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Calamine
Lotion Calamine

Calamine lotion, made from powdered calamine mineral—a mix of zinc oxide and 0.5% ferric oxide—is a popular medication used to relieve mild itchiness caused by conditions like sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy, and poison oak. Applied as a cream or lotion, it can also dry out skin irritations. Dating back to 1500 BC, calamine is listed on the WHO’s List of Essential Medicines and is available over-the-counter as a generic medication. Side effects may include skin irritation, but it is considered safe during pregnancy.

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Medical uses

Calamine is used to treat itchiness.15 This includes sunburn, insect bite, or other mild skin conditions.1617

Effectiveness

The FDA recommends applying some topical over-the-counter skin products, such as calamine, to absorb the weeping of the skin caused by poisonous plants such as poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. For relieving the pain or itching caused by these plants, the FDA document recommends a cold water compress and topical corticosteroids.18

  • "Calamine". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.

References

  1. British National Formulary: BNF 69 (69 ed.). British Medical Association. 2015. p. 801. ISBN 9780857111562. 9780857111562 ↩

  2. World Health Organization (2009). Stuart MC, Kouimtzi M, Hill SR (eds.). WHO Model Formulary 2008. World Health Organization. p. 303. hdl:10665/44053. ISBN 9789241547659. 9789241547659 ↩

  3. "Aqueous Calamine Cream BP - Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) - (eMC)". www.medicines.org.uk. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/25283 ↩

  4. Hamilton R (2015). Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2015 Deluxe Lab-Coat Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 191. ISBN 9781284057560. 9781284057560 ↩

  5. "Calamine (topical) medical facts from Drugs.com". www.drugs.com. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. https://www.drugs.com/mtm/calamine-topical.html ↩

  6. British National Formulary: BNF 69 (69 ed.). British Medical Association. 2015. p. 801. ISBN 9780857111562. 9780857111562 ↩

  7. "Aqueous Calamine Cream BP - Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) - (eMC)". www.medicines.org.uk. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/25283 ↩

  8. "Aqueous Calamine Cream BP - Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) - (eMC)". www.medicines.org.uk. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/25283 ↩

  9. Braun-Falco O, Plewig G, Wolff HH, Burgdorf W (2012). "Topical Therapy". Dermatology (2nd ed.). Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1724. ISBN 9783642979316. Archived from the original on 2016-12-29. 9783642979316 ↩

  10. Braun-Falco O, Plewig G, Wolff HH, Burgdorf W (2012). "Topical Therapy". Dermatology (2nd ed.). Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1724. ISBN 9783642979316. Archived from the original on 2016-12-29. 9783642979316 ↩

  11. Ma JK, Hadzija B (2012). "Rheology in Pharmacy". Basic Physical Pharmacy. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 327. ISBN 9780763757342. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30. 9780763757342 ↩

  12. Darnton-Hill I, Ahmed F, Samman S (2016). "The impact of micronutrients on inflammation and health in low-and middle-income countries.". In Bendich A, Deckelbaum RJ (eds.). Preventive Nutrition: The Comprehensive Guide for Health Professionals (5th ed.). Springer. pp. 597-644 (608). ISBN 9783319224312. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30. 9783319224312 ↩

  13. World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. /wiki/World_Health_Organization ↩

  14. Hamilton R (2015). Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2015 Deluxe Lab-Coat Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 191. ISBN 9781284057560. 9781284057560 ↩

  15. British National Formulary: BNF 69 (69 ed.). British Medical Association. 2015. p. 801. ISBN 9780857111562. 9780857111562 ↩

  16. "Aqueous Calamine Cream BP - Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) - (eMC)". www.medicines.org.uk. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/25283 ↩

  17. Hamilton R (2015). Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2015 Deluxe Lab-Coat Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 191. ISBN 9781284057560. 9781284057560 ↩

  18. "Outsmarting Poison Ivy and Other Poisonous Plants". U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Consumer Updates. 9 June 2021 [Originally posted c. June 2009, since updated but advice unchanged]. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/outsmarting-poison-ivy-and-other-poisonous-plants ↩