I got a prescription for this last week, used it, but have been reading that a more common treatment is a permethrin 5% solution. I know that scabies itch/symptoms can continue for weeks, but I just want to know whether this is even effective. The actual substance I used is intended for lice treatment on the scalp. Can anyone shed some light on this? I'm frustrated and the prospect of still being contagious freaks me out.....

1% is not enough. 5% seems to work in most cases but you can get higher. I suggest cream or dog dip it is more effective than natural products like sulfur or clove oil. Clove oil is more toxic to humans than permethrin. It kills children, just keep that in mind

Permethrin breaks down in 15 minutes on the skins surface which is not enough time to absorb into the blood stream. There is so much misinformation that floats on the web about scabies its no wonder 300 million people contract it a year.