Information for the public

Summary of possible benefits and harms

Summary of possible benefits and harms

How well does ivermectin work?

In normal scabies, 1 study found that ivermectin worked better than a dummy treatment (this is also known as a 'placebo' and doesn't have any active ingredient).

Studies that compared ivermectin with permethrin (the first choice treatment for scabies) have produced mixed results. There have been 6 studies: ivermectin didn't work as well as permethrin in 3 studies, and was found to be about as good as permethrin in 3 studies.

Ivermectin has also been compared with benzyl benzoate (but this isn't used much anymore). Ivermectin worked better than benzyl benzoate in 1 study, was about as good as benzyl benzoate in 3 studies, and didn't work as well as it in 1 study.

No studies have compared ivermectin with malathion.

No studies have compared ivermectin with other treatments in people with crusted scabies. Small studies have found that ivermectin can cure crusted scabies, but people often took 2 or 3 doses of ivermectin 1 or 2 weeks apart, or took ivermectin and also applied a cream or lotion (for example, permethrin) to their body.

What are the possible harms or side effects?

In the studies, fewer than 1 in 10 people who were taking ivermectin to treat normal scabies had any of the following side effects:

  • symptoms getting worse (including itching)

  • irritation of the skin

  • headache

  • feeling sick

  • rash

  • cellulitis (a skin infection)

  • tummy pain

  • mild diarrhoea.

Please note that the results of the research studies only indicate the benefits and harms for the population in the studies. It is not possible to predict what the benefits and harms will be for an individual patient being treated with ivermectin.