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I did a little searching online, but all I could find on this topic were other discussion forum sites like this one in which people asked and debated about using Frontline for humans, but little actual factual info. I've been wondering about this, first in a joking way, but then more seriously.
Wouldn't a human version of Frontline help to prevent lyme disease, which can be really disabling?
Wouldn't a human version of Frontline be an effective tool in fighting the recent resurgence of bedbugs?
Wouldn't a human version of Frontline help to prevent malaria in tropical and developing countries?
The only "factual" info I could find online is "it's not safe for humans." Well, why? Is our chemistry THAT much different from that of a dog? One site said the active ingredient in Frontline, fipronil, can cause cancer in humans. Again, how are we that much different in terms of body chemistry than a dog? Also, lots of things have been reported to cause cancer in humans, in lab rats, etc. But a lot of research is inconclusive, or is based on exposure far beyond what a normal dose of a chemical would be.
And I'm not saying my imagined product would have to include fipronil. But wouldn't it be great if there were something a person could put in their skin (in the middle of their back) once a month, and be free of things like lice, ticks, mosquitos, bedbugs, and even "crabs." I had a relative who died tragically of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tick bite. I'm sure she might have chosen some slight cancer risk over the certain-death she experienced from RMSF. It would have to be a risk/benefit analysis.
So I'm throwing this out there:
To those knowlegeable about topical insecticides, how would you solve the "toxic to humans" issue? Are there alternatives to fipronil? Are these chemicals REALLY as dangerous to humans as reported?
To those like me who use these products on your pets every month, have you ever thought about the benefits of having a similar product for yourself?
To those plagued by biting pests, like bedbugs, or who are living with lyme disease, would you have chosen to use such a product, if it came in human version and was no more dangerous to you than Frontline is to your dog?
If anyone can link any articles or info, that would be great too.
Caveat:
Please do not debate the safety/ non-safety of Frontline-type products for pets in this thread. There are plenty of threads in the Pets forum that discuss those issues. Lets just say for the purposes of this thread, that we acknowledge that Frontline is not 100% safe even for pets, that adverse events do happen but are the rare exception, and that in general the benefits/safety of these products, for most pets, outweigh the risks.
In a nutshell: yes, our chemistry is vastly different from a dog's. Dogs can lick their own butts and eat their own poop, and not get sick. We can't do that. Dogs grow fur. Dogs have completely different brain chemistry, different anatomy, different bone structure, different digestive systems, different skin absorption capabilities, different blood cell structure, different organ and digestive system structure, different chemistry, different hormones. The only thing we have in common with dogs, is that we're both mammals.
Or was this a joke thread? Cause it seems a bit out there for you to not know this.
Also, there -is- a "frontline" treatment for malaria. It's called mosquito repellant. There's even an easy cure for malaria if you get it: quinine.
No, I was serious. I, of course, know that humans and dogs are different in lots of ways, but I think there are more biological similarities than differences. Again, I said it would not have to be the same chemical that's in Frontline (but Frontline is just the most well-known).
Yes I know there are treatments for malaria, but lots of people die each year from it nonetheless. Really, I'm just throwing this out as a "what if, why not?" idea. Also, there have been no consistently effective treatments for lyme disease, and certainly no cure.
And I know people can spray themselves with "off" or something similar to repel mosquitos, but wouldn't it be more convenient to have something they only need to apply once a month? I'm sure people who work outdoors in hot climates might be a good market for it.
I would imagine that the reason is because we are much less at risk of dealing with infestation than many pets. I use Frontline on my cat during the warmer months because she might spend hours laying in the grass for many days in a row. However, I go outside much less, and when I do, I'm probably sitting in a chair. So I'm less likely to have a bunch of fleas jump on me. And I also change my clothes daily, and bathe daily, so fleas do not have a chance of reproducing on me.
You also have to consider that if these active ingredients do cause cancer (and I'm sure they do), the average pet only lives about 10 years, give or take. Humans live way longer than that. So if the active ingredient is likely to cause cancer after repeated use, your pet may be dead before it gets a chance, or very old. However if I started using human Frontline at age 20, I would suspect that after 10 or 20 years it would be pretty likely that I'd have some long term side effects from it.
I guess the only answer for any of those questions then, is "because no one has developed it." Maybe check with the individual pharmaceutical companies, or do a web search for various medical research hospitals or medical schools conducting trials. They'd know anything more than that.
As for Malaria, a google search found me a line in wikipedia under "malaria" saying that attempts to develop a preventative are in process. But that's still the same answer "no one has developed it."
I think Frontline works better for killing ticks AFTER they have bitten the animal (or human), so it really wouldn't prevent lymes disease.
no, it keeps the ticks off the animal or that is our understanding. Our dog never gets a tick or flea, but the one year we ran out of Frontline he did get a couple ticks, plus we had to have the house treated for fleas. It was a couple of years ago when the flea problem was awful here. We could have tried on our own, but we wanted to make sure they were gone...
I understand OPs question and I too wonder why we don't have something to control ticks on us. I know, we can use deet but it really doesn't work all that well, and what about something to protect humans from poison oak and Ivy and chriggers? Hubby finally sold his grill. He just can't be out in the yard for more than 5 minutes without the chriggers attacking him all over. In our yard, they live in our rocks, not our grass.
We live much longer than dogs, so if an insecticide causes cancer we are far more likely to suffer ill effects.
We do have DEET but that is not technically an insecticide. Mosquitoes find targets by smell and it masks our smell to protect us.
Beyond the safety thing, topical insecticides would be pretty useless for humans since we bathe frequently. Dogs get a dose of Frontline once per month, which is the most frequently most dogs should be bathed.
Frontline doesn't keep the ticks off. My dogs are both on Frontline Plus and I have to remove ticks from them every time we get back from a walk.
If you take a daily garlic supplement, it makes you less tasty to mosquitos. Not sure about lice and crabs and bedbugs...not problems I've ever had to deal with. I have seen a citronella shampoo at the grocery store that's supposed to prevent lice on kids.
Something we hunters use is Sawyer Insect Repellent. It's sprayed on your clothes and is marketed to last through 6 washings. It is not to be applied to your skin.
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