Mebendazole

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Mebendazole
Systematic (IUPAC) name
methyl [(5-benzoyl-3H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)amino]formate
Identifiers
CAS number 31431-39-7
ATC code P02CA01
PubChem 7847434
DrugBank APRD01086
Chemical data
Formula C16H13N3O3 
Mol. mass 295.293 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability  ?
Metabolism Hepatic
Half life 2.5 to 5.5 hours
Excretion  ?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.

C

Legal status

?

Routes Oral

Mebendazole or MBZ, marketed as Ovex, Vermox, Antiox or Pripsen, is a benzimidazole drug that is used to treat infestations by worms including pinworms, roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and whipworms. The active ingredient in Pripsen powder is piperazine.

Contents

[edit] Mechanism

Mebendazole causes slow immobilization and death of the worms by selectively and irreversibly blocking uptake of glucose and other nutrients in susceptible adult intestine where helminths dwell. It is a spindle poison that induces chromosome nondisjunction.

[edit] Dosage

Oral dosage is 100 mg every 12 hours for 3 days, although sometimes the dosage is just one 500 mg dose, followed by another dose two weeks later if the infection has not cleared up. The dosage may differ depending on which type of worm someone is infected with.

[edit] Drug interactions

Carbamazepine and phenytoin lower serum levels of mebendazole. Cimetidine raises serum mebendazole levels, increasing its effectiveness.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

  • Vermox (UK manufacturer's website)

[edit] References