Silvadene cream contains the antimicrobial agent silver sulfadiazine in a soft, white, water-miscible formulation. This medicine should use as directed by your doctor. Wash your hands before and after using the medication. Apply the medicine to the wound area in a layer about one-sixteenth of an inch thick.
This drug may cause low levels of certain white blood cells (leukopenia). If this effect occurs, your healthcare provider will monitor you closely and may order blood tests to check your white blood cell count.
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What is this medicine used for?
Silvadene Cream used to treat or prevent serious infection on areas of skin with second- or third-degree burns. It is an antibiotic that works by killing bacteria and yeast. It is only for use on the skin. If you have a serious allergic reaction (hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat), get emergency medical help right away.
This medicine should not use for a first-degree burn or any other kind of minor burn. It can cause a very severe reaction, especially in children. This medicine is in a class of drugs called silver sulfadiazine antibacterials. It works by stopping the growth of germs in your child’s burn wound.
Before using this medication, clean the area with soap and water to remove any dirt or debris. This is important to reduce your child’s risk of infection. Then, wash your hands before and after handling the medicine. Do not put this medicine in your child’s eyes or nose. If the medicine gets in your child’s eyes, rinse them with water immediately.
Your doctor will recommend how much to apply and how often. Your child may need to treated for some time before the wound heals. It may take up to three weeks or longer for burns to heal satisfactorily and to be ready for a skin graft.
There is a chance that this medicine will lower your child’s white blood cell count. This is only a problem when the medicine used for more than two to four days. This effect usually goes back to normal after two or more days of not using the medication. There is also a chance that this medicine can pass into breast milk and cause harm to the newborn. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if your child is taking any other prescription or nonprescription medicines, including vitamins and supplements. It is not known if this medicine will interact with other medicines. This includes other antibiotics, such as tetracycline and doxycycline. Also tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. There have been no studies to show whether this drug is safe for pregnancy. Drugs in the sulfonamide family have been linked to brain damage in newborns (kernicterus).
How do I use this medicine?
Silver-infused wound dressings and other products have used in skin care for centuries because of their strong infection-fighting properties. Silvadene is a prescription treatment that contains a micronized form of silver and works on both second- and third-degree burns to treat or prevent serious infection, including bacterial infections. It is only available by prescription and should use as directed to help your burns heal properly.
Before applying this medicine, make sure your hands and the burned area are clean. Also, be sure to cleanse the burn wound daily and remove any dead skin from the treated site. Your doctor will probably instruct you to apply a thin layer of the cream onto the affected area 1-2 times a day and keep the wound covered at all times. If the cream does wipe off, it should be immediately reapplied. You may use gauze or cotton as dressings if needed.
You should continue to apply the medicine until the burn area fully healed or grafted. Your doctor will probably test your blood regularly to check on your progress and make sure the medication is working well. Be sure to tell your doctor about all of the medications, herbs, vitamins, or dietary supplements you are taking. This can help prevent serious drug interactions.
The active ingredient in Silvadene is silver sulfadiazine, which is an antimicrobial agent and is bactericidal against many gram-negative bacteria as well as yeast. It is a member of the sulfonamide family and should not use by people who are sensitive to sulfonamide medicines or any other sulfonamide antibiotics, including sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim.
There is a small chance that Silvadene can lower your white blood cell count (leukopenia). If this happens, it usually occurs two to four days after you start using the cream and goes back to normal when you stop the treatment. Low white blood cells do not increase your risk of getting infections and do not affect the outcome of your treatments with Silvadene Cream.
Silvadene not expected to harm an unborn baby when applied to the skin during late pregnancy. However, it can cause severe medical problems in newborn babies and should not use on infants younger than 2 months.
What should I watch out for while using this medicine?
Silver has used for centuries in wound care, because it has strong and broad infection-fighting properties. This medicine helps prevent infections in serious burns and wounds, especially third-degree burns (those that damage the outer layer and part of the inner layer). It can also use for second-degree burns if they are large or cover a large area. Silvadene applied under a sterile condition to clean and debride the wounds, and then it covered with a dressing or kept uncovered as directed by your doctor.
You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to silver sulfadiazine or to any other ingredients in this medication. You should not use this medicine if you have liver disease, kidney disease, or blood disorders, or if you are having a surgery soon. These conditions can affect how well your body breaks down and uses this drug, so it may build up to unsafe levels in your body.
Tell your doctor right away if you have a high fever, a rash that spreads, painful and difficult urination, sores in the mouth or throat, a cough with white frothy sputum, or severe burning pain, redness, swelling, blistering, or pain in the joints. Also tell your doctor if you have any unusual bleeding, weakness, or dark urine. This could be a sign of a serious blood disorder.
Do not use Silvadene Cream on an infant or a toddler. This medicine known to increase the risk of brain damage from too much bilirubin in the newborn (a condition called kernicterus). Also, do not breastfeed while using this medicine. It is not known whether this drug passes into breast milk, but if it does, it can cause a dangerous increase in the level of bilirubin in the baby.
Do not use this medicine on a wound or skin that is open to air or dirt. It may rub off into the air or dirt, and then you might inhale it. You should wash your hands well after handling this medication. Also, keep it away from your eyes and nose. If it gets into your eyes, rinse them with water right away.
What should I avoid while using this medicine?
Silvadene cream (silver sulfadiazine) used in partial and full-thickness burn wounds to prevent infection. It works by stopping bacteria from growing in the burned skin. This medication is not a substitute for proper medical care, especially in the case of severe or third-degree burns. Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, such as easy bruising/bleeding, signs of infection (fever, sore throat), yellowing eyes/skin, unusual tiredness/weakness, change in the amount of urine, stomach pain, mental/mood changes.
This medicine should not use in people who are allergic to it or to silver sulfadiazine, or have certain liver/kidney problems (such as a history of hepatitis B, hepatitis C), or blood disorders (such as G6PD deficiency). This drug also not recommended for use during pregnancy or breast-feeding. It passes into breast milk and may harm a nursing infant. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
Your doctor may prescribe this medication for another condition not listed in the approved labeling. This is called an “off-label” use. It is important that your doctor knows all of the medicines you take, including herbal products and vitamins. This helps prevent possible interactions between drugs.
Always wash your hands before and after handling this medicine. If you get this medicine in your eyes, nose, or mouth, rinse off right away with water. Keep this medication away from children and pets. Do not apply to open cuts or sores.
It is not known whether this drug interacts with other medications. Do not take other prescription or nonprescription medications, especially sulfa antibiotics (such as Septra, Bactrim), cimetidine, phenytoin, skin products containing sodium sulfacetamide, or enzyme products that break down and remove dead skin/tissue from the wounds (such as collagenase, papain, trypsin). An inactive ingredient in this product, propylene glycol, can interfere with certain laboratory tests. Be sure your doctor and lab personnel know you use this medication.
It is not known whether this medication affects the fetus when administered to pregnant women. However, similar drugs pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Talk to your doctor before using Silvadene Cream during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
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