Are parasite medications really safe? Don’t they have harsh side effects? What about off-label sources? Learn why I’d rather give my 5-year-old a round of multiple parasite medications than I would a round of antibiotics. Note that I am not a practitioner, not trying to become one, and don’t make any money from the products discussed in this article. More details in the disclaimer below.
First I start with our experiences and lessons learned from parasite medications. Then the FDA’s labels for parasite medication side effects are compared to side effects of other commonly prescribed drugs. This article is admittedly organized a little backwards, mostly because the FDA label information was quite long. For those who like to skip around, here is the outline of the article:
Our Experiences & Lessons Learned with Parasite Medications
Off-Label Sources of Parasite Medications
Parasite Medication Side Effects from FDA Labels
My Summary of FDA Parasite Medication Side Effects
Our Experiences & Lessons Learned with Parasite Medications
Our family of four started using parasite medications when our children were 4 and 7 years old. At the time of writing this article, they are ages 7 and 10. In that time, each person in our family has taken a total of around 23 rounds of parasite medications, often with multiple medications per round. About 10 of those rounds were taken in the first year, 9 rounds the second year, and 4 rounds the last year. Details of some of the initial parasite medication rounds that our family took can be found in the comprehensive Parasites tab.
It is our experience that worms can be eradicated, but flukes are more difficult. Worms are easy to re-catch, especially with children in a 700-student public school where none of the other children are de-wormed. I’m guessing the children will continue to need a few rounds of worm medications a year.
Liver flukes can be difficult to eradicate, so it’s possible that I will need to keep doing parasite rounds for the rest of my life. I don’t have any more fluke symptoms that I am aware of. After the first year, I have been doing about 2-3 rounds of fluke medications per year. I am still testing new medications and brainstorming ideas for completely eradicating liver flukes, but I’m not quite there yet.
Below is a table that summarizes our experience with the parasite medications that we have taken.
| Medication | Well tolerated? | Notes & Tips for taking |
| Albendazole | No | I have heard from several practitioners that Albenda & Alinia are hard on the liver, and that they should be monitored and taken with caution. The FDA label in the following section confirms this. I have tried to avoid these parasite medications. We have done a few rounds of Alinia with our oldest, and didn’t notice any issues. |
| Alinia | No | |
| Diethylcarbamazine (a.k.a Diethyl) | No | Diethyl can upset the stomach, and can be too strong in an enema. We encapsulate our tablets into gel caps, which eliminates any upset stomach issues. Diethyl can, however, still be difficult to take for long periods, especially in early rounds when lots of worms are dying. Now that we are pretty clear of parasites, Diethyl rounds don’t bother us. Diethyl is great with worms. It’s worth taking if it is testing well. If given the choice, take Mebendazole in earlier rounds and Diethyl in later rounds. Only take both at once if they are testing well together. |
| Ivermectin | Yes | No special notes or tips here. Ivermectin is a well-tolerated, great medication! |
| Levimisole | No | Levimisole needs to be encapsulated to be tolerated. It is often too strong to be taken in an enema. Even when encapsulated, it can be tough on digestion and mood. We don’t often test well on Levimisole, and have only done a handful of rounds with it. |
| Mebendazole (a.k.a Mebex) | Yes | Definitely a work-horse medication, and one we always have in-stock. Well tolerated and very effective against worms. Generally we found that any side effects of Mebendazole were due to worms dying. |
| Piperazine | Yes | We don’t have a ton of experience with Pipzine, but the few rounds we’ve done have been well tolerated. Unfortunately we didn’t try Pipzine until we were pretty much symptom free, so I don’t have much to say about how effective it is or isn’t. |
| Praziquantel | Yes | Not water soluble, so Prazi needs encapsulation. Very well tolerated. The extreme fatigue, nausea and sick feeling I felt while taking Prazi was due to flukes dying. I almost wanted to give up the first round I took of Prazi, but I’m really glad I didn’t! Now that I’m almost fluke-free, I take rounds with large doses of Prazi and they don’t bother me. |
| Pyrantel Pamoate | Yes | Pyrantel is well tolerated. Side effects we experienced were due to worms dying. |
| Tinidazole | No | Tinda is in the class of antibiotics. I put “No” under well tolerated because one should really stop eating sugars (yes, fruit too) and take anti-fungals like ADP while on Tina. The risk is overgrowth of the wrong flora in the digestive tract, which impacts the immune system as well as nutrient assimilation. Generally our family tried to minimize the number of Tinda rounds. To date, I believe we have only done 3 rounds with Tinda. |
Generally, if medications are testing equally well, then I would stick to the ones that are listed as “Well Tolerated.” Our experience is that parasites are hard to kill. They need to be hit long and hard, by as many medications at a time as possible. We used the techniques demonstrated in the Parasite tab videos to figure out which medications in which quantities to take.
