Table of contents:
- The right time to take deworming
- Do you need to take deworming regularly?
- Choice of drugs to treat intestinal worms
Worms is a common disease that often attacks Indonesian society. Not only affects children, worms can also infect adults. One of the best ways to prevent and treat this disease is to take deworming medicine. However, when is the right time to take deworming medicine? Come on, find out the answer here.
The right time to take deworming
The right time to take deworming is as soon as symptoms of intestinal worms appear.
The symptoms of worms themselves actually depend on the type of worm that infects the body. If you experience frequent itching in the anal area, especially at night, you may have pinworms.
If you have this, you can immediately take worm medicine to inhibit the growth of more and more pinworms. Not only that, you are also advised to take deworming medicine if you find worms in feces. Especially if you previously experienced frequent stomach aches and a drastic decrease in appetite.
Because if not treated immediately, intestinal worms can lead to further complications, such as intestinal blockage and problems with absorption of nutrients in the body. So, you don't have to wait healthy first to take deworming medicine.
Do you need to take deworming regularly?
As an effort to prevent you from getting infected with this disease, the right time to take deworming medicine is every 6 months. However, this recommendation is generally given to people who are indeed at high risk of developing intestinal worms.
Some people who are recommended to take deworming regularly at least once every 6 months are:
- People living in slums where sanitation and personal hygiene facilities are inadequate
- People who work in worm-prone areas, for example, construction workers, eartheners, or ranchers and farmers who work with or are exposed to animals
- People who live in places where worms are endemic
- Often eat raw or undercooked foods
There may be other conditions not mentioned above. To determine whether you are among those who are recommended to regularly take deworming or not, you can consult a doctor. The doctor will probably look at your health condition and a thorough history of your disease.
Quiet. Deworming includes a single dose so that it will not cause serious side effects after taking the medicine even though your body is not having intestinal worms.
Choice of drugs to treat intestinal worms
Some types of deworming medicine are available over the counter at drugstores, and some require a doctor's prescription. The following are some references to worm medicine that you can take:
- Albendazole. This medicine works to treat infections caused by worms, such as hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, roundworms, and pinworms. Albedazole is only available by prescription from a doctor. That is why before taking this drug you consult your doctor first to avoid side effects and drug dosage errors.
- Mebendazole. This drug works by paralyzing and killing worms that infect the digestive tract. This medication prevents worms from absorbing the sugar that is their food source.
- Pyrantel pamoate. This medicine causes the worms in the body to become paralyzed so that it will be easier for them to pass along with the feces. Pyrantel pamoate can be purchased at the nearest drugstore or pharmacy without a doctor's prescription. However, make sure you keep reading how to use the medicine listed on the packaging label to avoid overdosing.
It is important for you to understand that this medicine cannot kill worm eggs in the body. So, to prevent recurrence of infection, you are advised to adopt a hygienic lifestyle so that worm eggs do not reproduce. The method can be started by diligently washing your hands before eating and after urinating / defecating.
