It is used to treat some common worm infections that affect the intestines and other parts of the body.
How should I take this medication?
How you take this medication would depend on the type of worm infection you have. This may be a single dose or a short course of medication. You should follow the instructions given by your pharmacist or doctor.
Type of worm infection
How should the medicine be taken?
Pinworm infection
Hookworm disease
Roundworm infection
Whipworm infection
Threadworm infection
Pork/beef tapeworm infection
Dwarf tapeworm infection
Giardia infection
Take the medication on an empty stomach.
Liver fluke infections
Cutaneous larva migrans
Take the medication with food.
For treatments requiring more than a single dose, it is important to complete the full course of medication even if you are feeling better.
This medication is available as tablets for adults and suspension for children. For suspension, always shake well before use.
What should I do if I forget to take this medication?
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Then take your next dose at the usual time. Do not take two doses to make up for the missed dose.
What precautions should I take?
Inform your healthcare professional if:
You are allergic to this medication or any of the other ingredients of this medication.
You are taking any other medications, including supplements, traditional medications and herbal remedies.
You have a history of liver problems, kidney problems, eye problems (especially a problem with your retina) or bone marrow suppression.
What are some side-effects that I need to seek medical advice immediately?
The symptoms of a drug allergy include one or more of the following:
Swollen face/eyes/lips/tongue
Difficulty in breathing
Itchy skin rashes over your whole body
Some of these side effects include:
Liver problem: Signs include dark urine or light coloured stools, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach pain, yellowing of your eyes or skin.
Severe headache, nausea and vomiting, ringing in your ears, fits, problems with your vision or pain behind your eyes.
Severe skin reactions (such as severe rashes with blisters, swelling and peeling).
Anaemia, which may present with worsening tiredness, rapid breathing, pale skin/lips/nails, fast heartbeat while resting.
Frequent or severe infection, which may present with high fever, severe chills, body aches, sore throat.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should stop your medication and see your healthcare professional immediately.
What are some other side-effects of this medication?
You may experience dizziness.
Avoid activities that require a high degree of alertness, sense of balance or performance of skilled tasks until you know how Albendazole affects you. Avoid alcohol.
You may experience headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or stomach pain.
Continue the course unless the side effects become unbearable.
You may experience temporary thinning of hair.
This is usually reversible after completing the medication.
What food or medication should I avoid when I take this medication?
Inform your pharmacist or doctor before using Albendazole if you are taking any other medications.
Avoid grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking this medication. Avoid Chinese Ginseng while taking this medication. You do not need to use laxatives or change your diet.
How should I store this medication?
Store in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight. Keep this medication away from children.
When should I throw away this medication?
Pack this medication into a black trash bag and seal it tightly before throwing into the rubbish chute or bin.
Additional information
Treatment of family members and other close contacts may be necessary. Some worm infections are spread very easily to others in close contact with the infected person.
To stop you and your family infecting others or reinfecting yourselves, follow the advice below for at least six weeks:
Keep nails short
Discourage nail biting or finger sucking
Wear pyjamas or underclothes in bed
Wash your bottom thoroughly in the mornings
Use a separate towel for each person in the house
Change clothes regularly
Wash and iron bed linen regularly
Wash hands and nails well after using the toilet and before meals
Toilets should be disinfected regularly
Disclaimers
If you take more than the recommended dose, please seek medical advice immediately. The information provided on this page does not replace information from your healthcare professional. Please consult your healthcare professional for more information.
This article is jointly developed by members of the National Medication Information workgroup. The workgroup consists of cluster partners (National Healthcare Group, National University Health System and SingHealth), community pharmacies (Guardian, Unity and Watsons) and Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore. The content does not reflect drug availability and supply information in pharmacies and healthcare institutions. You are advised to check with the respective institutions for such information.
Last reviewed on Jul 2021
This article was last reviewed on Friday, September 10, 2021
Albendazole is an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of a variety of parasitic worm infections. Albendazole is an antihelminthic
antihelminthic
Anthelmintic is the term used to describe a drug used to treat infections of animals with parasitic worms. This includes both flat worms, e.g., flukes (trematodes) and tapeworms (cestodes) as well as round worms (nematodes). The parasites are of huge importance for human tropical medicine and for veterinary medicine.
medication with numerous indications such as cystic hydatid disease of the liver, lung, and peritoneum resulting from the larval form of the dog tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus.
Albendazole is used to treat infections caused by worms. It works by keeping the worm from absorbing sugar (glucose), so that the worm loses energy and dies. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Adults and children weighing less than 60 kg—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 15 mg per kg of body weight per day, divided into 2 doses, taken with meals, for 8 to 30 days.
Albendazole and mebendazole are most frequently prescribed for treatment of intestinal nematode infections (ascariasis, hookworm infections, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, and enterobiasis) and can also be used for intestinal tapeworm infections (taeniases and hymenolepiasis).
Albendazole is usually well tolerated when given as a single dose for the treatment of soil-transmitted intestinal nematode infections, although some patients develop gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort or experience migration of adult A.lumbricoides from the nose or mouth or in the stool.
The drug is used to treat certain tapeworm infections in humans. Albendazole has a very specific purpose: It treats certain infections that are rare in the United States. This can make the price of the brand-name drug higher than the generic since it's not prescribed very often.
Based on this trial, the recommended dosage for Ascaris and hookworm is a 400 mg single dose, and for Trichuris is a 600 mg single dose. Albendazole appears to be more effective than other available anthelmintic drugs.
The most widely used deworming medication is called albendazole, and it is a secure method of treating intestinal worms that are used all over the world. Children aged between one and two years should take half a tablet (200 mg), and those aged between 2 and 19 years should take one tablet (400 mg).
Ivermectin results in more people cured than albendazole, and is at least as well tolerated. In trials of ivermectin with thiabendazole, parasitological cure is similar but there are more adverse events with thiabendazole.
Worms, parasitic flukes cause many harms to the host body, so it is recommended to periodically deworm every 6 months. But there are many people who do not know when to use deworming medicine? When is the best time to take deworming pills?
Inform your pharmacist or doctor before using Albendazole if you are taking any other medications. Avoid grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking this medication. Avoid Chinese Ginseng while taking this medication. You do not need to use laxatives or change your diet.
Garlic, honey, pumpkin seeds, and papaya seeds are all touted as antiparasitic foods to include in your diet. Some natural practitioners go a step further and recommend a grain-free, sugar-free diet. Others recommend limiting fruit intake in order to further reduce dietary sugars.
The medicine will either kill the adult worms or cause you to poop them out. But they won't kill the eggs, which can still cause infections. You'll probably need to give your doctor a stool sample for a few months to make sure all the tapeworms are gone.
Albendazole (Albenza) is a tablet that's used for the treatment of tapeworm infections in children and adults. It can't be purchased over the counter because it requires a prescription. Some side effects of albendazole (Albenza) include stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Mebendazole is the main medication used to treat threadworm infections. It can be bought over the counter from your local pharmacy or prescribed by your GP. It's available as a chewable tablet or a liquid.
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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