Henni from Kouvola tested a horrible-smelling horse cream for his itch – This is what happened – 2024-02-28 00:06:29

Henni wants to dispel the shame associated with scabies infection. Henni Setälä

from Kouvola Henni Setälä says that he treated the symptoms he suspected of being scabies with Bionix cream intended for horses.

Bionix is ​​an itch cream intended for horses, which is used to treat skin symptoms in horses. According to Puuilo, who sells the cream, Bionix contains benzyl benzoate and can be used for symptoms caused by the sun and insects in horses.

In Finland, two different medicines are mainly used to treat scabies: permethrin cream and ivermectin tablets.

Setälä also tried them first, but they didn’t help his itching. Setälä visited the health center after his unsuccessful treatments.

The nurses did not find ticks under the skin. The diagnosis was missed. Setälä says that he had all the symptoms pointing to scabies. Without a diagnosis, he couldn’t get a prescription for oral scabies medication.

Communications director of Apteekkariliitto Erkki Kostiainen reminds that the cream meant for horses should not be used on human skin under any circumstances.

– I really don’t recommend it.

According to Kostiainen, the effects and dangers of the cream intended for horses, especially in long-term use, are not known because the cream is not intended for humans.

Ineffective cream

Setälä says that he first tried to treat his suspected scabies with an ordinary scabies cream intended for humans. However, the scabies cream intended for humans worked for itching.

– It took about three bottles. That’s about three dozen each bottle and they cost more than a hundred euros. It simply didn’t work.

Iltalehti also reports that the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (Hus) has seen more and more patients for whom previous scabies treatments have not been effective. Permethrin, which is used as a scabies medicine, no longer works as reliably, say doctors and patients.

Since Setälä did not receive a scurvy diagnosis from the health center, she was left alone with itching and an ineffective cream. He did not receive an oral prescription medicine.

– Then I went online and googled information. I found Finns’ experiences with this horse cream. Many had said that they had tested it and that it worked, so I decided to give it a try.

Maybe cut

Setälä says that the scabies cream meant for humans didn’t really smell or feel anything on the skin. The cream intended for horses had a strong “horrible” smell that stuck to sheets and clothes.

– But at that stage, when the itching is bad, it’s not even interesting.

He describes the cream as making him feel better right after the first night.

– The next day there was no itching at all. There may have been a bit of phantom itching, but the real itching disappeared almost immediately.

He used the cream for three days straight and took a week off. He repeated the treatment three times. In addition to this, he cleaned his apartment meticulously several times, and did not use his car during the treatment period, for example.

– I didn’t know any proper instructions on how to use it.

Setälä says that in about a month, he was really sure that the scabies symptoms he suspected had completely disappeared.

Shame and excuses

Setälä says that the time was mentally difficult for him. He says that, especially at the beginning, he felt a lot of shame about the scabies he might have.

– It was really tough mentally, because I didn’t dare to tell anyone about it right away. If someone asked to visit, you had to come up with all the excuses why you couldn’t go. Of course, I didn’t want to endanger others, just in case it caught on.

Setälä wants to speak openly about the matter in order to raise awareness of the symptoms referring to scabies and the fact that the recommended treatments are not always effective. He also wants to dispel the shame associated with scabies. He criticized the high price of the medicated ointment.

Kostiainen, the communications director of the pharmacists’ association, also says that the best solution would be for the sickness benefit to be included in the Kela compensation.