Anthelmintic drugs are highly toxic, so choosing the right option, even with all the variety of drugs, is not easy. Every modern person should take pills for worms. Parasites provoke severe intoxication, negatively affect all vital systems and organs. The complexity of the choice lies in the fact that it is impossible to independently identify the class of helminths. To do this, you will need to donate feces and blood for analysis, so that the doctor will prescribe the correct therapy. If the drug is taken for prophylaxis, then it is enough to purchase a wide range of tablets. But first things first.
Cheap helminth medicines for children
Levamisole
Levamisole hydrochloride is a white or pale pink crystalline powder, almost odorless, freely soluble in water; stable in acidic solutions and undergoes hydrolysis in alkaline and neutral solutions. Molecular weight 240.75.
Pharmachologic effect:
- immunomodulatory;
- anthelmintic.
The anthelmintic effect is due to the blockade of succinate dehydrogenase, suppression of the process of fumarate recovery and, as a consequence, a violation of energy metabolism in helminths.
Causes depolarization of the helminth muscle cell membranes. Paralyzed nematodes are removed from the body by normal intestinal motility within 24 hours after ingestion. It is especially active against Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator Americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale.
The drug should not be taken with agranulocytosis, the development of which was provoked by drugs in the anamnesis, as well as if the patient has hypersensitivity to the drug. Levamisole is not prescribed for children under the age of 14 years.
With extreme caution, this remedy is prescribed for liver diseases, inhibition of hematopoiesis, kidney diseases, cerebrovascular disorders, as well as with the simultaneous use of the drug with other medicines that affect hematopoiesis.
Levamisole is allowed for children over 14 years of age. The treatment is carried out in the same way as in adults, the dose is taken at a time. Children are prescribed 2.5 mg per 1 kg of body weight. But usually a single dose is 1 whole tablet.
Price - from 40 rubles.
Mebendazole
Mebendazole is a synthetic drug with a wide spectrum of anthelmintic action. It causes disruption of glucose metabolism in the tissues of the worm, depletion of glycogen stores in them and inhibits the formation of adenosine triphosphoric acid (ATP), a source of energy for the helminth. All these irreversible changes lead to the death of the parasite.
The drug is almost not absorbed in the intestine. It is distributed unevenly in tissues: it accumulates in a higher concentration in the liver, adipose tissue and larvae of worms. It is excreted from the body through the intestines (90%) and kidneys (up to 10%).
Contraindications:
- hypersensitivity to mebendazole;
- nonspecific ulcerative colitis;
- Crohn's disease;
- liver failure;
- children's age (up to 2 years old);
- pregnancy;
- lactation period.
Dosages:
Children aged 2 to 10 years - in a dose of 25-50 mg once. In the case of a high probability of re-invasion, the administration is repeated after 2-4 weeks at the same dose.
It is recommended that all family members be treated simultaneously.
With ascariasis, trichocephalosis, ankylostomiasis, teniasis, strongyloidiasis and mixed helminthiasis - 100 mg in the morning and evening for 3 days. With trichinosis - 200-400 mg 3 times / day for 3 days, and from 4th to 10th day - 400-500 mg 3 times / day.
With echinococcosis - 500 mg 2 times / day for the first 3 days, then in the same dose 3 times / day for the next 3 days. In the future, it is used at a dose of 25-30 mg / kg / day in 3-4 doses.
Price - from 90 rubles.
Pirantel
Pirantel is one of the few anthelmintic drugs that can be prescribed to a child under the age of one year.
"Pirantel" is available in the form of tablets and suspensions, which makes it easy to use for children of any age. Most often, a medicine is prescribed for:
- enterobiasis (pinworms);
- ascariasis;
- ankylostomiasis;
- non-kotorosis.
"Pirantel", like other antiparasitic drugs, is quite toxic, it can be given to a child only after a thorough examination and consultation with a doctor.
Method of administration and dosage:
Set individually depending on the age and body weight of the patient.
