"Pirantel" is an anthelmintic drug and is used to treat patients of all age categories.
This medication is produced in the form of yellow tablets, convex on both sides. Used orally. The tablets are packaged in blisters (3 pieces each) and in cartons, with detailed instructions for use attached. "Pirantel" has some restrictions in use, may cause adverse reactions.
In addition, the drug is available in the form of a suspension, which is a yellowish liquid with fruit flavors, poured into tinted glass bottles. The bottles are packed in cardboard boxes. There are also detailed instructions and a special measuring cup. Instructions for use for the suspension "Pirantel" is also detailed.
The composition of the tablets includes the main substance - pyrantel and some additional auxiliary components: orange flavor, talc, potato starch, magnesium stearate, ethyl cellulose,povidone.
As the instructions for Pirantel indicate, the suspension also contains an active substance - pyrantel and auxiliary elements: citric acid monohydrate, simethicone emulsion, povidone, polysorbate, magnesium aluminum silicate, glycerol, sodium benzoate, sodium carmellose, sorbitol, apricot flavor, sodium hydroxide, specially purified water.
Pharmacological action
In accordance with the instructions, "Pirantel" is a medicine against helminths with a wide spectrum of effects. Thanks to the active component, the muscular apparatus of the parasites is blocked, resulting in their immobilization and death. This medication is effective against mature individuals and does not affect the eggs and larvae of worms, as well as those parasites that are at the migration stage.
Medication is active against:
- Ancylostoma duodenale.
- Enterobius vermicularis.
- Necator americanus.
- Trichocephalus trichiurus.
Indications for prescription
Medicine "Pirantel" is prescribed to patients as a prophylactic and therapeutic drug for the following pathologies:
- Ascariasis.
- Enterobiosis.
- Hookworm infection.
- Necatoriasis.
Contraindications
As we are told by the instruction, Pirantel has a certain list of restrictions on use, which include:
- Casesindividual intolerance to the drug.
- Myasthenia gravis.
- Children under 3 years (for tablet dosage form).
- Combination therapy with Levamisole and Piperazine.
- Congenital forms of fructose intolerance (for a drug in the form of a suspension).
- Lactation, pregnancy.
- Anemia with significant emaciation.
- Baby is under 6 months old and weighs less than 10 kg.
With extreme caution, the drug should be used among persons suffering from severe liver failure or impaired liver function.
Before using the drug, it is necessary to study in detail the annotation attached to it in order to exclude restrictions.
Instructions for "Pirantel" must be strictly observed.
Dosing regimen and method of application
Suspension is administered orally during or after meals. Before use, the glass vial with the medicine must be shaken until a homogeneous emulsion is achieved.
Recommended dosages:
- Children from 6 months. up to 2 years: 2.5 ml - half measuring cup.
- Children 2 - 6 years: 5 ml - 1 measuring cup.
- Children 6 - 12 years: 10 ml - 2 cups.
- Children 12 years and older and adults weighing less than 75 kg - 3 measuring cups or 3 tablets.
- Adults over 75 kg - 4 measuring cups or 4 tablets.
In order to prevent recurrent helminthiasis, a reception ismedication 21 days after first use.
According to the instructions for use of Pirantel, in the case of ascariasis, enterobiasis or mixed invasion by these parasites, the dose recommended for one course (10 mg per 1 kg of body weight) is taken once. With ankylostomiasis, as well as with a combination of necatoriasis and ascariasis or any other helminthic invasions, the drug is taken for three days at 10 mg per 1 kg of weight. The recommended dosage for a massive Necator americanus infestation is 20 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. Course duration - two days.
As the instructions indicate, "Pirantel" 250 mg should be thoroughly chewed and taken orally with food, washed down with water.
Use during pregnancy, lactation
The instructions for "Pirantel" for adults indicate that in the first trimester, therapy with this drug is strictly contraindicated, since scientific studies have not been conducted in this case and it is not known what effect the drug can have on the intrauterine development of the child. In the second and third trimesters, such treatment is possible only in cases where the potential effect for the woman outweighs the likely risk to the fetus.
Instructions for use "Pirantel" reports that the active substance of this medication can be excreted with mother's milk, so its use during the lactation process is not practiced. If treatment is needed, the woman is advised to stop lactating.
Side symptoms
According to the instructions for use and reviews of "Pirantel", during treatment with a pharmacological agent, certain side effects may occur in patients:
- On the part of the digestive organs - nausea, lack of appetite, unpleasant taste in the mouth, epigastric pain, vomiting, diarrhea, in some cases, changes in liver function are possible.
- From the side of the nervous system - minor headaches, increased irritability, drowsiness, lethargy, weakness. In more severe cases - the occurrence of hallucinations, impaired consciousness, paresthesia.
- Allergic symptoms - skin rashes, itching, urticaria, in severe cases, the occurrence of angioedema.
Overdose symptoms
What else can you learn from the instructions for use of Pirantel? When using an increased dosage of this medication, the patient may develop negative symptoms of an overdose, expressed in an increase in the side effects described above and severe changes in the structures of the nervous system.
