Over-the-counter medication · Topical Antiparasitic
permethrin
Also sold as Elimite, Nix. This medicine treats head lice.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 1,707
- FDA reportsRarely reported
- $0.23
- Generic price (NADAC)
permethrin (Elimite) is an over-the-counter Topical Antiparasitic. This medicine treats head lice.
Permethrin cream rinse is a medicine that kills lice and their eggs. You put it on your hair to treat head lice.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.23/unit
Generic Available
Yes (4 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
This medicine treats head lice.
Common side effects
Itching, Rash, Redness
Key warnings
No specific warnings noted. Always follow your prescriber's instructions.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from permethrin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Permethrin works by affecting the nervous system of lice. This causes the lice to become paralyzed and die. It also kills the eggs.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 1,707 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for permethrin, by number of reports
- Pruritus
Pruritus
139 reports
- Pain
Pain
92 reports
- Rash
Rash
78 reports
- Headache
Headache
75 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
74 reports
- Dry Skin
Dry Skin
71 reports
- Alopecia
Alopecia
69 reports
- Anxiety
Anxiety
69 reports
- Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
67 reports
- Diarrhoea 54
Diarrhoea
54 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for permethrin each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where permethrin sits
permethrin has more FDA adverse-event reports than 11% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is permethrin; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 1,707 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
1,707
Reports Mentioning Death
59
3.5% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
228
Top Indication
Lice Infestation
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | PRURITUS | 139 |
| 4 | PAIN | 92 |
| 5 | RASH | 78 |
| 6 | HEADACHE | 75 |
| 7 | NAUSEA | 74 |
| 8 | DRY SKIN | 71 |
| 9 | ALOPECIA | 69 |
| 10 | ANXIETY | 69 |
| 11 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 67 |
| 12 | DIARRHOEA | 54 |
| 13 | FATIGUE | 53 |
| 14 | INAPPROPRIATE SCHEDULE OF PRODUCT ADMINISTRATION | 51 |
| 16 | INAPPROPRIATE SCHEDULE OF DRUG ADMINISTRATION | 49 |
| 17 | DYSPNOEA | 48 |
| 18 | EMOTIONAL DISTRESS | 48 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Common Questions
How do I know if I have lice?
How do I apply the cream rinse?
Do I need to comb out the nits?
What if I still see lice after treatment?
Can I use conditioner with this medicine?
How often should I check for lice after treatment?
Can other people in my house get lice?
What should I do with the comb after using it?
Can I use this on my eyebrows or eyelashes?
What do I do if the medicine gets in my eyes?
What are the common side effects of permethrin?
What drug class is permethrin?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for permethrin?
Related Medications in Topical Antiparasitic
Other drugs grouped near permethrin - same-class peers and common alternatives.
adapalene
Differin
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apremilast
Otezla
Apremilast (Otezla/Otezla XR) is a medicine that can help adults and children manage psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis.
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azelaic acid
Finacea, Azelex
Azelaic acid gel is a topical medicine that helps treat rosacea.
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benzoyl peroxide
Benzac, PanOxyl
Benzoyl peroxide is a topical medicine that fights germs on your skin.
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betamethasone
Diprosone, Luxiq
Betamethasone dipropionate cream is a strong steroid medicine used on the skin.
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Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for permethrin: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 1,707.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 3.46%.
- paliperidone Δ 0.06 pts · 22,775 reports · Atypical Antipsychotic 3.52%death share
- exenatide Δ 0.09 pts · 52,302 reports · GLP-1 Receptor Agonist 3.37%death share
- vilazodone Δ 0.10 pts · 9,764 reports · SSRI / 5-HT1A Partial Agonist 3.36%death share
- lisdexamfetamine Δ 0.11 pts · 5,840 reports · CNS Stimulant 3.56%death share
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Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
What the FDA Data Shows for permethrin
The FDA label for permethrin (sold under brand names such as Elimite, Nix) classifies it as an over-the-counter product in the Topical Antiparasitic class. This medicine treats head lice. Official labeling lists 3 commonly reported side effects, including Itching, Rash, Redness.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 1,707 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.23.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: November 21, 2022
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages