Yes, you can buy mebendazole (like Vermox or Ovex) over-the-counter (OTC) from pharmacies in many places, especially for treating common threadworm/pinworm in adults and children over 2 years old, but it's often a pharmacy-only medicine (Schedule 2) requiring pharmacist advice, and sometimes prescription-only depending on region and worm type. Always check with your pharmacist for guidance, especially for young children (under 2) or different worm infections.
Mebendazole 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.
In the absence of mebendazole, the treatment of choice for pinworm infection is albendazole or pyrantel pamoate, given as a single dose and repeated in 2 weeks. This allows for activity against both the active worm infection and eggs.
See a GP if you:
find a large worm, a piece of worm or worm eggs in your poo.
Because the manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceuticals, discontinued producing mebendazole for (non–safety-related) business reasons, mebendazole was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2011 until 2016, when it was reintroduced at around 80 times increased price.
Mebendazole kills worms but not their eggs. You may need to take a second dose after 2 weeks. It's also important to have good personal hygiene to help stop the worms coming back. The most common side effect is stomach pain.
Most are accessible with a prescription, but some are available over the counter (OTC). Mebendazole (Emverm), ivermectin (Stromectol), and pyrantel pamoate (Reese's Pinworm Medicine, others) are three common anthelmintics. They're oral medications that are typically taken for a short period of time.
Other types of worms may be diagnosed in the laboratory from a fresh stool sample. For example, tapeworms are diagnosed by finding worm segments or worm eggs in a stool sample. Other worms are diagnosed by the presence of eggs, larvae or the parasites themselves in the stool sample.
Any symptoms or signs patient might have, specifically itch (particularly intense, nocturnal, perineal itching is common with threadworms) and if any recurrent abdominal pain. Any previous episodes of threadworm. Any sleep disturbance and irritability at night. Any symptoms of vulvovaginitis.
Threadworms (pinworms) are tiny worms in your poo. They're common in children and are spread easily. You can treat them without seeing a GP.
10 FOOD TO KILL INTESTINAL WORMS NATURALLY:
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.
Mebendazole (Vermox) is used to treat roundworm and whipworm infections. Mebendazole (Emverm) is used to treat pinworm, whipworm, roundworm, and hookworm infections. Mebendazole is in a class of medications called anthelmintics. It works by killing the worms.
Symptoms of a pinworm infection can include:
Is there any food or drink I need to avoid? You can eat and drink normally while taking mebendazole. It's important to remember to wash your hands and scrub under your fingernails before eating. This removes any eggs and stops the infection spreading or coming back.
stercoralis infections show an irregular and fluctuating pattern of larval excretion (Table 3). However, when albendazole was administrated orally, larval numbers increased to the maximum larval excretion point, where most larvae were driven out of the mucosa into the stool (Table 3).
Threadworm passes from person to person because of poor personal hygiene. The female worm lays eggs around the anus, which often leads to scratching. Eggs can then become stuck to fingertips or under the fingernails and be transferred to other people, to food, children's toys, kitchen utensils, or toothbrushes.
You can spot threadworms in your poo. They look like pieces of white thread. You might also see them around your child's bottom (anus). The worms usually come out at night while your child is sleeping.
❖ Change and wash underwear, nightwear (and bed linen if possible) each day. Avoid shaking clothes and linen as any eggs on them may be wafted into the air and be swallowed.
10 Warning Signs of Parasitic Infections
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of a Tapeworm Infection?
Signs that it is time to deworm
A noticeable loss of appetite, skipping meals, weight loss, persistent fatigue, and paleness. Children have difficulty achieving deep sleep, frequent night crying, and a large and firm abdomen. In particular, one of the most indicative signs of a pinworm infection is anal itching.
COMBANTRIN products contain Pyrantel Embonate whilst COMBANTRIN-1 products contain Mebendazole. Whilst these active ingredients have slightly different ways of treating threadworm infections, both are highly effective at ridding the body of threadworm.
Ivermectin/Albendazole is indicated for use in adults, adolescents and children 5 years or older, for the treatment of soil-transmitted helminth infections (STH), caused by different types of intestinal parasitic worms, which are spread through soil contaminated by human faeces in areas with poor sanitation.