Off-Label Sources of Parasite Medications
What about some of the off-label sources of parasite medications? Several of the medications and links are for animal / fish use only. Are they safe and effective for humans?
First off, let me explain how we started using off-label medications. Flying our family of 4 to see a doctor to prescribe parasite medications costs about $1,700 (flight only, we can stay with family and use their car). Let’s say he prescribes 2 rounds per trip. So far we’ve taken about 23 rounds per person, so let’s figure 11 trips total. This is about $18,700 savings off the bat by figuring out our medications and ordering them ourselves. Not to mention the hassle of flying with children, packing, and taking time off work for the trip.
The prescription medications from a compounding pharmacy are about $1-2 per pill. Some compounding pharmacies out here in California are totally ridiculous and charge up to $5/pill. We used 5-Star pharmacy out of Iowa, but they only ship to surrounding states, so you will have to find someone with an address in one of those states. Praziquantel is about $0.16 per pill from off-label sources, and Mebendazole about $0.23 per pill. Let’s say we’re saving an average of $1 per pill. 23 rounds times 4 people times approx. 60 pills per round average is another $5,520. The numbers add up quickly.
Beyond the financial argument, a few of the off-label medications aren’t available “on-label” in the USA. Diethyl was probably the most helpful of the not available medications, followed by Levamisole.
The question is – are the off label sources safe? I was wondering this too at first, but the numbers were convincing enough for me to investigate further. I searched online for recommendations from people already using off-label medications.
I muscle tested the medications and compared them to the compounding pharmacy’s RX medications. Then I scanned them all into ZYTO. ZYTO also indicated that they were testing well on our family. This was a double-check before I tried them myself. The off-label sources linked here tested pretty much equal to the pharmacy’s medications, both in muscle testing and in ZYTO.
My self-experiments went well. I didn’t notice anything different than I did when on the pharmacy’s medications. Finally, I tried them on my children. They also appeared to be equivalent when tested on our children. Of the 23 rounds of medications per person in our family of four, about 17 of them were with off-label medications. Yes, this includes the young children.
Are all off-label sources of parasite medications safe? I have no idea, but I can say that our family has had good results with the medications and sources linked in the “Where to get parasite medications for humans” section.
Parasite Medication Side Effects from FDA Labels
What are the side effects of parasite medications? When parasites die, they can release viruses, bacteria & toxins into the body. It’s difficult to know if side effects are due to the medications themselves or from the parasites dying. Aside from our experiences and opinions listed in the previous sections, let’s see what the FDA has to say.
Let’s start by comparing the official FDA labels for various parasite medications. These labels contain sections called “Adverse Events / Reactions” and “Post Marketing Adverse Event Reports”. I have copied the information from both of these sections in the table below.
To put things in perspective, also listed are the side effects of a few common medications that many people might not think twice about taking. The medications I picked are Amoxicillin (an antibiotic), Vicodin (a painkiller made primarily with Acetaminophen, the main ingredient of Tylenol), and Cymbalta (a common anti-depressant).
