Urgent scabies care

August 3, 2012 1:29 PM

I have all the symptoms of scabies and no doctors are able to see me until September. What do I do???

I need to get scabies medication, but no doctors will see me until September. None of the urgent cares I've called have the ability to diagnose it. What can I do??????? I'm seriously freaking out!

posted by puppetsock to health & fitness (14 answers total)

I'm in the good ole USA, btw.
posted by puppetsock at 1:32 PM on August 3, 2012

Have you actually gone IN to an urgent care facility, rather than just calling?
posted by Specklet at 1:35 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]

They will need to do a scraping to test for the bugs. I would go in anyway and get the cream.
posted by wandering_not_lost at 1:39 PM on August 3, 2012

Where are you located? Do you have insurance?
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:43 PM on August 3, 2012

Visit an Urgent Care center anyway; if you present with the rash, itching, etc. they'll almost certainly give you a prescription to tide you over, even if they don't have the lab to officially diagnose it.
posted by scody at 1:57 PM on August 3, 2012 [6 favorites]

Do you have a reason to believe you have scabies? If so, you should be able to get the cream anyway. For my sister, two of her boyfriend's housemates (in a frat house) had it. Her boyfriend never had them, and neither did she, but both got the permethrin cream to apply. (Neither ever had a positive diagnosis.)

Try your local CVS, Walgreen's, or Duane Reade - all three have some version of a "Minute Clinic". If you go in and say, "here are my symptoms, here are why I believe I have scabies", they should give you the cream.

And I think permethrin is toxic to pets, so be careful with that. Once you've done the treatment, dump every dirty thing (sheets, blankets, clothes, clothes that have touched suspect clothes, etc) into the hottest wash cycle you can.
posted by quadrilaterals at 2:15 PM on August 3, 2012 [5 favorites]

Not going to weigh in on whether you actually have it, but here's what you do if you do.

OTC lice shampoo has the same active ingredient as the Rx scabies gel, though at a lower concentration. To use the gel, you apply it over EVERY SINGLE SQUARE CENTIMETER of your (external) body, including between the toes, behind the ears. Do this immediately after a shower. Rinse off the following morning.

Because of the lower concentration of the active ingredient, you may need to do this more than once. Wait at least a few days between treatments.

When I had scabies (and didn't have health insurance) I successfully got rid of them this way.

Obligatory: Not a doctor, not a pharmacist, etc.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:50 PM on August 3, 2012

I had the symptoms of scabies. I went into a Minute Clinic, as suggested by quadrilaterals. They would not give me the cream, based on their own diagnosis that I was right, and it was probably scabies. They didn't appear to have this level of whateverness that was required to write the prescription.

However, armed with them confirming it, I was able to call my doctor's office and get them to prescribe it to me, without actually ever setting foot in the doctor's office or urgent care.

Also, clean the hell out of EVERYTHING, or you will just reinfect yourself with your own sheets.
posted by instead of three wishes at 2:52 PM on August 3, 2012

I went to the clinic, was prescribed the cream despite the receptionist telling me via the phone they'd be unable to diagnose it, and GOD BLESS YOU METAFILTER.
posted by puppetsock at 3:11 PM on August 3, 2012 [6 favorites]

I have been treated for scabies. The doctor told me that she wasn't sure but I wont hurt to just treat me for it. I would say, just get a subscription somehow and try it out.


PS: I actually never had scabies. But had become gluten intolerant.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 3:14 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've had scabies. If the clinic didn't tell you this, you need to treat all of your bedding for 24-48 hours. Put it in the freezer in a garbage bag is what they told me. Take every step you can to not get reinfected (organisms are laying eggs inside your wrists!). Even after I froze my bedding for two days, I would still take it to the laundromat and wash everything as hot as possible.

Take care to get rid of it so that it doesn't come back. Good luck!
posted by bendy at 1:10 AM on August 4, 2012

Glad you had success puppet sock. If you're having terrible itching in between your fingers or some equally suspicious story, we often diagnose it clinically without actually sending the skin scrapings.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 1:14 AM on August 4, 2012

When I first adopted workerdog from a shelter, she had sarcoptic mange, which is a canine scabies infection. My vet told me that skin scrapings often came back with false negative results, so he just treated her. If the treatment clears you up, I'd consider the matter closed.
posted by workerant at 11:29 AM on August 4, 2012

Following up: scabies is cured and I am no longer itchy. Thanks again for the brilliant idea of actually going into the clinic!
posted by puppetsock at 3:57 PM on August 8, 2012