Generic Vermox (Mebendazole): Vermox for Treatment and Prevention of Helminthiasis, Pharmacological Properties,  Prophylactic Recommendations, Recommendations for Use, Contraindications and Side Effects, Interaction with Other Drugs, Precautions during Treatment

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Vermox

Vermox (Mebendazole) for Treatment and Prevention of Helminthiasis

There are diseases that are caused by our lifestyle, but a certain number of illnesses can affect everyone. For example, helminthiasis affects not only unscrupulous people but also those who have a direct contact with affected people or animals or consume insufficiently prepared food. This disease requires special preventive measures, including taking drugs that treat helminths. Vermox is a drug that can be used by both children and adults. It is an effective medication that can also be applied as a good preventive measure.

Vermox for Treatment and Prevention of Helminthiasis1

Helminthiasis

Helminthiasis (worm infection) is a disease of people and animals when a part of the body is infected with parasitic worms (helminths). This disease can affect anyone because the vital activity of worms is omnipresent, diverse, and persistent.

Helminths can live for years in the human body without giving any suspicious signs. They are not affected by temperature so even after keeping some food in the freezer for a while, there is no guarantee that the worms have died.

The most important preventive measure is to maintain maximum hygiene. You need to thoroughly wash hands and silverware before having food, take into account the heat treatment of not only meat but also vegetables and fruits before consuming them. Remember that animals are also options for parasitizing microorganisms.

Helminthiasis can go without symptoms for a very long time, but later patients might complain about the following:

  • Increased appetite that doesn’t lead to weight gain
  • Anemia
  • Bruxism
  • Perianal itching

A person should immediately seek medical advice if any of these symptoms persist. Helminths develop rapidly enough due to the fact that they eat the host organism. This can lead to the liver damage, disruption of the metabolic processes, ingress of the worms to the lungs, which can cause hemoptysis and difficulty in breathing.

When one member of the family suffers from helminthiasis, all the others should also be treated, and the house should be maximally disinfected.

Vermox – A Great Treatment from Helminths

Vermox is an anthelmintic drug that perfectly treats various types of helminths parasitizing in the human body. One pill of the drug contains 100 g of mebendazole. Auxiliary substances are starch, talc, and magnesium stearate.

It should be noted that the drug is a very effective anthelmintic agent, but it is not recommended to take it without first consulting a doctor. Uncontrolled treatment can lead to the development of unwanted reactions in the human body caused by toxic substances produced by helminths at the time of their decay.

Pharmacological Properties of Vermox

Mebendazole.svgVermox is most effective in the treatment of enterobiasis (helminthic invasion) caused by round parasitic worms, mainly pinworms. This disease is accompanied by intestinal disorders and itching in the anus.

According to most parasitologists, the effectiveness of Vermox is high due to the action of mebendazole that prevents the absorption of glucose by worms. Glucose is the main nutritional element for helminths. This process leads to the depletion of helminths, which occurs gradually. The active ingredient practically does not penetrate into the blood and activates its functions in the intestinal canal and liver.

Vermox is a sparing medicine that helps carry out the prevention and treatment of helminthic invasions in children and adults. If there are no contraindications, the drug is safe because it gradually destroys the parasitic worms and promotes their natural excretion.

When Is It Recommended to Use the Drug?

It is recommended to use Vermox in the following types of helminthic invasions:

  • Enterobiasis (caused by pinworms)
  • Ascariasis (Ascariasis worms)
  • Ancylostomiasis (hookworms)
  • Trichuriasis (whipworms)
  • Taeniasis (tapeworms)
  • Mixed helminthiases (several species of worms)

Vermox has a wide range of actions – it is indispensable in the treatment of any helminthic disease. If one of the family members is infected, it is recommended to use the drug for preventive purposes to eliminate possible invasions.

Prophylactic Recommendations

Due to the fact that the infection with worms is possible when the hygiene rules are not followed, anybody can get infected with helminths. That is why parasitologists recommend having a preventive anthelmintic treatment once a year. The most appropriate time for this is summer and autumn because at this time the probability of infection increases.

Vermox is also suitable for children. A single dose of the drug is enough to protect yourself and your family members from helminthic invasions. It is important to consult a doctor beforehand to prevent contraindications and, accordingly, any possible complications.