The medications are listed in alphabetical order. Note that some of the FDA labels were written by Bayer or Merck or GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturers. Often the medications have multiple names or brand names. I have tried to list the most common names in the table. References for all the label information used can be found in [1] below. I have made every attempt to preserve the formatting in the original FDA labels, which has resulted in inconsistent formatting in this table.
| Medication | Adverse Events / Adverse Reactions & Post Marketing Adverse Event Reports [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Albendazole (Albenza) | “The adverse event profile of albendazole differs between hydatid disease and neurocysticercosis. Adverse events occurring with a frequency of ≥1% in either disease are described in the table below. These symptoms were usually mild and resolved without treatment. Treatment discontinuations were predominantly due to leukopenia (0.7%) or hepatic abnormalities (3.8% in hydatid disease). The following incidence reflects events that were reported by investigators to be at least possibly or probably related to albendazole. Adverse Event Incidence ≥1% in Hydatid Disease and Neurocysticercosis
The following adverse events were observed at an incidence of <1%: Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Leukopenia. There have been rare reports of granulocytopenia, pancytopenia, agranulocytosis, or thrombocytopenia (see WARNINGS). Patients with liver disease, including hepatic echinococcosis, appear to be more at risk of bone marrow suppression (see WARN INGS and PRECAUTIONS). Immune System Disorders: Hypersensitivity reactions, including rash and urticaria. Postmarketing Adverse Reactions: In addition to adverse events reported from clinical trials, the following events have been identified during world-wide post-approval use of ALBENZA. Because they are reported voluntarily from a population of unknown size, estimates of frequency cannot be made. These events have been chosen for inclusion due to a combination of their seriousness, frequency of reporting, or potential causal connection to ALBENZA. Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Aplastic anemia, bone marrow suppression, neutropenia. Hepatobiliary Disorders:Elevations of hepatic enzymes, hepatitis, acute liver failure. Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Renal and Urinary Disorders: Acute renal failure.” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amoxicillin | “As with other penicillins, it may be expected that untoward reactions will be essentially limited to sensitivity phenomena. They are more likely to occur in individuals who have previously demonstrated hypersensitivity to penicillins and in those with a history of allergy, asthma, hay fever, or urticaria. The following adverse reactions have been reported as associated with the use of penicillins: Infections and Infestations: – Mucocutaneous candidiasis. Gastrointestinal: – Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, black hairy tongue, and hemorrhagic /pseudomembranous colitis. – Onset of pseudomembranous colitis symptoms may occur during or after antibiotic treatment. (See WARNINGS.) Hypersensitivity Reactions: – Anaphylaxis (See WARNINGS) – Serum sickness–like reactions, erythematous maculopapular rashes, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, exfoliative dermatitis, toxic epidermal necrolysis, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, hypersensitivity vasculitis and urticaria have been reported. – NOTE:These hypersensitivity reactions may be controlled with antihistamines and, if necessary, systemic corticosteroids. Whenever such reactions occur, amoxicillin should be discontinued unless, in the opinion of the physician, the condition being treated is life-threatening and amenable only to amoxicillin therapy. Liver: – A moderate rise in AST (SGOT) and/or ALT (SGPT) has been noted, but the significance of this finding is unknown. – Hepatic dysfunction including cholestatic jaundice, hepatic cholestasis and acute cytolytic hepatitis have been reported. Renal: – Crystalluria has also been reported – (see OVERDOSAGE). Hemic and Lymphatic Systems: – Anemia, including hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenic purpura, eosinophilia, leukopenia, a – nd agranulocytosis have been reported during therapy with penicillins. These reactions are usually reversible on discontinuation of therapy and are believed to be hypersensitivity phenomena. Central Nervous System: – Reversible hyperactivity, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, convulsions, behavioral changes, and/or dizziness have been reported rarely. Miscellaneous: – Tooth discoloration (brown, yellow, or gray staining) has been rarely reported. Most reports occurred in pediatric patients. Discoloration was reduced or eliminated with brushing or dental cleaning in most cases.” