Diethylcarbamazine (Oral)

Uses for diethylcarbamazine

Diethylcarbamazine is used in the treatment of certain worm infections. Diethylcarbamazine works by killing the worms. It is used to treat:

• Bancroft's filariasis;
• Eosinophilic lung (tropical pulmonary eosinophilia; tropical eosinophilia);
• Loiasis; and
• River blindness (onchocerciasis).

It will not work for other kinds of worm infections (for example, pinworms or tapeworms).

Diethylcarbamazine is available only with your doctor's prescription, and only from the manufacturer.

Before using diethylcarbamazine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For diethylcarbamazine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to diethylcarbamazine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Although there is no specific information comparing use of diethylcarbamazine in children with use in other age groups, diethylcarbamazine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults.

Geriatric

Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of diethylcarbamazine in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Interactions with medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Interactions with food/tobacco/alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Proper use of diethylcarbamazine

Diethylcarbamazine should be taken immediately after meals.

To help clear up your infection completely, keep taking diethylcarbamazine for the full time of treatment, even if your symptoms begin to clear up after a few days. In some patients, a second course of diethylcarbamazine may be required to clear up the infection completely. If you stop taking diethylcarbamazine too soon, your infection may return. Do not miss any doses.

Dosing

The dose of diethylcarbamazine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of diethylcarbamazine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each ...