To get rid of worms, these days, effective means are used that can destroy parasites and quickly remove them from the patient's body. One of them can be called a drug from the company Gedeon Richter called Decaris. Adults have long been using this medication for ascariasis and other helminthiasis, but can it be given to children and what treatment regimen is used in childhood?
Release form
The medicine is produced in tablets of two types, which differ in the dosage of the active ingredient and in their appearance:
- Tablets intended for children are characterized by a lower concentration of the active ingredient. They have a light orange color, flat round shape and apricot aroma. There are risks on one side of such pills, according to which they can be divided into quarters. One pack contains a blister with two tablets.
- The higher dosage for adults is white, round tablets with no dividing lines and one side bearing the inscription DECARIS 150. They are sold in a pack of one.
Composition
The component of the tablets with anthelmintic activity is levamisole. It is presented in the form of hydrochloride, but in terms of pure levamisole, each tablet contains 50 mg or 150 mg of this substance.
The auxiliary ingredients of the tablets are corn starch, talc, magnesium stearate and povidone. In addition, tablets containing 50 mg of levamisole contain yellow dye E110, apricot flavor and sodium saccharinate. Instead of these ingredients, the adult tablets (with 150 mg of levamisole) contain sucrose and lactose monohydrate.
Operating principle
Once in the human body, levamisole is well absorbed in the intestines and after 1.5-2 hours its concentration in the blood becomes maximum. The main effect of such a substance is neuromuscular paralysis of worms due to the effect on muscles and ganglion-like formations in their body. In addition, the drug inhibits bioenergetic processes in helminths. As a result, paralyzed worms leave the intestines within 24 hours after taking the tablets due to its normal peristalsis.
The medication is especially effective for infection with roundworms, hookworms or American nekator. In addition, it affects other parasites that have developed muscles, such as pinworms, whipworm, intestinal eel, or toxoplasma. However, pills do not work on worms such as tapeworms and flukes. These parasites firmly bind to the intestinal mucosa and do not leave the host organism under the influence of levamisole.
Separately, it should be mentioned that tablets with levamisole have an immunomodulatory effect, which was once used in the treatment of herpes, some autoimmune and immunodeficiency conditions. It is caused by a stimulating effect on the cells of the immune system - neutrophils, monocytes and T-lymphocytes. The result of the increased activity of these cells will be an increase in the body's defenses. Nevertheless, now such an effect of the drug is not in demand due to the appearance of more effective immunomodulators, and its antihelminthic effect comes out on top.
Indications
The drug is prescribed for:
- Ascariasis;
- Necatorosis;
- Ankylostomiasis;
- Trichocephalosis;
- Strongyloidosis;
- Enterobiasis;
- Toxoplasmosis.
From what age is it allowed to take?
Tablets containing 50 mg of levamisole can be used in the treatment of children over three years old. The drug with a higher dose is contraindicated in childhood.
Contraindications
The medication is not prescribed for hypersensitivity to any of its components. Also, these tablets should not be given to children who have developed agranulocytosis in the past while taking any medications. If a small patient has renal failure, liver function is impaired, or problems with hematopoiesis are detected, treatment with Dekaris requires special care and supervision by a pediatrician.
Side effects
In some children, treatment causes:
- Headaches;
- Insomnia;
- Dyspepsia, such as diarrhea or nausea;
- Feeling of palpitations;
- Dizziness;
- Convulsions.
Occasionally, the drug provokes an allergic reaction in the form of a skin rash, and 2-5 weeks after treatment, encephalopathy develops in isolated cases. Long-term use or high doses of the drug can lead to agranulocytosis and leukopenia, as well as tremors.
Instructions for use
A blood test is recommended before using levamisole. The tablet should be swallowed after a meal in the evening with a small amount of water. Treatment with such a drug does not require a special diet, as well as taking laxatives.
The medicine is given only 1 time in this dose:
A more accurate dose should be determined by the pediatrician, focusing on the patient's weight, at the rate of 2.5 mg of levamisole per kilogram of weight. So the child will really receive the required amount of the active substance, because, for example, at 4 years old one child can weigh 13 kg, and the other - 19 kg, and they need different dosages.
Most often, for the treatment of helminthiasis, just one pill intake is enough, but if the doctor sees the need, the medication is repeated in the same dosage after 1-2 weeks. If a child has toxoplasmosis, the drug should be drunk three days in a row, and then repeat this course in a week.
Overdose
Levamisole, taken in a very large dose, becomes the cause of intoxication. It provokes nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, vomiting, headaches, confusion, loose stools. If no more than a few hours have passed after an overdose, the stomach should be flushed. Next, you need to seek medical help and monitor the patient's vital signs.
Interaction with other drugs
- If a child is treated at the same time with Decaris and indirect anticoagulants, this can affect the process of blood coagulation and requires an adjustment of the dose of coumarin-like medicine.
- Combined use with phenytoin will cause the drug to increase in the bloodstream.
- Combination with lipophilic drugs (such as tetrachlomethane or chloroform) increases the toxicity of levamisole.
- Prescribing the drug along with drugs that affect the processes of hematopoiesis should be very careful.
- Treatment with levamisole is incompatible with taking any alcohol-containing agents.
Terms of sale
Like other anthelmintic drugs, Dekaris is sold only after presentation of a prescription. The average price of 2 tablets with 50 mg of levamisole is 70 rubles.
Storage conditions and shelf life
At home, tablets should be kept out of the reach of babies. If the expiration date of 5 years has expired, discard the drug. The optimum temperature for storage is + 15 + 30 degrees.
Reviews
Parents who gave Dekaris pills for worms to their children note the high effectiveness of such a remedy in the fight against roundworms. The advantages of the drug are called the small size of the tablets, single dose, low cost. The main disadvantage is that the medication affects only some types of helminths. Side effects such as nausea and headache are also common.
Reviews of parasitologists confirm that the drug quickly relieves patients of roundworm and hookworm. But, although many parents are interested in the use of antihelminthic drugs for prevention, doctors do not advise doing this. They draw the attention of mothers to the fact that all medications affecting parasites are very toxic to the human body. For this reason, doctors prefer to prescribe them when helminthiasis is confirmed by tests.
Analogs
As a substitute for Dekaris tablets, other drugs used for helminthiasis can be used.
The most in demand are the following:
- Pirantel. This medication is available in suspension and tablet form. He has the same mechanism of action on worms, therefore Pirantel is prescribed for the same helminthiasis. Moreover, it is used in the treatment of children over six months old, which is one of the advantages compared to Decaris. An analogue of the drug, also containing pyrantel, is Helmintox. Such a medication is represented by both suspension and coated tablets. He is also assigned to children from 6 months.
- Vermox. Such an anthelmintic drug contains mebendazole and is also a product of Gedeon Richter. It comes in tablets and is approved for use in children over 2 years old. Instead, you can give Wormin tablets, which also include mebendazole and are allowed from the age of two. The main advantage of these drugs is a broader spectrum of antihelminthic action.
- Nemozole. The active ingredient of such a drug is albendazole, which also has a wide spectrum of anthelmintic effects. The medication is presented in suspension and coated tablets, as well as chewable tablets. If there is evidence, it is prescribed to a child of any age.
It is important to note that it is up to the doctor to determine which drug is better to replace the levamisole tablets, because each of the medicines with an antihelminthic effect has its own nuances of use. Giving them to children without a doctor's appointment is very risky.
From the program of the popular children's doctor E.O. Komarovsky, you can learn all about helminths and how to deal with them.
