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Therapeutic action
- Anthelminthic (taenicide)
Indications
- Taeniasis: beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata), pork tapeworm (Taenia solium), dwarf tapeworm (Hymenolepis nana) and fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum)
Forms and strengths
- 500 mg chewable tablet
Dosage and duration
T. saginata, T. solium and D. latum
- Child under 2 years: 500 mg single dose
- Child from 2 to 6 years: 1 g single dose
- Child over 6 years and adult: 2 g single dose
H. nana
- Child under 2 years: 500 mg on D1, then 250 mg once daily for 6 days
- Child from 2 to 6 years: 1 g on D1, then 500 mg once daily for 6 days
- Child over 6 years and adult: 2 g on D1, then 1 g once daily for 6 days
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
- May cause: gastrointestinal disturbances.
- Pregnancy: no contra-indication
- Breast-feeding: no contra-indication
Remarks
- Chew or crush the tablets before swallowing with water.
- In the event of vomiting, the single dose may be divided in 2 doses taken with an interval of one hour.
- As niclosamide is a taenicide not a taenifuge, do not expect the patient to expel the worm, portions are voided in a partially digested form.
- Niclosamide is not active against the larval form of T. solium (cysticercosis).