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cymbalta (common anti-depressant) | (Only copying part of the adverse reactions, due to length, brevity and comparison’s sake)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ivermectin (aka Stromectol) | “Strongyloidiasis In four clinical studies involving a total of 109 patients given either one or two doses of 170 to 200 mcg/kg of STROMECTOL, the following adverse reactions were reported as possibly, probably, or definitely related to STROMECTOL: Body as a Whole: asthenia/fatigue (0.9%), abdominal pain (0.9%) Gastrointestinal: anorexia (0.9%), constipation (0.9%), diarrhea (1.8%), nausea (1.8%), vomiting (0.9%) Nervous System/Psychiatric: dizziness (2.8%), somnolence (0.9%), vertigo (0.9%), tremor (0.9%) Skin: pruritus (2.8%), rash (0.9%), and urticaria (0.9%). In comparative trials, patients treated with STROMECTOL experienced more abdominal distention and chest discomfort than patients treated with albendazole. However,STROMECTOL was better tolerated than thiabendazole in comparative studies involving 37 patients treated with thiabendazole. The Mazzotti-type and ophthalmologic reactions associated with the treatment of onchocerciasis or the disease itself would not be expected to occur in strongyloidiasis patients treated with STROMECTOL. (See ADVERSE REACTIONS, Onchocerciasis.) Laboratory Test Findings In clinical trials involving 109 patients given either one or two doses of 170 to 200 mcg/kg STROMECTOL, the following laboratory abnormalities were seen regardless of drug relationship: elevation in ALT and/or AST (2%), decrease in leukocyte count (3%). Leukopenia and anemia were seen in one patient. Onchocerciasis In clinical trials involving 963 adult patients treated with 100 to 200 mcg/kg STROMECTOL, worsening of the following Mazzotti reactions during the first 4 days post-treatment were reported: arthralgia/synovitis (9.3%), axillary lymph node enlargement and tenderness (11.0% and 4.4%, respectively), cervical lymph node enlargement and tenderness (5.3% and 1.2%, respectively), inguinal lymph node enlargement and tenderness (12.6% and 13.9%, respectively), other lymph node enlargement and tenderness (3.0% and 1.9%, respectively), pruritus (27.5%), skin involvement including edema, papular and pustular or frank urticarial rash (22.7%), and fever (22.6%). (See WARNINGS.) In clinical trials, ophthalmological conditions were examined in 963 adult patients before treatment, at day 3, and months 3 and 6 after treatment with 100 to 200 mcg/kg STROMECTOL. Changes observed were primarily deterioration from baseline 3 days post-treatment. Most changes either returned to baseline condition or improved over baseline severity at the month 3 and 6 visits. The percentages of patients with worsening of the following conditions at day 3, month 3 and 6, respectively, were: limbitis: 5.5%, 4.8%, and 3.5% and punctate opacity: 1.8%, 1.8%, and 1.4%. The corresponding percentages for patients treated with placebo were: limbitis: 6.2%, 9.9%, and 9.4% and punctate opacity: 2.0%, 6.4%, and 7.2%. (See WARNINGS.) In clinical trials involving 963 adult patients who received 100 to 200 mcg/kg STROMECTOL, the following clinical adverse reactions were reported as possibly, probably, or definitely related to the drug in ≥1% of the patients: facial edema (1.2%), peripheral edema (3.2%), orthostatic hypotension (1.1%), and tachycardia (3.5%). Drug-related headache and myalgia occurred in <1% of patients (0.2% and 0.4%, respectively). However, these were the most common adverse experiences reported overall during these trials regardless of causality (22.3% and 19.7%, respectively). A similar safety profile was observed in an open study in pediatric patients ages 6 to 13. The following ophthalmological side effects do occur due to the disease itself but have also been reported after treatment with STROMECTOL: abnormal sensation in the eyes, eyelid edema, anterior uveitis, conjunctivitis, limbitis, keratitis, and chorioretinitis or choroiditis. These have rarely been severe or associated with loss of vision and have generally resolved without corticosteroid treatment. Laboratory Test Findings In controlled clinical trials, the following laboratory adverse experiences were reported as possibly, probably, or definitely related to the drug in ≥1% of the patients: eosinophilia (3%) and hemoglobin increase (1%). Post-Marketing Experience for All Indications The following adverse reactions have been reported since the drug was registered overseas: hypotension (mainly orthostatic hypotension), worsening of bronchial asthma, toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, seizures, elevation of liver enzymes, and elevation of bilirubin.” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mebendazole | “Clinical Studies Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
The safety of mebendazole was evaluated in 6276 adult and pediatric subjects one year of age and older who participated in 39 clinical trials for treatment of single or mixed parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract.
