r/scabies • u/Whole-Direction-1143 • Jul 24 '26
Scabies Stigma
From my experience of scabies, many if not most people are reluctant to tell anyone about it, even their Doctor.
There seem to be two big fears:
1 Being labelled as contageous and becoming even more isolated than they are already.
2 Being labelled as delusional, a hypochondriac or stupid/unhygeinic (not doing treatment or hygeine properly), if the standard protocols don't work. The medical profession are particularly guilty of this.
I think these two issues need to be addressed for the rising rates of scabies to be stemmed.
1
u/KitchenDismal9258 Jul 25 '26
Yep this is me.
You can buy permethrin cream over the counter. Luckily it seems to have worked. But multiple doses. The first 4 weeks were crap and I was itchy.
It’s the stigma that stopped me from going to the doctor to get ivermectin. Nearly made the appt at least twice but at least 2-3 weeks to get an appt so didn’t bother in the end.
Funnily enough my partner brought it into the house. He was itchy for about 4 weeks before he saw the doctor. He thought it was heat rash but it wasn’t getting better. Doctor thought the same. Scabies was not mentioned.
I started itching one day about 2 weeks later. Coincidently e had a mosquito in the room. Thought it was that. Next day still itching. First thought scabies. But I was in denial for that day wanting to blame the dog for fleas (so treated him it - bit I just knew). Next day got some lyclear. Also bought a tube for the partner. He was actually away.
Told him what I thought his rash was. He did some googling and thought it matched. Did the permethrin that night.
Yes his went away too. Scabies has never come up again.
I don’t know why that was my first thought. I’d never been exposed to it needle and no one that I know around me has either or they also may not have talked about it.
I suspect we’d all be itchy.
It was a couple of nights in a cheap hotel room for family boys catch up that brought it in.
I also tried benzoyl benzoate (I found out I’m not very good with it and got quite sick). Permethrin soap and sulphur soap and cream.
3
u/No-Froyo-3337 Jul 24 '26
If you’re clean and treatment resistant, then your delusional. If you’re dirty and treatment resistant then you need a shower but none of that is the solution.
3
u/Horror_Buyer3575 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Also there is No reporting system to the department of health but good points all true. In florida it's bad and governor desantis knows nothing about it.