Steris treatment usually begins with the use of antiparasitic medications, administered in pill form, that can be given at home but should be prescribed by a gp or gastroenterologist.
These remedies can be taken in a single dose or divided into 3 days and usually include one of the following:
- Treatment with these remedies eliminates only the adult version of tapeworm found in the intestine through the faeces.
- Without removing its eggs.
- So the person being treated can continue to infect others until all eggs in the intestine are removed and reinfected if they ingest eggs and tapeworm larvae in contaminated food.
For example, it is recommended that precautions be taken during treatment to prevent transmission of the disease, such as properly cooking food, avoiding drinking unsealed water, and washing your hands well after going to the bathroom, as well as before cooking.
To confirm that tapeworm has been removed with an antiparasitic drug, your doctor may order a stool test a few days after treatment to evaluate for eggs.
Depending on your stool test results, your doctor may recommend prolonging treatment, as the tapeworm may not have been completely removed.With the results, your doctor may also replace the medicine that has been used with a medicine.that can have more effect, for example.
The most serious situations caused by tapeworm usually occur when the person ingests eggs, which enter the digestive system and release larvae that can reach other parts of the body, such as muscles, heart, lungs or eyes, in this case the infection is known.as cysticercosis, rather than teniasis.
In cysticercosis, treatment is done only with Albendazole tablets, as it appears to be the most effective drug to eliminate infection, but with other medications to relieve symptoms, such as:
In case of cysticercosis of the heart, lungs or eyes, your doctor may even recommend surgery to remove cysts from the tapeworm, which eventually impair the functioning of your organs.
To confirm cysticercosis healing, your doctor usually requests an X-ray of affected sites to assess the presence and size of cysts.
To better understand the difference between tapeworm and cysticercosis.
Signs of improvement in teniasis appear at the onset of ingestion of antiparasis and include reducing symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, nausea, stomach or headache.
Signs of worsening tapeworm usually occur when the patient does not follow treatment properly and include increased pain intensity, episodes of diarrhea and nausea.