Generic drug: spinosad
Brand name: Natroba
What is Natroba (spinosad), and how does it work?
Natroba (spinosad) is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of head lice. Natroba may be used alone or with other medications.
Natroba belongs to a class of drugs called Scabicidal Agents.
It is not known if Natroba is safe and effective in children younger than 6 months of age.
What are the side effects of Natroba?
Natroba may cause serious side effects including:
- hives,
- rash,
- difficulty breathing,
- swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, and
- severe dizziness
Get medical help right away, if you have any of the symptoms listed above.
The most common side effects of Natroba include:
- skin or eye irritation or rednes
Tell the doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
These are not all the possible side effects of Natroba. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the dosage for Natroba?
Important Administration Instructions
- For topical use only. Natroba is not for oral, ophthalmic, or intravaginal use.
- Avoid contact with eyes. If Natroba gets in or near the eyes, rinse thoroughly with water.
Treatment Of Head Lice Infestations
- Shake bottle well.
- Apply a sufficient amount of Natroba to cover dry scalp, then apply to dry hair. Depending on hair length, apply up to 120 mL (one bottle) to adequately cover scalp and hair.
- Leave on for 10 minutes, then thoroughly rinse off with warm water.
- Wash hands after use.
- If live lice are seen 7 days after the first treatment, a second treatment should be applied.
- Apply Natroba on pediatric patient only under direct supervision of an adult.
Treatment Of Scabies Infestations
- Shake bottle well.
- Apply a sufficient amount of Natroba to skin to completely cover the body from the neck to the toes (including the soles of the feet).
- For patients with balding scalp, also apply product to the scalp, hairline, temples, and forehead.
- Allow to absorb into the skin and dry for 10 minutes before getting dressed.
- Leave on the skin for at least 6 hours before showering or bathing.
- Apply Natroba on pediatric patient only under direct supervision of an adult.

IMAGES
Eczema Browse our medical image collection of allergic skin disorders such as psoriasis and dermatitis and more caused by allergies See ImagesIs Natroba safe to use while pregnant or breastfeeding?
- Spinosad, the active ingredient in Natroba, is not absorbed systemically following topical application, and maternal use is not expected to result in fetal exposure to the drug.
- Natroba contains benzyl alcohol. Topical benzyl alcohol is unlikely to be absorbed through the skin in clinically relevant amounts; therefore, maternal use is not expected to result in fetal exposure to the drug.
- Spinosad, the active ingredient in Natroba, is not systemically absorbed by the mother following topical application. Therefore, breastfeeding is not expected to result in the exposure of the child to spinosad.
- Breastfeeding women should remove Natroba from the breast by washing with soap and water before breastfeeding to avoid direct infant exposure to Natroba.
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Summary
Natroba (spinosad) is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of head lice. Natroba may be used alone or with other medications. Serious side effects of Natroba include hives, rash, difficulty breathing, swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; and severe dizziness.
Multimedia: Slideshows, Images & Quizzes
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Lice & Nits: How to Get Rid of Head Lice
Learn how to get rid of head lice. Lice attach themselves to the scalp and feed off of human blood. Discover head lice symptoms...
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Scabies is not an infection, but an infestation. Tiny mites called Sarcoptes scabiei set up shop in the outer layers of human...
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Scabies on the foot of a baby. This is a contagious dermatitis caused by the itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei. Scabies is also known...
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Head lice. This shows numerous lice as well as their grayish-white egg capsules (nits) stuck firmly on the hairs in a child.
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Body Lice. The dark mass in the abdomen of this female body louse is ingested blood, showing she has been feeding on her human...
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Related Disease Conditions
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How Do You Get Rid of Lice Overnight?
Head lice are small wingless insects that are light brown or grey in color and present on the scalp. They feed on blood of the scalp and derive nutrition. Children are more commonly affected by an infestation with head lice than adults. Head lice can affect anyone, and having head lice is not a sign of poor hygiene.
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Scabies
Scabies are itch mites that burrow under the skin and produce intense itching that's usually worse at night. Symptoms of scabies are small bumps and blisters on the wrists, knees, between the fingers, on the back of the elbows, in the groin and on the buttocks. Treatment involves applying a mite-killing cream, antihistamines for itch relief, washing bedclothes and linens.
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Lice vs. Fleas
Lice and fleas are small wingless insects. Lice are parasites that can crawl and infest the human skin and scalp. Although they can bite people, fleas are parasites that mainly feed on non-human hosts and can jump from one host to another. Lice infestations and fleabites are treatable and typically do not cause long-term problems with proper treatments for home, people, and pets.
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How Long Does It Take to Treat Scabies?
Learn what medical treatments can get rid of scabies and prevent it in the future.
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Is Scabies Contagious?
The Sarcoptes scabiei mite causes scabies in humans. Close skin-to-skin contact can transmit scabies. The incubation period for scabies may be up to eight weeks. People with a scabies infestation will have a very itchy rash with burrows in the skin caused by the itch mite.
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Head Lice vs. Dandruff
Dandruff is a condition that causes dry flakes on the scalp. Lice are parasites. Head lice infestations are very contagious. Both head lice and dandruff have similar signs and symptoms: scalp itching and tiny white material on the hair shafts. Lice treatment involves the application of over-the-counter shampoos that contain permethrin or pyrethrin followed by nit and louse removal with a fine-toothed comb. Dandruff treatment incorporates the use of anti-dandruff shampoo.
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Do Lice Like Dandruff?
Head lice are parasites that are easy to differentiate from dandruff. And no, they do not like dandruff; they love your blood and so, they feed on it. They do not flourish if the dandruff is co-existing on the scalp.
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How Do I Know if I Have Scabies?
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Learn what medical treatments can help with lice and speed up your lice recovery.
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Head Lice Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
Lice (singular: louse) are tiny insects (known as parasites) that are most commonly found on the head (scalp). Hence, they are also referred to as ‘head lice’. The other sites where lice can be seen are behind the ears and on the back of the neck.
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Can Lice Be Mistaken for Dandruff?
What is the difference between lice and dandruff and how can you get rid of them?
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Lice vs Dandruff: How Will You Tell the Difference?
Lice and dandruff are two things that have been confused with each other for a long time. However, they are very different. They have different causes, risk factors, appearance, location and treatment.
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How Do You Get Rid of Lice Quickly?
Head lice are small wingless insects that are light brown or grey in color and may be present on the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. They feed on the blood of the scalp and derive nutrition. An infestation with head lice more commonly affects children than adults. Having head lice does not necessarily mean that the person has poor hygiene. Head lice don't carry or spread bacterial or viral infections.
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