Aczone
Aczone is generic dapsone 100mg tablets, an oral antibacterial used for dermatitis herpetiformis and leprosy, supplied in packs of 1000.
Details
- Conditions
- Dermatitis herpetiformis · Leprosy
- Therapeutic Class
- Sulfone antibacterial
- Pharmacological Class
- Sulfone
- Minor Side Effects
- Nausea, Loss of appetite
- Moderate Side Effects
- Skin rash, Dizziness, Headache
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Almirall
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature, protected from light.
- Drug Interactions
- Trimethoprim, Rifampin
What you will receive
Aczone is the originator brand name, made by Almirall. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Aczone.
- The same active ingredient (Dapsone) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Aczone strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Aczone comes as 100mg tablets in packs of 1000. This is generic dapsone, not the original Aczone. Larger packs cost less per tablet.
How discreet is Aczone delivery to Hong Kong?
Aczone orders to Hong Kong ship in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing outside about the contents. You can cancel within 24 hours if your order has not yet been dispatched. Support answers 24/7 in English and Cantonese by live chat.
What is dermatitis herpetiformis?
It is an intensely itchy blistering rash that comes up in clusters, usually on the elbows, knees, buttocks, shoulders and scalp. It is the skin form of gluten intolerance, and most people who have it also have coeliac disease. The name refers to herpes-like clusters of blisters, but no virus is involved.
Does dapsone treat coeliac disease itself?
No. Dapsone settles the skin rash and the itch of dermatitis herpetiformis, but it does nothing for the intestinal damage gluten causes. A strict gluten-free diet is what protects the gut, and it also reduces how often the rash comes back, so the two are used together.
Which medicines interact with dapsone?
Rifampicin (rifampin in the US) lowers the level of dapsone in the body, so it can weaken the effect. Trimethoprim raises the chance of blood side effects, and other medicines that damage red blood cells, such as some sulpha antibiotics, add to the same risk.
Why is dapsone not used in G6PD deficiency?
G6PD is an enzyme that helps red blood cells handle oxidative stress. When there is not enough of it, dapsone can destroy red cells very quickly, causing haemolysis and anaemia. The shortage is inherited and is more common in people of Mediterranean, African and South-East Asian ancestry.
About Aczone
What dapsone tablets are used for
Dapsone is an antibacterial from the sulphone group. Two conditions bring people to this page. The first is dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), an intensely itchy blistering rash that arrives in clusters, most often on the elbows, knees, buttocks, shoulders and scalp. DH is the skin side of gluten intolerance and is closely tied to coeliac disease, so a gluten-free diet is the other half of keeping it under control. The second is leprosy, where dapsone is one of the antibacterials used.
How dapsone works
One tablet helps both a bacterial infection and a blistering skin disease because dapsone does two separate jobs. Against susceptible bacteria it cuts off folate production, and without folate they cannot survive. In the skin it quietens neutrophils, the white blood cells behind the inflammation in DH, and that is what takes the itch and blisters down.
How to take Aczone 100mg tablets
Adults usually take one tablet a day, and some are given it three times a week instead. Take it at a regular time of day, with food or a glass of milk if it unsettles the stomach. Keep the tablets in their container with the lid closed, out of children's reach.
Side effects
Upset stomach, vomiting, headache, dizziness, rash and a poorer appetite are the common ones. The blood is where the serious problems lie. Dapsone can destroy red blood cells faster than they are replaced (haemolysis), leaving you unusually tired, breathless or pale. Rarely it causes methaemoglobinaemia, where haemoglobin can no longer carry oxygen; bluish lips or skin, breathlessness and confusion are the signs, and it needs urgent treatment. G6PD deficiency, an inherited enzyme shortage, makes red cells far more fragile, so dapsone is not used in people who have it. Skin also burns faster in sunlight on dapsone. A sore throat, fever, yellow eyes or skin, or bruising that comes easily can mean the blood or liver is affected.
Aczone or plain dapsone?
Aczone is dapsone 100mg in tablet form, packed 1000 to a box. Dapsone is also sold under its own name in a bottle rather than a tablet pack: the same ingredient at the same strength, under a different name and in different packaging. The dapsone page covers both listings; the Dapsone bottle is the alternative format.
Sources
- Dapsone: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / National Library of Medicine
- Dermatitis Herpetiformis: Features, Diagnosis, and Treatment — DermNet