Treatments for Pinworm
Treatment list for Pinworm: The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Pinworm includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.
- No treatment - some doctors recommend no specific treatments other than waiting.
- Soothing ointment - for itching
- Anthelmintic drugs
- Mebendazole
- Pyrantel pamoate (Povan)
- Treat all household members
- Launder linen, bedding, and sleepwear in hot water on same day as treatments
Treatments of Pinworm discussion: With either prescription or over-the-counter drugs. You should consult your health care provider before treating a suspected case of pinworm. Treatment involves a two-dose course. The second dose should be given 2 weeks after the first. 1
Some doctors believe
that no treatment is necessary for pinworm infections that have no
symptoms. This is because children usually outgrow the infection.
Because of the strong probability that small children will get
infected again outside the home, strenuous efforts to eliminate the
eggs from the household are of little help.
If the doctor
does prescribe medicine, all members of the household should take
it, regardless of whether they have symptoms. Drugs such as
mebendazole and pyrantel pamoate (Povan) are the most useful in
treating pinworm infections.
To relieve intense itching that
often accompanies pinworm infection, a doctor may prescribe a
soothing ointment or cream.2
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Pinworm Infection: DPD
2. excerpt from Parasitic Roundworm Diseases, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID
Last revision:
April 9, 2003
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