Medicines for Intestinal worms

What it is

Intestinal worms are infections in which small parasitic worms live in the gut. By far the most common type in the UK is threadworm, tiny white worms that look like little threads and most often affect young children, though anyone in the household can pick them up. The classic sign is an itchy bottom, especially at night, and the thread-like worms can sometimes be seen around the bottom or in the toilet. Threadworm spreads easily: eggs are picked up on the fingers, often from scratching, and swallowed, which is why it passes so readily between family members. Other worms — such as roundworm, tapeworm and the tropical worms seen after travel to certain countries — are much less common in the UK and may need different treatment and specialist advice.

How it is treated

For threadworm, treatment is usually straightforward: a single dose of an anthelmintic medicine, often repeated after a short interval to catch any newly hatched worms, alongside careful hygiene measures. Because the eggs spread so easily, everyone in the household is normally treated at the same time, even those without symptoms, to stop the infection bouncing back and forth between people. Hygiene measures are just as important as the medicine and continue for a couple of weeks: thorough handwashing, keeping nails short, a shower or wash first thing in the morning to remove eggs laid overnight, and washing bedding and nightwear. In pregnancy, hygiene measures alone are often preferred and any medicine should be discussed with a pharmacist or GP first. Less common worms, particularly those caught abroad, are assessed and treated according to the type involved.