- children from 6 months to 2 years old - 125 mg (1/2 tab. or 1/2 box);
- children from 2 to 6 years old - 250 mg (1 tab. or 1 box);
- children from 6 to 12 years old - 500 mg (2 tablets or 2 boxes);
- children over 12 years old and adults weighing less than 75 kg - 750 mg (3 tablets or 3 boxes).
With ascariasis and enterobiasis, the drug is prescribed once in a dose of 10 mg / kg of body weight. In some cases, it is permissible to use the drug in a minimum dose of 5 mg / kg.
When ankylostomiasis is prescribed at a dose of 10 mg / kg / day for 3 days.
In severe forms of necatorosis (massive invasion of Necator americanus), a dose of 20 mg / kg / day is prescribed for 2 days.
The drug is taken during or after a meal, the tablet should be chewed thoroughly.
Contraindications
- hypersensitivity to drug components;
- concomitant use of piperazine;
- myasthenia gravis (treatment period);
- May increase the concentration of theophylline in blood plasma.
Price - from 60 rubles.
Features of helminthiasis
When treating helminthic invasions, the following features of the structure and life of parasitic worms are taken into account:
- They live long enough, sometimes as long as their owner.
- Suppress or modify the response from the human immune system. The resulting immunodeficiency allows an external infection to enter the host's body or "disinhibits" its internal foci.
- They are capable of producing antienzymes that provoke the development of toxic-allergic reactions of varying severity.
- They develop by changing hosts and passing through the stages of eggs and larvae.
- In some species, the larvae are covered with lime capsules and end up in hard-to-reach parts of the body. For example, Trichinella capsules prefer to be in the diaphragm.
- Extremely prolific. The record holder is the female roundworm, capable of laying more than 200 thousand eggs per day.
- They can reach 20 meters and, after destruction, require urgent removal of fragments of a long body.
Cheap cat medications
Drits Irina Alexandrovna. Parasitologist
Helminthiasis can lead to numerous health problems, shortening life by 15-25 years. Many parasites are extremely difficult to detect. They can be anywhere - in the blood, intestines, lungs, heart, brain. Symptoms of helminthic invasion can be confused with ARVI, gastrointestinal diseases and others. The main mistake in such cases is procrastination! If you have any suspicions about the presence of parasites, then you need to contact a specialist. More information about modern methods of treating helminthiasis is described in this interview with a doctor... If we talk about drugs and self-treatment, then from the most common helminths (ascaris, pinworms, tapeworms), this antiparasitic complex.
Febtal
Anthelmintic agent of the benzimidazole group. Fenbendazole (5-phenyl-thio-2-benzimidazole carbamate), which is part of the drug, has a wide spectrum of nematodicidal and cestodicidal action, is active against adult forms, larvae and eggs of nematodes of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs, as well as cestodes parasitizing in animals.
The mechanism of action of fenbendazole is the destruction of microtubules in the intestinal cells of helminths and disruption of energy processes, which leads to the death of parasites.
When administered orally, fenbendazole is easily absorbed in the intestine and distributed in the organs and tissues of the animal; excreted from the body in unchanged form and in the form of metabolites, mainly with bile and partly with urine, in lactating animals also with milk.
The medication is given to the animals in the morning with a treat or with a small amount of tasty food. Puppies and kittens (over the age of 3 weeks) "Febtal" is given once a day for 3 days in a row, at the rate of 1 tablet per 3 kg of animal weight. For adult dogs, the drug is given once in a dose of 1 tablet per 1.5 kg of animal weight.
Price - from 100 rubles.
Envire
Anthelmintic drug Envair is available in two types: for dogs and for cats. The medicine for cats contains febantel and pyrantel pamoate as active ingredients.
The complex action of all components provides a pronounced anthelmintic activity of the drug against the majority of round and tapeworms parasitizing in animals.
Deworming of cats is carried out once a quarter. The drug is given with food. For treatment, it is used twice with an interval of 14 days. For intensive infections with helminths, they are used twice with an interval of 3-4 days. Depending on the age and body weight of the animal, the following doses are recommended:
| Age / body weight of the animal | Dose of active substance, mg / kg bw | The dose of the drug, tablets / kg bw |
| Kittens 2-4 months old | 62,5 | 0.25 (ј) |
| Cats weighing 2 kg | 62,5 | 0.5 (Ѕ) |
| Cats weighing 4 kg | 62,5 | 1 |
| Cats weighing 6 kg | 62,5 | 1,5 |
Price - from 120 rubles.
