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What is Nizoral A-D?

Nizoral A-D is an over-the-counter shampoo that treats the flaking, scaling and itching from dandruff. It contains one- percent ketoconazole, an antifungal drug that works against Pityrosporum ovale, a fungus believed to cause a common form of dandruff. One research study showed that Nizoral A-D cleared up dandruff in 80 percent of people who used the shampoo twice a week for four weeks. The shampoo also comes in prescription form with two-percent ketoconazole.

Apply Nizoral A-D to your wet hair and scalp with enough shampoo to produce lather. Gently massage your entire scalp for about one minute, then rinse and repeat for another three minutes. Use Nizoral A-D every three to four days for up to eight weeks if needed, or as directed by a doctor. Then use it only as needed to control dandruff.

Sources:
Nizoral A-D product information, McNeil-PPC, Inc., 2006.
Go, I.H. "A double-blind trial of 1% ketoconazole shampoo versus placebo in the treatment of dandruff," Mycoses 35 (1992).
Bulmer, Amelia C. “The Antifungal Action of Dandruff Shampoos”, Mycopathologia, 147 (1999).

This answer prepared 2/13/2001.
This information updated 12/5/2006.