The preventive treatment should be conducted during the warm seasons when the risk of infection with worms is higher. Children can get infected with parasitic worms, or rather, their larvae, in the sandbox and on the beach. Spending time with cats and dogs leads to great risks of infection as well. It is important to thoroughly wash your hands, vegetables, and fruits before eating. Even if all the recommendations listed above are followed, it is still good to take Vermox as a preventive measure once in a while. This will help prevent the helminthic invasions even in their larval development.

Recommendations for Use

Recommendations for Use

Before using Vermox, it is recommended to consult a doctor who will take the necessary diagnostic measures and prescribe an effective dosage of the drug taking into account a type of the disease. Only an expert can correctly appoint a therapy considering all the possible deviations in the work of internal organs and the human body. The correct dosage will prevent the development of adverse reactions and complications of the disease.

Most often, Vermox is prescribed to treat enterobiasis in the following dosages:

  • Children from 2 to 5 years old: a quarter of the pill one time. It is advisable to take the drug again 2–4 weeks after the main therapy to prevent infection.
  • Children from 5 to 10 years old: half of the pill one time. The same dosage should be taken again a month later.
  • Children over 10 years old: 1 pill one time. Treatment should be repeated again one month later.

Other types of helminthic invasions require a greater dosage of the drug, which is 2 pills per day. The intake of the medication should be divided into two times. The treatment lasts for 3 days. Take pills with some water.

Anthelmintic therapy should be administered simultaneously by all family members so that the effectiveness of treatment would be maximized. It is important to adhere to the diet throughout the course of treatment, eliminating fried and fatty foods. This is necessary to ensure that the load on the liver is minimal since the active ingredient that is a part of the drug has a negative effect on this organ.

Contraindications and Side Effects

Vermox should be taken only according to the doctor’s indications. Otherwise, there are large risks of blockage of intestinal lumens with parasitic worms. This often occurs in the presence of erosive processes in the mucosa of the intestinal tract. Thus, the most dangerous contraindications to the use the drug are Crohn’s disease and nonspecific ulcerative colitis.

The most frequent consequence of uncontrolled treatment with Vermox is the development of hepatitis. That’s why experts do not recommend using the medication in the presence of any form of the liver failure.

An absolute contraindication to the use of Vermox is the intolerance of the substances contained in the drug. The components of the drug can cause serious allergic manifestations in the form of hives, anaphylaxis, and Quincke’s edema. Before prescribing the medicine, the doctor takes into account all possible risks. Therefore, a preliminary consultation with a specialist is an obligatory measure to avoid undesirable consequences.

The main adverse reactions include:

  • In the gastrointestinal tract: diarrhea, vomiting, and intestinal obstruction (with the accumulation of helminths).
  • In the liver and bile excretory system: sclera and icterus of the skin. Long-term therapy may cause hepatitis.
  • In the nervous system: dizziness and headaches.
  • In the system of hematopoiesis: a decrease in the quantity of leukocytes and neutrophils in the blood, as well as an increase in the level of eosinophils responsible for displaying allergic processes in the body.
  • Allergic reactions: swelling, rash, and hair loss.

When the above-mentioned adverse reactions appear, doctors advise stopping the treatment. It is mandatory to rinse the stomach using potassium permanganate. It is also advisable to take a sorbent that will help remove the remnants of the drug from the body.

Interaction with Other Drugs

When using Vermox simultaneously with Metoprolol or Levamisole, there is a heavy load on the liver, with which the organs might not be able to cope with, since the overall level of toxicity becomes higher. In this regard, these drugs should not be taken with Vermox.

Also, the intake of Vermox with cimetidine (a drug for treating gastrointestinal diseases) can be harmful to the body, since the concentration of mebendazole significantly increases in blood. Do not take Vermox together with laxatives because this can cause a digestive system disorder that will continue for a fairly long time.

Precautions during Treatment

During the whole process of treatment, it is necessary to keep the peripheral blood smear under control, as well as the functions of the kidneys and liver. Do not take alcohol, laxatives, and fatty foods.

Vermox is effective and safe, so it can be used for both adults and children. Side effects are mainly observed during uncontrolled intake of the drug, as well as in the presence of individual intolerance.