap online. if you can handle it…do the sulfur ointment but unfortunely for my family…we had severe reactions to the ointment and got sulfur burns..we did test spots and waited…within 10 minutes…we were all on fire. Fortunately we had hydrcortisone 10 cream in the house. We rinsed and put it on our test spots. The rash went away within 5 minutes. But the sulfur soap was mild enough we could use it. So just trade out your regular soap for sulfur soap.
third step: cover beds in plastics…furniture too..if you can afford to. You can get plastic at your local hardware store fairly priced (paint section is usally the cheapest) or go to target and get vinyl mattress covers for $10-$20 bucks. you will use alot of duck tape if you go the hardware route. order perethrin 10% (martins) and nylar/precor (some type of growth inhibitor..too keep them from laying more eggs in your environment.) Spray bedframes, carpets, molding, furniture and 3 feet up the walls with it….every other weekend.
fourth step: wash bedding every week using ammonia and borax. Shop around. you can get borax for $3 bucks at target and ammonia for $1.19 at walmart. Also wash all your clothes in it as well. So just replace your wisk/tide with borax detergent and ammonia. No extra money there. Dry everything you can on high heat. Don’t forget to wash pillows in ammonia and borax…dry and cover in plastic. We just used large trash bags for this. cheaper than buying vinyl pillow covers. my kids are older…so I don’t worry about the plastic. Buy be careful if you have young children. Buy the vinyl pillow covers.
sadly, benedryl, neem lotion and hand santizer is the only things that help the itch. Hand santizer will burn if they are trying to get away and burrow in your skin. But just blow or put a fan on your skin…knowing you are killing the suckers. Plus you are keeping out infection from the feces they leave behind.
Additional step: you can rake borax detergent and table salt into your carpet as well. vaccuum up excess…so it doesn’t get on your kids.
In the morning, shower with your sulfur soap. Use hand santizer on your body 40-60% alchohol on body. At night shower with sulfur soap and put neem lotion all over body(3ml-5ml of neem oil to 100 ml of lotion…mix your own). I get non greasy lotion from walgreens for $3 bucks. And ordered neem oil from garden store. Just make sure it is 100% neem oil…with no inert ingredients. Neem lotion kills them too but mostly keeps them from maturing into adults and prevents them for laying more eggs. So the ones that live through the treatment may itch for a couple weeks but will soon die off without reproducing. Put on your pjs on and slip into safe plastic protected bed. Try not to think of it as a bug but just dust mites. It helps. Keep your neem lotion and hand santizer by your night stand. I put both products in disposeable tupperware with lids. So I make enough for all 5 family members to use at their convenience during the night on their night stands. Try to alternate neem lotion and hand santizer…using one too much can make you nauseous.
Lastly, once you know you have the numbers down. order horse paste (100% ivermectin) ($2.50 per tube)and take the amount for your body weight…no more. Do not double and triple doses on any medication. Doing so… on even over the counter medicines can kill you. Be sensible. For yourself and your family. And never give ivermectin to small children. Just keep giving your kids sulfur soap baths. it is safer. My youngest son is 13 but weighs only 95 lbs. So he doesn’t get ivermectin. Plus he doesn’t have alot of body fat for them to hide and bury in. If you feel leery or unsafe in anyway…don’t do without checking with a physician!
Ivermectin always seemed to be the turning point for us. We could actually see our body fat lump up under the skin when the ivermectin was working.
Each time we got them, it took different amounts of time to rid ourselves of it. the first 6 months. the second, two months. It just depends on how long you have had them to begin with.
And dont forget to treat your animals once a week with ivomec, revolution or heartguard. Once a week for 4-6 weeks. And seperate your animals from your kids and indoor environment if you can. Like a garage or spare bathroom. Check with your vet on how to properly treat your pets if you are scared. Ivomec put on a dog who already has heart worms can kill him. So even be safe with your pets. I couldn’t afford a vet…so I called a vet assistant and pleaded for her help. They often times know as much as a vet. And she helped with everything over the phone telling what to buy from the feed store to even the right suringe to use.
