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Is Fenbendazole Safe for Humans?
Key Takeaways
-Fenbendazole is an extensively used antiparasitic drug for canine use. It is essentially a veterinary medication used for treating parasites- mainly in canines.
-Fenbendazole has not gained approval for human use in the United States.
-Through an off-label mode, this med is used for treating human beings.
-Fenbendazole is safe to use for humans.
-Standard doses – of 500 milligrams (mg) – are tolerated quite well and no major, adverse outcomes are reported.
-This med is also used for the case management of a few forms of cancers.
Fenbendazole is an antiparasitic drug that belongs to the benzimidazole genre. Fenbendazole combats a number of gastrointestinal parasites; including hookworms, whipworms, giardia, roundworms, a few forms of tapeworms, pinworms, strongyles, etc. Fenbendazole is popular due to a wide-range of anthelmintic properties.
For more than thirty years, fenbendazole is used in the treatment of helminthiasis / helminth infections i.e. worm infections in animals. Helminth infections are common parasitic diseases resulting from worms in your body. These infections are capable of affecting various parts of your body.
Fenbendazole is a more common drug as part of veterinary medicine that treats a wide range of gastrointestinal parasites exclusively in animals and veterinarians consider this as a more effective drug in its treatment.
Apart from fenbendazole, there are other Benzimidazoles like mebendazole and albendazole available as antiparasitic agents for human use. Albendazole treats a much broader range of parasitic infections in human beings.
Fenbendazole Side Effects in Humans
Fenbendazole is a commonly available medication. It is a veterinary anthelmintic drug. In several kinds of animal use, there is data available on its tolerability, safety, and reliability. However, researchers have not come up with its safety and efficacy over a sustained period of use among humans.
Most of those who took fenbendazole on their own have not reported or complained of any side effects. However, results may vary from one person to another. Taking fenbendazole without the guidance of a certified healthcare professional can turn out to be dangerous.
European Medicine Agency (EMA) states patients who took doses up to 500 mg per person did not face serious adverse effects. In addition, patients who took single doses of up to 2,000 mg consumed over a period of ten days eventually did not face any serious adverse effects. This proves that fenbendazole works well when consumed at low doses and is largely considered safe.
Fenbendazole causes a few side effects – these include diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, etc. Other rare side effects include reversible pancytopenia (low count of all blood cells i.e., red, white and platelets) as well as increased production of liver enzymes. Fenbendazole administered with food may improve absorption. However, if the food contains any fat content, it does not influence absorption.
Giardia spp. could also result from fenbendazole use. Giardia spp. causes a group of protozoan parasites, which is the primary reason for giardiasis disease.
Giardiasis is a common intestinal infection that affects the small intestines in humans as well. These parasites survive outside your system in the form of cysts, and can easily infect human beings as well as animals.
Moreover, several studies state that there are high chances of potential hepatotoxicity in humans upon using fenbendazole. Hepatotoxicity is also known as liver toxicity. This condition results in liver damage due to your system’s exposure to many drugs, or substances like chemicals or supplements. You may even experience an impaired liver function. Hepatotoxicity can even lead to a liver failure in more severe cases.
Even if several theories suggest that fenbendazole plays a role in curing certain types of cancers in humans, it lacks clinical trials to support this fact particularly relating its use in human beings.
Fenbendazole oral administration at lesser concentrations effectively blocks cancer cell growth in human beings. However, it may not reach a sufficient systemic level so as to influence tumors.
Several research studies are ongoing to analyse the anti-cancer activity of fenbendazole. Scientists are working to validate fenbendazole’s anti-tumor effects against many forms of cancers. Fenbendazole has shown high efficacy against a few cancer cells namely paclitaxel, docetaxel-resistant, and 5-FU types of tumors.
More research is however needed to make fenbendazole orally soluble, and to make it an effective drug for the treatment for cancers in human beings. As it is an easily accessible over-the-counter medication and a cost-effective drug, most cancer patients prefer fenbendazole as an ideal at-home treatment for certain forms of tumors.
However, further extensive clinical trials are awaited to establish the likely use of fenbendazole to treat advanced levels of cancers in human beings. Patients with a compromised liver – due to liver cirrhosis – or those living with hepatic dysfunction / liver cancers are advised to use fenbendazole only after taking all needful safety precautions.
Safety Precautions to Follow with Fenbendazole
You are advised to avoid taking fenbendazole in high dosage forms, as it may cause other complications. It is not a wise thing to use fenbendazole when you are having other medications and / or supplements using same chemical composition as that of fenbendazole.