In these trials, the formulations, dosages and duration of mebendazole treatment varied. Adverse reactions reported in mebendazole-treated subjects from the 39 clinical trials are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Adverse Reactions Reported in Mebendazole-Treated Subjects from 39 Clinical Trials*
* Includes mebendazole formulations, dosages and treatment duration other than VERMOX™ CHEWABLE 500 mg tablet
Clinical Studies with Mebendazole Chewable 500 mg Tablet The safety profile of mebendazole chewable 500 mg tablets administered as a single dose was evaluated in 677 pediatric subjects aged 1 to 16 years and in 34 adults. The safety profile was consistent with the known safety profile of mebendazole.
6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified in adult and pediatric patients postmarketing with mebendazole formulations and dosages other than the VERMOX™ CHEWABLE 500 mg tablet. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
Table 2: Adverse Reactions Identified During Postmarketing Experience with Mebendazole
* Includes mebendazole formulations, dosages and treatment durations other than VERMOX™ CHEWABLE 500 mg tablet” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Praziquantel (aka Biltricide) | “In general BILTRICIDE is very well tolerated. Side effects are usually mild and transient and do not require treatment. The following side effects were observed generally in order of severity: malaise, headache, dizziness, abdominal discomfort with or without nausea, rise in temperature and, rarely, urticaria. Such symptoms can, however, also result from the infection itself. Such side effects may be more frequent and/or serious in patients with a heavy worm burden.” From “ Post Marketing Adverse Event Reports”: Additional adverse events reported from worldwide post marketing experience and from publications with praziquantel include: abdominal pain, allergic reaction (generalized hypersensitivity) including polyserositis, anorexia, arrhythmia (including bradycardia, ectopic rhythms, ventricular fibrillation, AV blocks), asthenia, bloody diarrhea, convulsion, eosinophilia, myalgia, pruritis, somnolence, vertigo and vomiting. Fatigue added to this list in 2014 [1].” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tinidazole (aka Tindamax. Technically in the class of antibiotics) | “6.1 Clinical Studies Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Among 3669 patients treated with a single 2 g dose of tinidazole, in both controlled and uncontrolled trichomoniasis and giardiasis clinical studies, adverse reactions were reported by 11.0% of patients. For multi-day dosing in controlled and uncontrolled amebiasis studies, adverse reactions were reported by 13.8% of 1765 patients. Common (≥1% incidence) adverse reactions reported by body system are as follows. (Note: Data described in Table 1 below are pooled from studies with variable designs and safety evaluations.) Other adverse reactions reported with tinidazole include: Central Nervous System: Two serious adverse reactions reported include convulsions and transient peripheral neuropathy including numbness and paresthesia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]. Other CNS reports include vertigo, ataxia, giddiness, insomnia, drowsiness. Gastrointestinal: tongue discoloration, stomatitis, diarrhea Hypersensitivity: urticaria, pruritis, rash, flushing, sweating, dryness of mouth, fever, burning sensation, thirst, salivation, angioedema Renal: darkened urine Cardiovascular: palpitations Hematopoietic: transient neutropenia, transient leukopenia Other: Candida overgrowth, increased vaginal discharge, oral candidiasis, hepatic abnormalities including raised transaminase level, arthralgias, myalgias, and arthritis.
