Mebendazole Dosage and Treatment Regimen for Adults and Children
The recommended dosage of mebendazole varies by parasite type, with treatment regimens ranging from a single 100mg dose for pinworm to 100mg twice daily for 3 consecutive days for most other helminth infections. 1
Dosage by Parasite Type
Pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis)
Whipworm (Trichuris trichiura)
- 100mg twice daily (morning and evening) for 3 consecutive days 1
- For heavy infections, combination with ivermectin (200μg/kg once daily for 3 days) is recommended to improve cure rates 2
Common Roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides)
- 100mg twice daily (morning and evening) for 3 consecutive days 1
- Alternative options include single-dose albendazole 400mg or single-dose ivermectin 200μg/kg 2
- Single-dose mebendazole 500mg is also effective with cure rates of 83.7-92.6% 3, 4
Hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus)
- 100mg twice daily (morning and evening) for 3 consecutive days 1
- Albendazole 400mg daily for 3 days may be more effective for hookworm infections 2
- Mebendazole has lower cure rates (25.5-49.32%) against hookworm compared to albendazole 3, 5
Administration Guidelines
- Tablets may be chewed, swallowed whole, or crushed and mixed with food 1
- No special procedures such as fasting or purging are required 1
- Treatment can be administered to both adults and children using the same dosage schedule 1
Efficacy Considerations
- Mebendazole shows high efficacy against Ascaris lumbricoides with cure rates >90% and egg reduction rates >95% 3, 4, 6
- Moderate efficacy against Trichuris trichiura with cure rates around 27-48% but egg reduction rates of 59-73% 2, 3, 5
- Lower efficacy against hookworm infections with cure rates of 25-49% 3, 5
- For whipworm infections, combination therapy with ivermectin improves outcomes 2
Special Populations
Children
- The same dosage schedule applies to children and adults 1
- For very young children (12-24 months), expert consultation is recommended before empiric treatment 2
Pregnant Women
- Safety during pregnancy has not been well established; consult specialist guidelines for use in pregnant women 2
Treatment Follow-up
- If not cured three weeks after treatment, a second course is advised 1
- For some helminth infections, follow-up stool examination is recommended to confirm cure 2
Common Pitfalls and Caveats
- Resistance to mebendazole has been reported in some regions with long-term exposure to anthelmintics 6
- Single-dose regimens are less effective for hookworm and whipworm infections compared to multiple-day regimens 3, 5
- Egg reduction rate is often more favorable than cure rate, especially for Trichuris and hookworm infections 3, 4
- When treating suspected T. solium (pork tapeworm) infections, rule out neurocysticercosis before treatment 2
- For empiric treatment of undiagnosed eosinophilia, combination of albendazole 400mg plus ivermectin 200μg/kg may be more effective than mebendazole alone 2