Lindane Side Effects

Serious side effects

• seizures
• drowsiness
• headache
• shaking of your body that you cannot control
• dizziness

Common side effects

• hair loss
• dry skin
• skin rash
• numbness or tingling of the skin
• itching or burning  skin

Warnings & Recalls for Lindane

Black Box Warning

Lindane can cause fatal seizures. People who are more likely to to have serious side effects include: babies, children, the elderly, those who weight less than 110 lb, and people with skin conditions like psoriasis, rashes, scabby skin, or broken skin. Only your doctor can determine if these people should take lindane if need be. Should not be used to treat premature babies or people who have or have ever had seizures, especially if the seizures are hard to control.

Other warnings

Lindane is only for patients who can't tolerate or have failed the first line of treatment with safer medications for the treatment of scabies or lice. There have been rare cases of seizures and death. Most patients who experienced these severe side effects due to using too much lindane, for too long or too often. There were some patients who still experienced these severe side effects even when they used lindane as directed. Be sure to follow directions carefully because lindane can cause serious side effects if too much is used or for too long or too often. Don't do a second treatment even if you still have any lingering symptoms, as you may be itchy for several weeks after treatment. Drugs that may interact with lindane:

• antidepressants (mood elevators);
• antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), gatifloxacin (Tequin), gemifloxacin (Factive), imipenem/cilastatin (Primaxin), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), nalidixic acid (NegGram), norfloxacin (Noroxin), ofloxacin (Floxin), and penicillin;
• chloroquine sulfate;
• isoniazid (INH, Laniazid, Nydrazid);
• medications for mental illness;
• medications that suppress the immune system such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), and tacrolimus (Prograf);
• meperidine (Demerol);
• methocarbamol (Robaxin);
• neostigmine (Prostigmin);
• pyridostigmine (Mestinon, Regonol);
• pyrimethamine (Daraprim);
• radiographic dyes;
• sedatives;
• sleeping pills;
• tacrine (Cognex);
• theophylline (TheoDur, Theobid).

Family planning

Do not use on premature infants. The FDA categorizes lindane as a category C pregnancy. Lindane should only be given to pregnant women if its clearly needed. There aren't any known maternal or fetal health risks if scabies or lice aren't treated. Lindane is lipophilic and may accumulate in the placenta. There has been one single case report of a stillborn infant because of multiple maternal exposures to lindane during the pregnancy. Maternal exposures to the fetal outcome is a relationship that is still unknown. There has been animal data that lindane exposure to the fetus may increase likelihood of neurologic developmental abnormalities.

Lindane Treatment and Use

What is Lindane?

Linade is the second alternative to treat lice and scabies. It should only used if other medications have failed. It is mainly used to treat, not prevent, lice.

How does Lindane work?

Lindane is used only once as a shampoo that is applied to the hair and scalp, and as a lotion that is applied to the skin. It works by killing the lice and their eggs within 4 minutes, and it will kill mites and their eggs within 8-12 hours.

Dosage information

When applying lindane to yourself or to someone else, be sure to wear gloves made of nitile, sheer vinyl, or latex with neoprene. Don’t use gloves made of natural latex because it won’t prevent lindane from reaching your skin. Be sure to throw away the gloves and wash your hands well when you are finished.

Lotion

Lindane lotion is only used to treat scabies, not to treat lice. Be sure your fingernails are trimmed and your skin is clean, dry and free of other oils, lotions or creams. If you bathe or shower, wait an hour before applying to allow your skin to cool. Shake bottle well and apply some lotion onto a toothbrush which you will use to apply the lotion under your fingernails. Dispose of the toothbrush properly and never use again. You’re going to apply a thin layer of lotion all over your skin, don’t miss a spot. Dispose of the bottle and whatever lotion is left, don’t save for later. Be sure to put on loose fitting clothing, nothing tight or plastic. Leave on for 8-12 hours, no longer than this because it won’t kill any more scabies but may cause seizures or other serious side effects. Don’t let anyone touch you during this time period because they may be harmed by the lotion. After 8-12 hours, wash off all the lotion with warm water, not hot water.

Shampoo

Only for pubic lice and head lice, not for scabies. Wash hair with regular shampoo 1 hour prior to applying lindane and dry it completely. Don’t use any creams, oils, or conditioners on the affected area. Shake lindane shampoo well and apply just enough to make your hair, scalp, and the small hairs on the back of the neck wet. If you have pubic lice apply in pubic area and the skin underneath. You may not use the whole bottle so whatever is leftover throw away in the trash, don’t save any for later. Leave on for exactly 4 minutes, as it won’t prove more effective with more time on the scalp, and may cause seizures or other serious side effects. Keep hair uncovered during the 4 minutes and at the end use a small amount of warm water to lather the shampoo, do not use hot water. Wash all of the shampoo off with warm water. Dry your hair with a clean towel and comb your hair with a fine tooth comb to remove nits. Someone will probably need to help you with this.

Afterwards be sure to sanitize all the clothing, underwear, pajamas, sheets, pillowcases, and towels that you may have used recently. Should be washed in very hot water or dry cleaned. There may be some itching after a successful treatment, do not reapply.

Other Names for Lindane

Brand name

• Gamene^®


• Kwell^®


• Scabene^®

Generic name

• lindane topical

Lawsuits & Legal Information for Lindane