Who can and cannot take mebendazole (2024)

Who can take mebendazole

Most adults and children from the age of 2 years can take mebendazole.

Younger children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years can take it if it's prescribed by a doctor.

Who may not be able to take mebendazole

Mebendazole is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell a pharmacist or doctor if you:

Page last reviewed: 4 August 2022
Next review due: 4 August 2025

Who can and cannot take mebendazole (2024)

FAQs

Who can't take mebendazole? ›

Mebendazole is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell a pharmacist or doctor if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to mebendazole or any other medicine. are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Can mebendazole be harmful? ›

The most common adverse effects accompanying mebendazole use are loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, headache, tinnitus, and elevated liver enzymes.

Is one tablet of mebendazole enough? ›

You'll usually take mebendazole as a single dose to treat threadworms, but you might need to take it for around 3 days for some other types of worm infection.

Who should not take pinworm medicine? ›

Before taking this medicine

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Pinworm Medicine should not be given to a child younger than 2 years old.

When should you not take worm medicine? ›

Note: Dewormer should be avoided for children under 2 years old and pregnant women, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. If the user intends to become pregnant, they should actively deworm at least 3 months in advance.

Is mebendazole hard on the liver? ›

Mebendazole is usually well tolerated and the liver injury reported with its use has been mild and self-limited in course. Patients with hypersensitivity and acute liver injury attributed to mebendazole should avoid repeat exposure.

Why is mebendazole no longer available? ›

Why is Mebendazole discontinued? Mebendazole was discontinued in 2011 due to the poor tissue penetration of Mebendazole and the current availability of albendazole and not for safety or efficacy reasons, stated by the Federal Register determination.

Does mebendazole affect gut bacteria? ›

Gut microbiota diversity increased after Enterobius infection, and it peaked after administration of mebendazole. At the phylum level, pinworm infection and mebendazole deworming were associated with a decreased relative abundance of Fusobacteria and an increased proportion of Actinobacteria.

Can you take mebendazole every day? ›

Adults and children 2 years of age and older—100 milligrams (mg) two times a day, morning and evening, for 3 consecutive days. Treatment may need to be repeated in 3 weeks. Children younger than 2 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Is there anything stronger than mebendazole? ›

Both agents were equally very effective (100% cure rate) in treating ascariasis. Albendazole was clearly more active than mebendazole against hookworm infections, both in terms of egg reduction rate (92.8% vs. 62.4%) and cure rate (81.8% vs. 17.2%).

Are worms still alive after mebendazole? ›

Mebendazole does not kill the worms' eggs, and these can cause you to get worms again and pass it on to other people. A doctor or pharmacist may advise you to take mebendazole again after 2 weeks, to stop the worms from coming back.

Which is better, pyrantel or mebendazole? ›

It is recommended that pyrantel pamoate be the drug of choice in cases of multiple parasitic infections excluding T. trichiura and S. stercoralis whereas those with one or both of these in addition to others should be treated with mebendazole.

Can worms be resistant to mebendazole? ›

spiralis larvae are resistant to mebendazole treatment.

When is mebendazole contraindicated? ›

Mebendazole is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to benzimidazole class of compounds, in pregnancy, and in children <2 years of age.

What drug family is mebendazole in? ›

Mebendazole (Emverm) is used to treat pinworm, whipworm, roundworm, and hookworm infections. Mebendazole is in a class of medications called anthelmintics.

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