Everything You Know About Dapsone
Dapsone's an antibiotic. Yes, men, that means you're going to need a prescription for it! It got its start in the 1940s for leprosy. It comes in a couple of forms, men, like oral tablets and topical gel. Awesome! You knew this was coming. The form you take depends on why you need it. Your dose changes with your condition too, as well as how long you need this med for! Obviously, though, you'll need to see your doc a lot for lab tests and monitoring.
Men, you'll use the gel form as a prescription acne treatment. Sometimes you'll get a topical cream for acne too! That said, you've got other antibiotics for acne to choose from. This isn't the only use for dapsone, though. Many, many men need it as a leprosy treatment. Hold your horses! You'll need other meds with the oral tablets to stop antibiotic resistance. And men? You know you've got to understand how this med works before taking it!
How It Works
Dapsone is a strong, strong sulfone antibiotic. It's so strong, men! It's going to stop bacteria from growing. Win. It'll happen by blocking DHF acid synthesis. That's a vitamin B9 derivative. How does this happen? By creating competition with PABA, obviously!
Men, this one's an anti-inflammatory too. It's going to stop MPO from working in your body. That's a peroxidase enzyme. So many men, so many of you are going to see no more hypochlorous acid building in your body. So, men, you'll have less tissue damage from inflammation! They even say that this med works on inflammation from things like Alzheimer's and strokes. They all say it. They do!
Best Uses
Men, get ready! This antibiotic's so amazing. The tablets are going to work wonders when you've got dermatitis herpetiformis or leprosy. Yes, leprosy! Believe us, it's great. You'll also get this one for Hansen's disease, malaria, and pneumocystis pneumonia. See, it's huge, so huge! It'll also help prevent many, many cases of toxoplasmosis. Wonderful! Men, dapsone even works against acne. Yes! It comes as a gel you'll apply to your skin.
This antibiotic needs other meds in many, many cases. So many cases! Using it with rifampin for leprosy makes your risk of dapsone resistance so much lower. Don't be surprised when you're taking other meds with it for other conditions too, like pneumocystis pneumonia!
Side Effects
Men, keep your guard up! This med's got some side effects attached to it. Obviously, the most common are nausea, losing your appetite, vomiting, blurry vision, and feeling dizzy! So common. Men, spinning sensations, ringing in your ears, headaches, and problems sleeping are more side effects of this med. Talk to your doc when these stick around or get worse!
There are more side effects. But men, these ones aren't as common! They're things like problems peeing, fast breathing, chest pain, and a fast heart rate. Blue lips and skin, weak muscles, and mood shifts are other examples! Hold your horses, though. There are some serious rare side effects too. Sad. They're connected to liver disease and a low blood count. Men, watch for dark pee, pale skin, abdominal pain, and yellow skin or eyes. You're going to need fast medical help for these! You'll need it for infection signs too, like fever, chills, and a sore throat. Don't delay!
Precautions
Men, you know about this. You've got to take precautions with this med. Yes, just like any other! Your doc needs to know about everything in your medical history. Go over it. Huge, huge things to talk about are heart, liver, and lung disease. Blood conditions are huge too. So huge! Yes, one is anemia. Many, many men won't be able to take this med with these conditions. It's true, so check when it applies to you! You're going to need anemia treatment first. You'll see more side effects when you're using it for specific things too, like Hansen's disease. Those effects? Obvious ones are weak muscles, skin sores, pain, and numbness. Call your doc to get them treated!
Men, you've got to stop with marijuana and alcohol on this med. Avoid the sun too! When you can't, wear lots of sunscreen and clothes that'll protect you, like a hat. You're more sensitive to the sun on this med. Yes, you are! When you take this one for dermatitis herpetiformis, men, there's more. You're going to need to take gluten out of your diet. Yes! You'll also want a huge, huge glass of water when you take this med. Take it before or after a meal, if you want!
Medication Interactions
Men, what meds do you take? List them! Yes, yes, all of them. All of them! Your doc needs to know about the prescriptions, OTC meds, and supplements. They're going to stop med interactions with dapsone. Yes, they will! Men, there's a bunch of them. Watch for interactions with things like nitrofurantoin and primaquine! Dapsone's going to interact with folic acid antagonists too. Yes. When you're taking saquinavir, dapsone's not as effective. Not nearly as much! Sad. And men? It'll make the oral typhoid vaccine not work as well. Your doc's got to know about that! They'll make the changes to make it work for you. Huge win.