Tuesday, February 14, 2012

New Prescription Lice Treatment

     Lice is a frustrating condition. I know it brings on a major "ick!" factor for parents and children. At the Hilliard Pediatrics website there is a protocol about lice treatment here.
     There is a new prescription only medication called Natroba (r) by ParaPRO. If the over the counter medications do not work, this is an option. Potentially we can call this in to the pharmacy during regular office hours or after seeing your child here in the office. It is approved for children 4 years of age and above. It is applied to the hair for 10 minutes then washed off with warm water. You reapply the Natroba (it is a "suspension") in a week if you still see live lice. Because Natroba kills live lice and the nits, nit combing is not required. One huge drawback: the cash price (with no insurance coverage for the prescription) is almost $300. This price will likely drop over time and the insurance coverage will improve. It remains an option, however.
     Our most used generic prescription strength lice treatment is malathion (the generic of Ovide), which often works when the over the counter medications do not work. It is less expensive than the Natroba at this time.

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