MedicinePOM

Gamma Benzene Hexachloride

Second-line medicated shampoo for lice.

Clinical information

Common uses

head lice and crab lice — only after safer treatments fail
patients who cannot tolerate first-line treatments

Common side effects

itching after treatment (not a reason to re-treat)

Cautions

restricted to second-line use — seizures and deaths reported
extra risk in infants, children, elderly and under-50 kg patients
never re-apply or use for prolonged periods
not for premature infants or uncontrolled seizure disorders

Interactions

oil-based hair products (increase absorption — avoid)
seizure-threshold-lowering medicines (antidepressants, antipsychotics, theophylline, quinolones, isoniazid)

Pregnancy: only if clearly needed

Reference information, not medical advice — always follow your doctor or pharmacist. Source: DailyMed, dailymed.nlm.nih.gov, lindane shampoo label, setid ece04acb-bc22-46e4-8a97-e098bccca8e6 (accessed 2026-08-16)

Approved brands & formulations3

Brand name	Dosage form	Strength	Importer	Category
Gamma Benzene Hexachloride	Topical Preparations ( Solution )	0.002	—	POM
Gamma Benzene Hexachloride	Topical Preparations ( Suspension )	0.01	—	POM
Kellis	Topical Preparations ( Solution )	0.002	authorized medicine importers	POM