'Svale 26' asked: "Does Ivermectin kill demodex and how shold I take it and
for how long?"


Hi. Without going into the long and complicated history Ivermectin has on
this board, here's a summary of the main info.

There's great controversy over whether or not demodex play much of a role in
rosacea. One argument is that for most rosaceans, the mites are irrelevant.

Some people apply strong creams to kill the mites. There are arguments over
whether this does more harm than good through irritating sensitive skin. (I
haven't used any of the creams, so am not expressing a personal opinion.)

This time last year, it was suggested here
< http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/rosacea-support/message/63536 >
that using Ivermectin to eliminate demodex might potentially help 30% - 40%
of rosaceans, but probably only worth trying if you fit into one of these
categories:

- symptoms don't respond to other treatments
- angry face syndrome or severe skin hypersensitivity
- steroid rosacea
- large, clogged pores

Dr Nase wrote: "There is one almost sure fact -- if you have rhinophyma or
excess sebum production or keratin plugging in the nose area, then you
probably have more than 5 mites per gland (this is the value that is
considered to be pathogenic). 5 mites per gland plus increased facial heat
causes the release of lipase which can dilate blood vessels and cause nose
swelling and fibrosis."

In this message
< http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/rosacea-support/message/63682 >

Dr Nase explained that Ivermectin has been used for decades by hundreds of
thousands of people. My doctor assured me that it is one of the safest
medications he knows, and my symptoms fitted into the category where it was
worth a try.


To give the drug a clear field, I discontinued my previous daily regime of
20 mg isotretinoin (a generic Accutane) and 10 minutes with a Dermalux
all-red LED lamp. Together, they had been calming and healing my skin, but
neither were strong enough to stop the clogging of the pores, which
generally led to pustules. (This was mainly in a patch of acne-pitted skin
that had very deep dermabrasion almost 20 years ago, long before I got
rosacea.)

Anyway, my pustular rosacea fitted into the category where it was probably
worth a try, so I took Ivermectin for a fortnight. Initial results were
brilliant. No side effects at all, and within just a few days, swelling
deflated, the skin was pale, the pores emptied and shrank. My skin was
almost clear. I was really thrilled. But the pore-clogging started up again
within days of stopping the drug. Two months later, my skin had settled at
around 50% improvement, but the pores were still bad.

I always wondered if a longer course might have done the trick, so a few
months ago decided to do a whole month's trial. Saw an even quicker
improvement, but after about two and a half weeks, it all suddenly reversed
and went backwards really fast. Persevered for a few more days, then gave up
completely.

I would rather NOT advise on types of Ivermectin to try or dosages. All of
that is in the archives.

Now I mainly only use my LED lamp and 10mg - 20mg generic isotretinoin. Few
people would like to have my skin, but most of the time I'm quite happy with
it, since the trend is towards slow but steady improvement.

Kind regards,

Aurelia