Dapsone

1 medicine

Dapsone is a sulfone antibiotic used for leprosy, dermatitis herpetiformis and, as a gel, inflammatory acne; it can trigger severe anemia in people with G6PD deficiency, so a blood test is required before treatment starts.

Aczone

Dapsone

100mg

Aczone is a skin care medication containing Dapsone, available as 100mg tablets.

from $0.05 / tablet View

Key facts

  • Dapsone (the tablet form, and the gel sold as Aczone) is a sulfone antibiotic with a separate anti-inflammatory effect. It treats leprosy, dermatitis herpetiformis and, as a topical gel, inflammatory acne.
  • Tablets are taken once daily by mouth; the gel is applied once or twice a day to clean, dry skin.
  • Before the first tablet, you need a blood test for G6PD deficiency: dapsone breaks down red blood cells, and in people who lack this enzyme it can cause severe, sometimes life-threatening anemia.
  • Seek urgent care for fever, sore throat, unusual bruising or bleeding, unexplained tiredness and paleness, or yellowing of the skin or eyes.

What dapsone treats

Dapsone treats leprosy (Hansen's disease), usually combined with other antibiotics as part of multidrug therapy. It also treats dermatitis herpetiformis, an intensely itchy, blistering skin condition linked to gluten sensitivity: dapsone controls the itching and blistering quickly, though a gluten-free diet remains the long-term treatment. Doctors sometimes use it to prevent Pneumocystis pneumonia in people with a weakened immune system. The gel form treats inflammatory acne.

How dapsone works

As an antibiotic, dapsone blocks folate production in susceptible bacteria, starving them of a nutrient they need to multiply, the same mechanism used by sulfonamide drugs. Separately, it dampens the activity of neutrophils, immune cells that drive the redness, swelling and blistering seen in dermatitis herpetiformis and inflammatory acne, which is why it works in these conditions even though they are not bacterial infections.

Before you take it

  • Get a G6PD enzyme test before starting; deficiency is more common in people of African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian descent.
  • Tell your prescriber about any anemia, blood disorder, or liver disease.
  • Alcohol and other drugs that affect blood cells, such as trimethoprim, raise the risk of blood toxicity.
  • Discuss pregnancy and breastfeeding with your prescriber; dapsone is often continued when the benefit to the mother outweighs the risk.

Side effects

Common effects include mild nausea, dizziness on standing, a harmless brown skin discoloration with tablets, dryness or peeling where the gel is applied, and mild sun sensitivity.

Stop and seek urgent medical care for any of these:

  • Fever, chills, or a sore throat that appears without an obvious cause.
  • Unusual bruising, bleeding gums, blood in the urine, or unexplained tiredness and paleness.
  • A blue-grey tinge to the skin or lips, or breathlessness.
  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes.

Safety essentials

  • G6PD deficiency combined with dapsone can trigger severe hemolytic anemia within days of starting; the enzyme test is mandatory before treatment, not optional.
  • Blood counts are checked regularly during treatment, especially in the first months, to catch anemia or a falling white cell count early.
  • Methemoglobinemia, a condition where the blood cannot carry oxygen properly, is a recognized dapsone risk; report unusual blue-tinted skin, lips or breathlessness right away.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.