Table 1. Adverse Reactions Summary of Published Reports
Rare reported adverse reactions include bronchospasm, dyspnea, coma, confusion, depression, furry tongue, pharyngitis and reversible thrombocytopenia. Adverse Reactions in Pediatric Patients: In pooled pediatric studies, adverse reactions reported in pediatric patients taking tinidazole were similar in nature and frequency to adult findings including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, taste change, anorexia, and abdominal pain. Bacterial vaginosis:The most common adverse reactions in treated patients (incidence >2%), which were not identified in the trichomoniasis, giardiasis and amebiasis studies, are gastrointestinal: decreased appetite, and flatulence; renal: urinary tract infection, painful urination, and urine abnormality; and other reactions including pelvic pain, vulvo-vaginal discomfort, vaginal odor, menorrhagia, and upper respiratory tract infection [See Clinical Studies (14.5)] . 6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified and reported during post-approval use of Tindamax. Because the reports of these reactions are voluntary and the population is of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate the frequency of the reaction or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Severe acute hypersensitivity reactions have been reported on initial or subsequent exposure to tinidazole. Hypersensitivity reactions may include urticaria, pruritis, angioedema, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and erythema multiforme. “ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vicodin | “The most frequently reported adverse reactions include: lightheadedness, dizziness, sedation, nausea and vomiting. These effects seem to be more prominent in ambulatory than in nonambulatory patients and some of these adverse reactions may be alleviated if the patient lies down. Other adverse reactions include: Central Nervous System: Drowsiness, mental clouding, lethargy, impairment of mental and physical performance, anxiety, fear, dysphoria, psychic dependence, mood changes. Gastrointestinal System: Prolonged administration of VICODIN Tablets may produce constipation. Genitourinary System: Ureteral spasm, spasm of vesical sphincters and urinary retention have been reported with opiates. Respiratory Depression: Hydrocodone bitartrate may produce dose-related respiratory depression by acting directly on the brain stem respiratory center. (see OVERDOSAGE). Special Senses: Cases of hearing impairment or permanent loss have been reported predominantly in patients with chronic overdose. Dermatological: Skin rash, pruritus.The following adverse drug events may be borne in mind as potential effects of acetaminophen: allergic reactions, rash, thrombocytopenia, agranulocytosis. Potential effects of high dosage are listed in the OVERDOSAGE section. DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE: Misuse, Abuse, and Diversion of Opioids: VICODIN contains hydrocodone, an opioid agonist, and is a Schedule III controlled substance. VICODIN, and other opioids, used in analgesia can be abused and are subject to criminal diversion. Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiologic disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations.” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How many people actually read the labels of medications prescribed to them? I wish more of us did – because then the manufacturers might have incentive to run more clinical trials on their medications and actually report hard numbers that we can scientifically compare!
My Summary of FDA Parasite Medication Side Effects
There is obviously no consistency in reporting hard science on side effects of medications. Some of the medications list numbers from clinical trials, others just name side effects without saying how often they occur. Sifting through all these FDA labels makes me wonder how well we really understand the drugs we are taking. Yikes!
Neither Amoxicillin nor Vicodin quantify their side effects. This is a real bummer, because it is hard to directly compare. Cymbalta, a common anti-depressant, offers a table with some numbers. The 23% Cymbalta ‘nausea’ side effect is the largest percentage of any side effects for any other medicine. The next closest is the Albenda 15% ‘Abnormal Liver’ tests. This seems to back up my previous comment about practitioners saying that Albenda is hard on the liver.
Notably missing from the table are Alinia, Diethyl, Levamisole, Piperazine, and Pyrantel. In the case of Alinia I got lazy and the table was already too long; readers who have made it this far can go look it up themselves. Pyrantel is available from compounding pharmacies in the USA, but I couldn’t find the label. I couldn’t find a human consumption label for Diethyl, Levamisole, or Piperazine.
