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Children's health

Something I don't understand about threadworm medication/cleaning...

5 replies

PassTheTwiglets · 14/02/2013 11:33

  1. You take 2 doses of meds, 2 weeks apart, to prevent a re-infestation. But if the eggs can live outside the body for 3 weeks then how is a 2-week-apart dose going to help? Some places say that the eggs live for 2 weeks but I've read 3 weeks on other reputable websites.


  1. If you are taking the 2 doses, why do you need to clean the house/dust/change bedding so often? Won't the second dose just kill off any new eggs that you ingest? Obviously I'm not lazy enough that I'm not going to bother cleaning after we discover we've got them, but I really can't see why I need to do it every day...


  1. Has anyone ever got an official answer from a doctor about regularly dosing the family for prevention?
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Themobstersknife · 14/02/2013 11:40

I think its because you will have eggs inside you which will hatch within two weeks. So you kill all the live worms with the first dose, and then kill all the new worms with the second dose. But if you continue to ingest new eggs during that period, then they will hatch outside of the two weeks and not be killed. Or something.

Fwiw, we never used a second dose and I never took anything as I was pregnant when we were infested. I did the hygiene stuff and as far as I know, no-one has been reinfected in the last year since they came to visit!

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PassTheTwiglets · 15/02/2013 09:40

Thanks, mobster!

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Elibean · 15/02/2013 14:55

And....as I am too lazy and/or tired to clean every day, I never have (bar the first time I suspected worms, and I was pregnant and utterly paranoid Grin). I have changed and washed all sheets, towels and PJs, hoovered, cleaned bathrooms, and repeated two weeks later with second dose. In between times, just careful with hand washing, wearing of PJs and pants at night, short fingernails and I cheat and give an extra dose of Ovex after 3 weeks as well as 2.

That said, I've never actually seen a worm - just had episodes of very suspicious itchy bottomed nail biting 6 year old - and would probably go into cleansing fury if I did, as I am a bit phobic about things with no legs Blush

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PassTheTwiglets · 15/02/2013 15:45

Oooh, Elibean, that's interesting - I wanted to do a 3rd dose last year but the pharmacist said I couldn't. I might ask the GP next time I'm there...

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Jestrin · 15/02/2013 19:38

I even Hoover my DD mattress Grin

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