Sadly, I have never been the type to clean, clean, clean. But I did buy clorox wipes and put ammonia in a squirt bottle and wipe down keyboards, computers, desk, door knobs, stair rails…basically anything you touch regularly. I also bought and new purse/makeup bag since I touch it daily. I also put all my papers like bills…. in microwave a nuked them 30 seconds to minute just to feel safe. Wiped credit cards with ammonia with paper towels. And soaked all the stuffed toys I could not wash like legos in bleach 10 minutes.
Lastly, try to find the source. hand me down couch, clothes …etc. Also check your garage/attic for mouse droppings or bird nest. and treat your yard in case they are coming from your lawn.
First time, we got them from a friend who breeded dogs. Second time, we had mice in our attic. We also heard baby birds chirping in attic…so we had our vents covered just to be safe.
I am male, 47, single, from a “clean” family, where my brother and I never had so much as a wart, like other little kids had, on their fingers.
Bought a used bed in Dec 2003, used it for 1.5 yrs without incident. Then moved to a smaller place, May 2005, so used my old twin bed for 2.5 yrs. Moved to current place Nov. 2007 and brought the full size bed out of storage, in my brother’s clean basement, in a brand-new house, into my current residence.
Had no issues from Nov 2007 thru at least Nov 2009. The only public lodging I stayed in was a nice clean hotel in Chicago, Aug 2008.
As of Christmas 2009, still no issues. By Feb 1st, 2010, had a “bite” on right wrist. It went down. Began to have bites on both forearms and both thighs, despite never having been in a hot tub (one reported source of scabies infestations) and being celibate since 1997! So it’s not just a sexually transmitted disease.
For all of Feb and half of March, I thought it was bed bugs, and thus was missing valuable time to treat. After satisfying myself that it was not bedbugs, (which can much more readily be seen than scabies) I went to the doctor, where scabies was diagnosed, (visual only–no scrapings.)
Used a tube of Permethrin on entire body except scalp, a big mistake. Used entire tube, which is really too much.
Continued to see new bites, amid the many slow-fading lesions. Doc prescribed 2nd tube of Permethrin with orders to use only on scalp until at least two wks had elapsed, as its absorption rate can poison a person.
Used on scalp, but never entire body surface. Did use it as a spot treatment on new bites, tho, till it was used up.
For months now, have been taking at least five long baths weekly, before bed, with borax, which is very soothing and leaves one feeling smooth and not oily, net not dry skinned.
Have done more laundry in last 3 months than in past 3 years, it seems. Never using a towel twice, etc. The problem is under control, but not totally eradicated.
A new bite will appear maybe once a week, which I now treat with Tea Tree oil, as the doc won’t prescribe more Permethrin for awhile.
Life is better, but not 100%. My pillow goes in the freezer every morning, to be pulled out at bedtime. Linens are quarantined in an unused room. The fear that it will return is bad. The hiding of one’s forearms with long sleeves in summer is unbearable.
72 hrs ago, wrapped the mattress in 3 layers of clear food wrap, and put fresh linens on. The extra foam rubber cushion helps me not feel the stickiness of a plastic coated mattress thru the mattress pad. (The foam rubber thing had been quarantined the entire time, so was just put back into use after the mattress was wrapped.)
Wish I could be sure the problem was solved. Have also used lice shampoo twice, and would like to move the TV out of the bath zone, back into the living room where it belongs. (I have not spent appreciable time “living” in my living room since Feb 1st.
Failed to get a part time job waiting tables, as I took myself out of consideration, due to the short-sleeve uniform and my unsightly arms.
a boy was left alone in a house infested with mites and he was taken to hospital with severe scabies which covered his body at the age of four. Now in his mid thirties his body resemble that of some one who received cigarette burns. My question is. Does scabies of a severe nature look like cigarette burn scars taking into account the boy is an adult now?