If I scientifically (!!) blur my eyes and look over the list of side effects above, I don’t see much difference between the side effects of one medication in the table over the other. Many of us wouldn’t think twice about taking an antibiotic, pain killer, or anti-depressant. But a parasite medication? Harsh and dangerous!
Me personally? My mind is open to whatever makes sense in the healing journey, be it homeopathic, herbal, prescription, on-label, or off-label. I use my critical thinking skills to discern what is true and what isn’t true, and my big heart to share my findings.
FAQ
Q: Is OK to take all the drugs at the same time? Don’t they have interactions?
A: Our family hasn’t noticed any particular parasite medications that shouldn’t be taken with other parasite medications. That said, our bodies might not be able to handle certain medications together. Why? Perhaps they will kill too many parasites at once and we will become overwhelmed with released toxins, viruses, and bacteria. Maybe our livers or kidneys can’t detoxify certain medications together. On the other hand, parasites are hard to kill and often require multiple medications at the same time. The only way I know to figure out which medications to take together is to use the testing methods demonstrated in the videos in the Parasites tab. Testing medications together and dosing them via muscle testing is the only way I have found to work. Sometimes our bodies can handle more medications than at other times. It depends on lifestyle, stress, environmental factors, methylation, chelation, and anything else going on in our lives.
References
[1] FDA Labels for : Ablendazole, Amoxicillin, Ivermectin, Mebendazole (aka Vermox), Praziquantel,Tinidazole, Vicodin, Cymbalta
Was this information useful? If so, please consider donating to keep this site alive.
Last Updated:
Hello, I am starting a dosage of prazi from the doctor. The protocol is 6 pills x Three times a day. Wait two days. Then Ivermectin, 1 pill a day for 7 days. Then a week off and repeat until I have taken 4 weeks of ivermectin. I read that prazi should be taken with food. But what about ivermectin? Do you take it with food? Thanks
I do no agree with these short, pulsed rounds of parasite medications. Please see the answer in the Parasite Tab FAQ, which I have copied below. My experience with Ivermectin is that it is very well tolerated, and it doesn’t matter if you take it with food or without food.
Q: What do you think about this plan that my practitioner prescribed? “Biltricide (praziquatel) 4 times each day for 4 days. He then prescribes Pyrantel for 17 days, then Ivermectin for 17 days, then Albendazole for 17 days, then Alinia for 17 days. The amounts do not come close to what you took.”
A: For some reason, there are a lot of practitioners prescribing these short, small, all-medication rotation rounds. It’s like a crap shoot with only one die. I’m hearing reports of this in both America and Europe. I can’t quite understand why this is in vogue at the moment. Anyway, I digress… The people I’ve seen doing this go back to the practitioner after the rotation. The practitioner then declares the parasites gone. However, the person usually hasn’t seen any parasites coming out, nor have they experienced symptom relief.
Here’s my take: Parasites are very hard to kill [2]. These short, wimpy medication rounds drive them deeper into hiding in the body. They also start to acclimate to the medications. Furthermore, enemas should be done first if worms are present. I also wouldn’t prescribe Alinia to everyone as a general protocol, it can be especially hard on the liver. Either hit parasites hard and fast with the correct medications, or don’t try to hit at all. Often parasites need to be hit with several medications at once to die [2].
Is Vicodin a parasite medication? I am wondering why you include it in this article
Are you just listing the FDA side effects or is it considered a parasite medication ?
The reason I ask is, I take 1 x 5-325 a day & recently for a month, my stomach is upset and I have pain, bloating & nausea. I eat healthy & no dairy or red meat.
I have been on Vicodin for slipped disc for 1 year. I eat lot of sushi, so I am wondering do I have parasites or is it the Vicodin med
Reacting after prolonged use. Thank you for any insights. I am a 69 year old very healthy 5 ft 4 in 118 lb woman who has never taken parasite med.
