I had a biopsy done on some persistent, recurring lesions on my chest. The biopsy tested specifically for bacterial, viral, and fungal causes. The results came back that the lesions were being caused by a staph infection.
My doctor told me to use Hibiclens antiseptic wash in the shower. I have been using this for several months with zero effect on the lesions. Unfortunately, I am not able to see my doctor until May to seek a new course of treatment.
Are there any suggestions for some over the counter products that are available in the United States that I can use to treat the staph infection? I was thinking about trying Bactine, another antiseptic wash. Any other suggestions?
Topical 2% fusidic acid cream (aka Fudil or Fucidin) can be mail ordered from India or Thailand at a cost of about $50 for 20 grams, for your own use only. Fucidin is not sold in the USA, because it is bogged down in an attempt by one manufacturer, Cempra, to obtain a law from the US Congress whereby Cempra has 5-years of exclusivity to sell fusidic acid tablets. Other than big-pharmas profit-motive in the USA, Fucidin has an extremely good track record against bacterial infections worldwide since its introduction in 1962. In fact, it appears that Fucidin is the only topical drug effective against gram positive bacteria. (Gram positive bacteria are like staph bacteria, and are the only kind that you are likely to become infected with if you havent been hospitalized recently, because gram negative bacteria other than cholera are usually found only in hospitals.)
cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/52/suppl_7/S542.full.pdf
I ordered fucidin from Amazon recently, and it arrived pretty quick from Thialand, so if you do try to order it you wouldn't have to wait long to get it in the mail. I haven't had to use it yet, but I read Tom's message about it on another skin-problem message board and figured it wouldn't hurt to try.
Have you tried calling your doctor and leaving him/her a message that the staph infection is not improving with Hibiclens? Forgive me if you already have-- but I think a lot of people don't realize that you can try to call your doctor's office and leave him/her a message if your symptoms aren't improving. They might move your appointment date up to an early date, or prescribe something more effective for you over the phone (especially since it's staph-- which could become worse, so I doubt they would ignore your message). I doubt they would want to you use Hibiclens for months if it's not treating the infection. You could also mention that the Hibiclens cost is adding up and not providing any improvement. If you don't get a reply from the doctor's office in a day or two, call again (being polite, naturally, since this will get you further in a doctor's office and people will be more apt to help you). If you get put into voice mail at your doctor's office-- leave your full name, date of birth, phone number, that you have a diagnosed staph infection that's not improving on Hibiclens, etc.. that your next appointment is not until May.
Just my two cents.... good luck!