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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staff
Medications
Anti-parasite (anti-helminthic) medications are the first line of treatment against ascariasis. The most common are mebendazole, albendazole (Albenza) and pyrantel pamoate (Pin-X). These medications work by killing the adult worms. You may have mild gastrointestinal side effects during treatment. Each medication can be taken as a single dose.
Although they are more than 90 percent effective at killing adult worms, you may need to take multiple doses to get rid of the infestation completely or if you become reinfected. You'll likely need repeat treatments in two or three months if testing indicates you still have eggs in your stool.
Surgery
In cases of heavy infestation, surgery may be necessary to repair damage the worms have caused and to remove worms. Intestinal obstruction or perforation, bile duct obstruction and appendicitis are complications that may require surgery.
