Safety of topical medications for scabies and lice in pregnancy

Abstract

Medications should be employed with caution in women of childbearing age. Topical medications have little systemic absorption. Therefore, they are considered safer than oral or parenteral agents and less likely to be embryotoxic or fetotoxic. However, their safety profile must be assessed cautiously as the available data are limited. In this article, we aggregate human and animal studies to provide recommendations on using topical anti-scabies and anti-lice therapy in pregnancy.

Keywords

• Ivermectin
• lice
• permethrin
• pregnancy
• scabies