Salicylic Acid, Sulfur, and Coal Tar (Topical)

Brand Names : Sebex-T Tar Shampoo, Sebutone, Vanseb-T

Before Using This Medicine

If you are using this medicine without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label. For salicylic acid, sulfur, and coal tar combination, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to salicylic acid, sulfur, or coal tar. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as preservatives or dyes.

Pregnancy - Salicylic acid, sulfur, and coal tar combination has not been studied in pregnant women. However, for the individual medicines:

• Salicylic acid - Salicylic acid may be absorbed through the mother's skin. Studies with topical salicylic acid have not been done in humans. However, studies in animals have shown that salicylic acid causes birth defects when given orally in doses about 6 times the highest dose recommended for topical use in humans.
• Sulfur - Sulfur has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in humans.
• Coal tar - Studies with coal tar on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals.

Breast-feeding - Salicylic acid may be absorbed through the mother's skin. However, topical salicylic acid, sulfur, and coal tar combination has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children - Young children may be at increased risk of unwanted effects because of increased absorption of salicylic acid through the skin. Medicines containing salicylic acid should not be applied to large areas of the body or used for long periods of time in infants and children.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of salicylic acid, sulfur, and coal tar combination medicine in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are using any other topical prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine that is to be applied to the same area of the skin.