Classes of worms in humans
There are 3 main classes of parasites with which a person most often becomes infected:
- flatworms (flukes) - the life cycle of parasites directly depends on glycogen (polysaccharide), with its deficiency, worms die;
- roundworms (nematodes) - have a nervous system and a digestive tract;
- tapeworms (cestodes) - consume and process food with their own body, there are no digestive, respiratory, and blood supply systems.
Worm prevention in adults should be done at least annually. If it was not possible to prevent infection, drugs are selected taking into account the class of helminths.
Available medications for dogs
Azinox
Anthelmintic drug. Taking Azinox increases the permeability of the cell membranes of helminths for Ca2 +, causes a generalized contraction of the muscles, which turns into persistent paralysis, leading to the death of helminths. Active against Clonorchis sinensis (Chinese fluke), Metagonimus Yokogawai, Opisthorchis felineus (cat fluke or Siberian fluke), Opisthorchis Viverrini (Viverra fluke), Paragonimus westermani (pulmonary fluke), Fascientiola hepaticola fluke , Schistosoma Mansoni (Manson's intestinal schistosome), Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma intercalatum, Schistosoma japonicum, Hymenoeepis nana (dwarf tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium latum (broad tapeworm), Taeniarhynchus saginatus (bovine tapeworm)
"Azinox" for dogs is administered orally individually, once, in the morning feeding with a small amount of food or injected forcibly at a dose of 1 tablet per 10 kg of animal weight.
A preliminary fasting diet and the use of laxatives before deworming animals is not required.
For therapeutic purposes, dogs are dewormed according to indications, for prophylactic purposes - on a quarterly basis in a therapeutic dose.
Price - from 120 rubles.
Pratel
Combined anthelmintic drug.Possesses a wide spectrum of nematicidal and cestocidal action on all phases of development of round and tape helminths parasitizing in dogs and cats, incl.
Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati, Toxascaris leonina, Uncinaria stenocephala, Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma tubaeforme, Hydatigera taeniaeformis, Dipylidium caninum, Echinococcus granulosis, Echinococcus multilocularis.
The mechanism of action of the active components included in the drug is based on inhibition of fumarate reductase, persistent depolarization of muscle cells of the helminth, disruption of energy metabolism, which causes paralysis and death of the parasite, promotes its excretion from the gastrointestinal tract.
Pratel tablets are used for dogs and cats once, individually in crushed form with food or injected forcibly onto the root of the tongue in the following doses:
| Type and weight | Dose of Pratel tablets (number of tablets per animal) |
| Dogs: | |
| up to 2 kg | 1/4 |
| 2-5 kg | 1/2 |
| 5-10 kg | 1 |
| 10-20 kg | 2 |
| 20-30 kg | 3 |
| 30-40 kg | 4 |
| 40-50 kg | 5 |
Price - from 110 rubles.
Plant-based anthelmintics
According to WHO experts, the future of antiparasitic therapy lies with natural preparations made from plant materials. Medicinal herbs with anthelmintic properties are still trusted more today than synthetic drugs.
Modern natural remedies made from medicinal plants effectively eliminate parasites without causing any side effects on the patient's body. Pharmacologists have learned to extract active components from them in the form of natural phytoncides, bitterness, essential oils, while ensuring the highest degree of purity and safety.
You can defeat parasites!
Antiparasitic complex® - Reliable and safe disposal of parasites in 21 days!
- The composition includes only natural ingredients;
- Does not cause side effects;
- Absolutely safe;
- Protects liver, heart, lungs, stomach, skin from parasites;
- It removes the waste products of parasites from the body.
- Effectively destroys most types of helminths in 21 days.
There is a preferential program now for free packaging. Read expert opinion.
