Silver sulfadiazine-topical

In the U.S.

• Silvadene
• SSD
• SSD AF
• Thermazene

In Canada

• Flamazine
• Ssd

Available Dosage Forms:

• Cream

Therapeutic Class: Antibacterial

Chemical Class: Sulfonamide

Silver sulfadiazine cream is used to prevent and treat wound infections in patients with second- and third-degree burns. Patients with severe burns or burns over a large area of the body must be treated in a hospital.

Silver sulfadiazine is an antibiotic. It works by killing the bacteria or preventing its growth.

silver sulfadiazine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

It is very important that you use silver sulfadiazine only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more of it, do not use it more often, and do not use it for a longer time than your doctor ordered.

silver sulfadiazine is for use on the skin only. Do not get it in your eyes, nose, mouth, or vagina.

To use:

• Before applying silver sulfadiazine, clean the affected areas. Remove dead or burned skin and other debris.
• Wear sterile gloves to apply silver sulfadiazine. Apply a thin layer (about 1/16 inch) of silver sulfadiazine to the affected areas. Keep the affected areas covered with the medicine at all times.
• If silver sulfadiazine is rubbed off the affected areas by moving around or if it is washed off during bathing, showering, or the use of a whirlpool bath, reapply the medicine.
• After silver sulfadiazine has been applied, the treated areas may be covered with a dressing or left uncovered as desired.

To help clear up your skin or burn infection completely, keep using silver sulfadiazine for the full time of treatment. You should keep using silver sulfadiazine until the burned area has healed or is ready for skin grafting. Do not miss any doses.

Dosing

The dose of silver sulfadiazine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of silver sulfadiazine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

• For topical dosage form (cream):
  • For burn wound infections:
    • Adults—Apply to the affected areas one or two times a day.
    • Children older than 2 months of age—Use and dose must be determined by the doctor.
    • Premature infants and infants 2 months of age and younger—Use is not recommended.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of silver sulfadiazine, apply it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule.

Storage

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

It is important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to check for any problems or unwanted effects that may be caused by silver sulfadiazine.

If your skin infection or burn does not improve within a few days or weeks (for more serious burns or burns over larger areas), or if it becomes worse, check with your doctor.

Do not use silver sulfadiazine for a skin problem that has not been checked by your doctor.

Check with your doctor right away if you have the following symptoms while using silver sulfadiazine: bleeding gums, cough or hoarseness, fever with or without chills, painful or difficult urination, sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth, unusual bleeding, bruising, or weakness, or yellow skin or eyes. These could be symptoms of a blood disorder.

Check with your doctor right away if you have blistering, peeling, or loose skin, red skin lesions, severe acne or skin rash, sores or ulcers on the skin, or fever or chills while you are using silver sulfadiazine.

Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you are using silver sulfadiazine. The results of some tests may be affected by silver sulfadiazine.

silver sulfadiazine may rarely stain skin brownish gray.

An overdose of silver sulfadiazine topical is not expected to be dangerous. Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222 if anyone has accidentally swallowed the medication.

Do not take by mouth. Silver sulfadiazine topical is for use only on the skin. If this medicine gets in your eyes, nose, or mouth, rinse with water.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Although the risk of serious side effects is low when silver sulfadiazine is applied to the skin, side effects can occur if the medicine is absorbed into your bloodstream.

Call your doctor at once if you have:

• sudden weakness or ill feeling, fever, chills, sore throat, mouth sores, red or swollen gums, trouble swallowing;

• easy bruising, unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, or rectum), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin;

• pale or yellowed skin, dark colored urine, fever, confusion or weakness;

• kidney problems--red or pink urine, little or no urinating, swelling, rapid weight gain;

• liver problems--nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or

• severe skin reaction--fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Other drugs may interact with silver sulfadiazine topical, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.

Before using silver sulfadiazine, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or to other sulfa antibiotics (such as sulfamethoxazole); or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: a certain enzyme deficiency (G6PD or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency), kidney problems, liver problems, low white blood cell count.

Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products).

During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. This medication must not be used near the expected delivery date because of possible harm to the unborn baby. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.

It is unknown if this medication passes into breast milk. However, similar drugs pass into breast milk and may harm nursing infants who are ill, premature, less than 2 months old, or who have certain disorders (such as jaundice, high blood levels of bilirubin, G6PD deficiency). Therefore, breast-feeding while using this drug is not recommended in infants with these conditions. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.