Vicodin is not a parasite medication. Quoting from the article: “To put things in perspective, also listed are the side effects of a few common medications that many people might not think twice about taking. The medications I picked are Amoxicillin (an antibiotic), Vicodin (a painkiller made primarily with Acetaminophen, the main ingredient of Tylenol), and Cymbalta (a common anti-depressant).”
Best wishes with your pain.
Do you have any suggestions on doctors who are competent in, or how to test for parasites that do not affect the intestine?
http://fbd.dfq.mybluehost.me/parasites-in-humans/#Diagnosing-Parasites
Hai,
How many days comprise a single round?
Can you post the protocol in day1,day2,…format?
You can see details of exactly the rounds our family has done here:
http://fbd.dfq.mybluehost.me/parasites-in-humans/#Parasite-Medication-Details
I am wondering where you purchased Triclabendazole? I did a search and it wasn’t listed in the where to purchase section. It shows you did take it on your protocol. Do you feel it was beneficial?
Thank you!
I got it from 2 different sources. I generally found it not as beneficial as praziquantel. I would go for the prazi, which is more easily obtainable. Best wishes.
Hi Susan!
For the meds that you purchase in powder form and put into capsules, how do you go about this? For example, do you purchase certain capsule sizes, weigh out the med, and have some kind of system for this?
Thanks,
Andrew
There are multiple ways to go about this. Some people measure out the medication in each capsule. Personally, I muscle test the medication amount in tablespoons or teaspoons, and then however much is needed I just fit into however many capsules it takes.
How many days between rounds of medication should I wait? Or do I start the next round after 21 days?
It really depends on the specific case, I don’t have a general rule. Typically for our family it was 1-4 weeks between rounds, but sometimes it would be 3-4 months until we took another round.
Hi Thank you so much. I have been doing a deep dive into parasite removal since finding liver flukes in my enema. Everything I have read is that the triclabendazole is the very best to kill liver flukes and I have not been able to find it. Also I am unclear how much Mebex to take and how often. I would greatly appreciate more info. I paid a donation because you are the BEST info I have found. Thank you
The answers to your questions are under the “Parasites” topic. My personal opinion is that Praziquantel is the best for flukes.
Thanks for the donation, it keeps this site alive without ads or promotional links 🙂
Thank you so much for this service to other humans! I am excited to keep learning from your site, especially getting good skills at muscle testing down. I am just starting my parasite removal journey and I have discovered I have flukes (among other things). I am currently using an herbal that has been somewhat effective but am looking at purchasing some meds to have on hand to do another round after my herbal is done. I read your post above that referenced ordering from a five star pharmacy in Iowa. Since I am in a neighboring state, I’d love to try that route. Can you pass along the name?
Five star is the name of the pharmacy.
http://www.fivestar-rx.com/
You will need an RX to order from them. Personally this is where I prefer to order:
http://fbd.dfq.mybluehost.me/parasites-in-humans/#Where-To-Get-Parasite-Medication-for-Humans
Thank you for all of this outstanding and well put together information on parasites. Right now I am taking Mimosa Pudica seed twice a day and binders but I was getting that this will not be enough to do the trick. I am going to order these products and do the muscle testing to see what I need. Do you recommend using these parasite medications that you list along with the Mimosa Pudica Seed?
Thank you again! This is such a blessing!
For parasite medications / supplements I always muscle test the combinations together. So I have no idea what doses and how many different medications you personally could take. You want to hit as hard as possible from the beginning. Personally I would never take Mimosa or any other herbs/homeopathics alone when it comes to parasites. Hope that helps, best wishes!
How do I go about encapsulating the praziquantel? I ordered 25g of praziquantel (Wholesale Koi Farm) on amazon and it came in powder form. I also purchased a miligram scale to help with measurements. Will a gelatin capsule be sufficient for the encapsulation or do I need a different material? Thank you !
Gelatin capsule is fine. I’m trying to avoid using Amazon, but here are the ones we use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I2C7EEI/
(Ordered in bulk a long time ago, haven’t had to spend the time to find a non-Amazon source yet)