“Pirantel”: how to give to a child?

“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 (oysters)
• ascariasis
• hookworm disease
• nekatoroze

All of these diseases can cause great harm to the child’s body.

The most common symptoms of the disease include:

• allergy
• lethargy
• increased appetite, accompanied by weight loss
• lag in physical, and in severe cases and in mental development

If enterobiasis is easy to determine by external signs (itching in the anus, the presence of helminths in the stool and on underwear), other types of helminthiasis cannot always be diagnosed with the naked eye. Since Pirantel, like other antiparasitic agents, is quite toxic, it can be given to a child only after a thorough examination and consultation with a doctor.

A pediatrician can also diagnose and treat helminthiasis, but it will be better if the child is observed by an infectious disease specialist

The dosage and duration of taking Pirantel depends on the age, weight and condition of the child, as well as on the diagnosis. In most cases, in the treatment of ascariasis and enterobiasis, the drug is taken once. For a child aged from six months to two years, half a measuring spoon of the medicine (2,5 ml) is enough, for a child 2-6 years old, the dose should be increased to 5 ml. Children 6-12 years old can take 2 scoops of Pirantela, and older children can take 3 scoops.

In case of ankylostomiasis and non-kotorosis, the dosage of “Pirantel” is calculated individually and depends on the weight of the baby. In the first case, the intake of 10 mg of the drug is shown for each kilogram of the baby’s weight, in the second – 20 mg / kg. The duration of treatment is 2-3 days.

For children over the age of three years, the drug can be given not in suspension, but in tablets

Each scoop of medicine equals one tablet. Thus, a child of 3–6 years old needs to drink one Pirantela tablet, a child of 6–12 years old – 2 tablets, and children from 12 years old – 3 tablets.

Pirantel should be taken with or immediately after meals. The tablet should be chewed first, and the suspension should be simply swallowed with a glass of water. A few days after the end of treatment, the child should be shown to the doctor again so that he can take the necessary tests and make sure that the disease has receded.