Overdose therapy consists in urgent gastric lavage and the use of enterosorbents. If necessary, symptomatic treatment should be carried out. There is no antidote for this drug.
Instructions for the use of Pirantel tablets for adults do not end there.
Interaction of the drug with other medications
Pirantel is not recommendedto the appointment with concomitant therapy with the drug "Piperazine", since with such a pharmacological interaction there is a weakening of the therapeutic effect.
With the simultaneous use of the drug with "Theophylline", the concentration of the latter in the blood increases, which can also lead to negative reactions.
According to the instructions, Pirantel tablets are not recommended to be taken simultaneously with laxatives. This is because the therapeutic efficacy of the drug will be reduced.
Influence on the ability to control mechanisms
In accordance with the instructions for use of "Pirantel", it is recommended to refrain from driving vehicles and performing potentially dangerous types of work during the period of taking the funds. The reason for this is the possible development of dizziness, weakness, drowsiness and other negative phenomena from the structures of the nervous system.
Special Recommendations
During the treatment of enterobiasis, it is necessary to prescribe a prophylactic dosage of the drug to all people who have contact with the patient. For these individuals, a single dose of the medication will suffice. At the end of treatment, the patient must pass a control analysis of feces for the presence of worm eggs in it and scrapings from the perianal fold. To avoid the spread of a parasitic infection, it is necessary to thoroughly wash underwear and bed linen, iron it from different sides. It is also recommended to carry out daily wet cleaning of the room, and wash the dishes inhot water with soda.
This is confirmed by the instructions for "Pirantel". Check out the reviews below.
Analogues
Structural analogues of this drug are three anthelmintic drugs:
- "Helminthox".
- "Pyrantela pamoat".
- Nemocide.
All of the above drugs act on both immature and sexually mature worms, but they are absolutely ineffective against eggs and larvae of parasites.
Similar drugs for therapeutic effects are:
- Biltricide. The main active element of this medicine is praziquantel, which is effective against metagonim, Chinese flukes, liver flukes, lung flukes, giant flukes, schistosomes, fasciolopsis, pygmy tapeworms, bovine tapeworms, broad tapeworms, pork tapeworms, as well as their larvae.
- "Nemozol" - a medicine based on albendazole. Effective against echinococcus larvae, tapeworm, whipworm, giardia, ascaris, hookworm, intestinal acne, pinworms, opisthorchis, microsporidia.
- "Decaris" - a drug, the main active element of which is levamisole. This drug is effective against hookworms, necators, toxoplases, ascaris, intestinal acne, whipworms, trichostrongylides and pinworms.
- "Piperazine" is a medicine based on piperazine adipate. Active only against ascaris and pinworms.
- "Pirvinium" - a drug with the active substance pirvinium embonate, is used only in the treatment of pinworms.
- "Telmox100". The active substance is mebendazole. It is a very effective medicine against pinworms, hookworms, roundworms, necators, echinococci, intestinal acne, pork tapeworms.
- "Mendamine" is a medicine based on the active substance carbendacim. It is active against roundworms, pinworms, whipworms, hookworms, intestinal acne and necators.
When prescribing any of the above drugs, it must be taken into account that they have high toxicity and a huge list of side effects, which include meningeal syndrome, leukopenia, pancytopenia, thrombocytopenia, aplastic anemia, neutropenia, eosinophilia, hypercreatinemia, agranulocytosis, increased BP, fever, hematuria, cylindruria, hepatitis, renal dysfunction, alopecia, erythema, Johnson-Stevens syndrome, angioedema.
In the instructions for use for Pirantel tablets, the cost is not indicated.
Price
The cost of this drug is very low, ranging from 20 to 25 rubles per package. It depends on the region and pharmacy chain.
Reviews about the drug
Reviews of the Pirantel medical product contain a huge amount of various information, which is very contradictory.
Judging by the positive reviews, this drug (due to its long existence on the market of pharmacological products) is a time-tested medicine for helminthiasis. Patients note that "Pirantel" quickly eliminates worms,eliminates the symptoms of the disease and the discomfort associated with it. Patients are satisfied that this medication can be used not only for adults, but also for children. At the same time, the product in the form of a suspension has a very pleasant smell and taste, which makes it possible to give it to even the smallest children. They gladly accept it.
Another category of patients who left negative feedback about the drug "Pirantel" believe that this drug is already outdated, so newer, modern medications should be prescribed. This group of people report that the helminths have become resistant to the active substance, so the drug is not effective. However, this is an exclusively subjective opinion, scientific research has not proven it. In addition, negative reviews contain information about a variety of side effects that occurred in people of different ages from some body systems and organs. Among them, severe nausea, dyspeptic symptoms, severe diarrhea most often occurred. Excessive weakness, dizziness, and decreased alertness were less common.
Specialists say that this drug has an active effect, but you should consult a doctor before using it.
The article provided instructions for the use of Pirantel.
