Threadworms - think I’m going to give up

[Aboutreadytogiveup]

Just found a worm in child’s poo. Lost track of how many times this has happened. Have spent, quite literally, hundreds and hundreds of pounds on ovex over the years.

I’ve driven myself insane with hygiene measures in the past. We have four children and five bedrooms and a million stuffed animals and when I tell you the laundry/additional cleaning has very nearly killed me in the past I’m only half joking.

I’ve read everything there is to read about their lifecycle and treatment and incubation. I know how many children are currently infected and how easy it is to catch them.

I also know many families in my children’s schools do not dream of taking the hygiene measures I previously have. So I go to all these efforts to kill these current worms… and my kids are likely to bring home another cycle in a month or two. no matter what I do.

AIBU to just give up?

‘In rare cases where a person cannot tolerate mebendazole, GPs may consider alternative options such as piperazine (formerly available as Pripsen). For complex or systemic worm infestations, doctors may occasionally look at prescription-only albendazole. However, for standard intestinal threadworms, mebendazole remains the universally recognized drug of choice in the UK.’

Found on a Google search. I’d be pushing for a different treatment.

Hi x

I couldn't read and run as this was me for the last two years. As a family we had never had them before and literally caught them first hand off a "friend" who didnt tell when their children "always had them and its a normal part of growing up." !!! Needless to say, we havent met up since! So was completely blindsided by it and did everything we were advised to on google, GP etc. I kid you not though, much like yourselves, after spending £££ on Ovex I was convinced it was stripping my kids of their natural gut bacteria. The "visits" were becoming more frequent and the worms were growing in number! So after almost 2 years on it every 6 weeks or whatever it was just the end of me with the detox and hot washes of bedding and sleepless night being so disgusted by it all. I decided to take a different approach and the next worm I saw.

• I DIDNT buy Ovex or worms treatments again but started to give my children Kefir yoghurt drinks and anything else to really boost their gut health. (My children did struggle at first as its quite tart so I mixed a little honey and then they could drink more of it)

• I only washed the bedding of the infected child and in the morning and evening I gave them a quick shower rinse on their bottom halves before bed and rinsed underwear in the bath every day also.

• And now the game changer! An older lady into home remedies told me that the worms CANNOT lay their eggs on anything slippy or with a slippery coating. I was totally grossed out by this and put it off WAY TOO LONG but finally relented because I didnt want to hurt my child or humiliate them any further, but I finally took her advise and got a medical latex-y glove and coated my gloved finger in Organic Coconut Oil and inserted into the rectum as far as was gentle for my child but still definitely "in" . The other one i alternated with was Sudocrem. Its so thick that the worms cant breathe let alone lay eggs on. So the idea is that they come out at night, cant lay and go back inside where there is still coating. They eventually cant breathe or breed and die quickly because the gut health is growing stronger too and they have nothing to feed on. Thats the science and it absolutely worked! After 2 years we have all been worms free and I no longer live on fear and have relaxed for the first time in such a long time! It was awful and then after just taking the old fashioned approach, we have seen anything now for almost a year.

Ovex might work for some but it didn't for us and definitely just caused upset tummies with no long term solution.

Sorry for all the details there but I just wanted to share our experience and give hope to anyone else in the same boat

All the best ❤️

Pripsen isn’t a thing anymore 😢

My 6yo had repeated bouts of worms for about a year, seemed to come back every 2 months like clockwork. I think we have now finally got rid of them, I double dosed her for the first dose, then did it in 2 weeks intervals 4 times. She now hasn't had them for about 6 months so I think we may have cracked it. It was a nightmare though as she was always really upset and cried throughout the night when she had them

I can, and do, enforce that at home. What I can’t do is oversee it at school. They’re touching things all day and sometimes yes, with kids, they’ll end up in their mouths. It’s impossible 😭

Interesting. My go
said pripsen is no longer used.

Thank you, I appreciate that advice x

Please DON'T put anything into your childs rectum without medical supervision. You could damage them in so many ways.

Growing up in Africa, my mum used to work the whole family monthly Not sure if this is healthy, but we never had worms when so many other families did. She de-wormed us as the same time as our pets every month.

You can take food grade diatomaceous earth for this. It works brilliantly and you can take it while pregnant. It’s on Amazon and is really cheap. You stir it in with a drink or yogurt. I found this out while pregnant and couldn’t take the ovex, it absolutely works. I keep a bag in the cupboard just in case but we’ve not needed it in years.

I read that eating pumpkin seeds can help.

That's not a contradiction. The medication will always work, which is why taking more is the solution if it hasn't worked yet - because it will once you have taken enough.

Did you ask for a prescription? Kids prescriptions are free. An if you need it for the adults, pay monthly for prepayment certificate and get as much as needed for a set price if they come back.

@Aboutreadytogiveup don't forget to change the toothbrushes.

Someone told me to take three tablets - one on day one, one on day 7 and one on day 14

@Aboutreadytogiveup not better results with the boots stuff it’s just a fair bit cheaper

My kids have never had nits or worms. I check them regularly as I am paranoid about both!!

Have a couple of friends with kids who get them a lot & they bite bails/finger suck etc. Its hands going in mouths that spread worms. Are your kids sucking thumbs?

You can’t put your gloved and lubricated finger in to your child’s rectum. This is not safe.

I’ve been there apparently 10% of children in the UK are infected at any one time so it’s easy for them to pop back around. Like others I don’t really bother with hygiene measures but treat twice regardless if they appear. Obviously I make people wash hands regardless.

Something that can make a difference is diet. You want to stay clear of processed sugar, lots of garlic, salads made with grated carrots. Make those intestines an inhospitable place.

My cat is the only family member to get worms. We alternate between the three month less broad spectrum and the one monthly covers everything dose. It's pretty relentless and those eggs can last for ages and be tracked inside on shoes.

Gp said they wouldn’t prescribe for it!

No, none of them have ever bitten nails or sucked thumbs.

Go to your GP get some prescription only medication. I had them as a child, none of the extra washing was done , and they were gone in one dose and didn't return.

Have you tried at the pharmacy? My chemist prescribes it for us, they also prescribe Hedrin / nitty gritty comb, Antihistamines, steroid creams all the minor ailment type stuff.

Am I being stupid, but I’m confused by this - how do you ask a pharmacist to prescribe something you can just buy from them?

This thread has kind of confirmed the futility I was feeling. Changing toothbrushes, buying expensive supplements, overhauling diets - what’s the point, when they’re catching them at school/out in general life, and will continue to do so?