Infection with worms - symptoms in humans
Before getting rid of parasites, it is necessary to establish the symptoms of the presence of worms:
- itching in the anus;
- weakening of the immune system against the background of intoxication;
- elevated temperature persists for a long time;
- itchy skin, rashes;
- strong gassing;
- rumbling in the stomach, but not from hunger;
- constant irritability;
- weight gain or sudden weight loss for no apparent reason;
- soreness in muscles, joints;
- an allergy that did not exist before;
- violation of the digestive system (diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, etc.);
- increased fatigue.
Tablets for worms should be drunk as soon as you notice these signs in yourself.
Forms of issue
Anthelmintics for parasites are divided into two categories: tablets and suspensions. As a rule, pill medicines are cheaper because they contain fewer excipients. They are very easy to transport and have a longer shelf life even after opening the package.
But at the same time, drugs in tablets are extremely rarely prescribed for the prevention of parasites, since, despite their high efficiency, they have a pronounced toxic effect on the human body.
Suspensions, solutions and syrups have their own advantages: they are easier to dose in the case of treatment of children or in case of a forced dose reduction, they often contain flavors and sweeteners, which makes them taste better. In addition, some of these medications have a prolonged effect, which makes it possible to reduce the total volume of the substance for the full course of treatment. Among the disadvantages, one can single out a higher risk of developing allergies due to the presence of a large number of auxiliary components in the composition. In addition, the cost of drugs in this form, as a rule, is slightly higher than that of tablets.
Why are drops on the withers more convenient than tablets for worms?
Cat owners prefer drops for controlling internal and external parasites for the following reasons:
- The cat rejects violence and does not want to swallow pills, in some situations vomiting develops.
- The use of oral anthelmintics with high worm content, even with the correct dosage, leads to intoxication: the mass death of helminths is accompanied by the release of poisonous decay products. If drops are used, the antihelminthic agent enters the intestines from the blood, slowly, the worms die gradually, intoxication does not develop.
- Tablet preparations do not protect against ectoparasites and mosquitoes - carriers of Dirofilaria.
- Oral medications cause indigestion and are hepatotoxic.
How to apply drops from worms to the withers of a cat?
The drugs that are applied to the withers are Spot-on drops, which translated from English means "to the very point." The liquid is applied to dry, intact skin between the shoulder blades. The use of drops requires certain skills, the wool is moved apart so that the liquid is absorbed into the skin, and not on the coat.
The components of the drug are poisonous for cold-blooded creatures, but they are also unsafe for cats if they get on the mucous membranes. Cats love to lick themselves, so the pesticide is applied to the withers between the shoulder blades, where the pet cannot reach with either its paw or tongue. It is important that within half an hour there is no relative nearby who can lick a comrade and get poisoned.
So, the antihelminthic agent was absorbed into the sebaceous glands and entered the bloodstream. It is important that at this time not the cat does not get water, which within two or three days is capable of inactivating the active substances. Before processing 2-3 days, the pet should also not be wetted. And the residues of detergents after using the shampoo during the same period destroy the antihelminthic agent applied to the skin.
Be sure to read:
Otodectin: instructions for use for cats, dosage, indications and contraindications
What is the action based on
Any drugs for parasites are aimed at the earliest possible elimination of worms from the body. Taking pills or suspensions at the stage when the larvae have just entered the gastrointestinal tract is impractical, since in most cases they do not act on eggs and cysts, therefore it is pointless to take such medications during the incubation period. Some agents affect the hatched larvae, but not all.
The drug effect on adults is reduced to immobilization or inability to perform vital functions, such as breathing, nutrition, etc.
The main mechanisms are as follows:
- paralysis of muscle fibers;
- destruction of the outer shells of the parasite's body;
- disruptions in the work of digestion;
- destruction of the cellular structures of worms.
Inexpensive drugs for parasitic worms, which are now presented in the pharmaceutical industry, perfectly cope with helminthiases. Often, according to the instructions, a single dose is sufficient, since their effectiveness is quite high, especially when it comes to prevention.
Self-selection of anthelmintic drugs is not recommended due to the fact that the patient is not always able to identify contraindications and foresee the likelihood of side effects. To prescribe the correct scheme, you need to consult a doctor.