Scabies made my life miserable. I had to miss exams, tell everyone I had touched to get checked and explain at length what scabies was, spend my life washing linen and clothes, and spend sleepless nights itching and imagining the mites crawling under my skin, making burrows and laying eggs. Then I had post-scabies syndrome for months, and now I have it AGAIN. What has helped me also is taking TEA TREE OIL baths with lots of oil, it disinfects the skin and kills scabies. Scabies made me DEPRESSED, MISERABLE, AND HAUNTS ME ON A DAILY BASIS. I’ll never forget these moments of pain, endless tears, paranoia and HYSTERIA.
BERRYQ,
I am very thankful for your suggestion and detailed description of your experience. I now know what these ‘critters’ are and can not thank you enough for taking the time to put your feed back on this site. I wrote a very long blog and it did not go through very upsetting it took me forever. I would like to ask BERRYQ if we could be in contact via email you really explained your story.
To the suffers on this site
I was fighting scabies for awhile spent countless nights awake in tears. I now know this is not scabies so please refer to BERRYQ last insert on this site for his remedy 50/50 vegetable oil and olive oil. Its worth a try to really know if you have scabies or this horrid creature new to us… take care all I know how bad we suffer and want answers.
Please. I beg that if anyone knows how to get rid of scabies fast or at least for a single day tell me. My graduation… It’s this Wednesday. I’m a girl and I am going to wear a dress. .. But the scabies are all over my legs. I don’t want to go looking like a monster. I’ve been to the hospital three times already. Nothing is working. I need help and fast please. If anyone knows anything that can at least alleviate me for a day tell me. I won the fifth place in my school award. I don’t want to miss my graduation but I also don’t want to look like a monster. Please I beg if anyone knows anything please tell me. Thank you
Spencer,
Try Canolia oil 1/2 part with 1/2 part olive oil like Berryg posted on this website. It worked great for me.. Thank you BERRYG
shower once a day in dog flea & tick shampoo that has permethrin in it. wash you clothes, sheets, towels, rugs & pillows in HOT water and dry in a HOT dryer. any carpet, mattresses or furniture can be sprayed with flea & tick spray for the home. take 2 (two) benedryl at bedtime for itching…and zyrtec in the mornings. treat everyone in the home, whether they show symptoms or not. quarantine yourselves, if possible for as long as possible…at least 36 hours. good luck to anyone who has this. it’s HORRIBLE!!
This stuff drives you right to the brink of insanity. Two treatments of permethrin cream worked for me. Just make sure ya be very cautious and be sure to wash everything that came into contact with your skin, as reinfection is an overwhelming probability if you don’t do so. Also, if you have it, being intimate is a bad idea. My girlfriend got infected in this way.
I’ve was misdiagnosed at the age of 27. I’m now 42…I am realizing I have scabies. The mites have laid eggs in my scalp – in the “soft” spot on my crown. I may have gotten this when I was a baby. In any case, I have gone to numerous dermatologists and they all said it was sebhorreic dermatitis or psoriasis. I have done research on fungus for over a year, thinking that was the cause. Then, I noticed that sometimes the scabs on my head clear after about a month or two and then new scabs form. This is the hatching of new mites and then they burrow in a new place to lay eggs. About 3 weeks ago, I adopted a regiment of bleach bathing, clove oil and MSM on my scalp and face. I am washing clothes with bleach. I’ll keep posting on my updated condition….some days are better than others. If I pay close attention, I now feel little “bites” that I never noticed before….
I contracted it again. I read on another site about baths of 3 cups of Borax, 2 cups of Epsom Salt, and 2 cups of Peroxide. Make the bath as hot as you can stand and soak for 30 minutes. I also added Neem oil to my lotion. I also used cattle permethrin mixed with equal parts of Vaseline.
On the cdc’s website it says that they’re hatched and it takes 2 weeks for them to become adults and lay their own eggs. That’s why doctors tell you to use Permethrin and then use it again in 7 days. You’re killing nymphs that can’t breed yet. Follow this rule.
If you are cured you will still get bumps and itch for a while. If you get the zigzag lines or raised bumps where they’re burrowing, that’s how you know that you’re not cured.