When you are taking meds to increase your liver enzymes, it is a safer option to avoid using fenbendazole. It is a critical thing to note fenbendazole is not a choice for patients undergoing chemotherapy, as they may experience several adverse side effects. Using fenbendazole during this time might likely up the chances of increasing liver enzyme levels.
Due to ongoing research on efficacy and reliability of fenbendazole in human use, no medical agencies have issued a proper approval for this drug for use in humans.
If you consume fenbendazole on your own without the consent of a healthcare professional or without proper guidance from your caregiver, you might end up experiencing symptoms – starting from mild to severe. In all such cases, you are advised to dial 911 on an emergency mode; you can also approach a nearest healthcare setting center for clinical assistance. It is a good practice to visit your physician without much delay.
Emily is a licensed pharmacist with over 10 years of expertise in community pharmacy management. She is passionate about empowering individuals to understand their medications and improve overall well-being. In her spare time, she reads medical journals and shares valuable health insights.
Key Takeaways
-Fenbendazole is an extensively used antiparasitic drug for canine use. It is essentially a veterinary medication used for treating parasites- mainly in canines.
-Fenbendazole has not gained approval for human use in the United States.
-Through an off-label mode, this med is used for treating human beings.
-Fenbendazole is safe to use for humans.
-Standard doses – of 500 milligrams (mg) – are tolerated quite well and no major, adverse outcomes are reported.
-This med is also used for the case management of a few forms of cancers.
Fenbendazole is an antiparasitic drug that belongs to the benzimidazole genre. Fenbendazole combats a number of gastrointestinal parasites; including hookworms, whipworms, giardia, roundworms, a few forms of tapeworms, pinworms, strongyles, etc. Fenbendazole is popular due to a wide-range of anthelmintic properties.
For more than thirty years, fenbendazole is used in the treatment of helminthiasis / helminth infections i.e. worm infections in animals. Helminth infections are common parasitic diseases resulting from worms in your body. These infections are capable of affecting various parts of your body.
Fenbendazole is a more common drug as part of veterinary medicine that treats a wide range of gastrointestinal parasites exclusively in animals and veterinarians consider this as a more effective drug in its treatment.
Apart from fenbendazole, there are other Benzimidazoles like mebendazole and albendazole available as antiparasitic agents for human use. Albendazole treats a much broader range of parasitic infections in human beings.
Fenbendazole Side Effects in Humans
Fenbendazole is a commonly available medication. It is a veterinary anthelmintic drug. In several kinds of animal use, there is data available on its tolerability, safety, and reliability. However, researchers have not come up with its safety and efficacy over a sustained period of use among humans.
Most of those who took fenbendazole on their own have not reported or complained of any side effects. However, results may vary from one person to another. Taking fenbendazole without the guidance of a certified healthcare professional can turn out to be dangerous.
European Medicine Agency (EMA) states patients who took doses up to 500 mg per person did not face serious adverse effects. In addition, patients who took single doses of up to 2,000 mg consumed over a period of ten days eventually did not face any serious adverse effects. This proves that fenbendazole works well when consumed at low doses and is largely considered safe.
Fenbendazole causes a few side effects – these include diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, etc. Other rare side effects include reversible pancytopenia (low count of all blood cells i.e., red, white and platelets) as well as increased production of liver enzymes. Fenbendazole administered with food may improve absorption. However, if the food contains any fat content, it does not influence absorption.
Giardia spp. could also result from fenbendazole use. Giardia spp. causes a group of protozoan parasites, which is the primary reason for giardiasis disease.
Giardiasis is a common intestinal infection that affects the small intestines in humans as well. These parasites survive outside your system in the form of cysts, and can easily infect human beings as well as animals.
Moreover, several studies state that there are high chances of potential hepatotoxicity in humans upon using fenbendazole. Hepatotoxicity is also known as liver toxicity. This condition results in liver damage due to your system’s exposure to many drugs, or substances like chemicals or supplements. You may even experience an impaired liver function. Hepatotoxicity can even lead to a liver failure in more severe cases.
Even if several theories suggest that fenbendazole plays a role in curing certain types of cancers in humans, it lacks clinical trials to support this fact particularly relating its use in human beings.
Fenbendazole oral administration at lesser concentrations effectively blocks cancer cell growth in human beings. However, it may not reach a sufficient systemic level so as to influence tumors.
Several research studies are ongoing to analyse the anti-cancer activity of fenbendazole. Scientists are working to validate fenbendazole’s anti-tumor effects against many forms of cancers. Fenbendazole has shown high efficacy against a few cancer cells namely paclitaxel, docetaxel-resistant, and 5-FU types of tumors.
More research is however needed to make fenbendazole orally soluble, and to make it an effective drug for the treatment for cancers in human beings. As it is an easily accessible over-the-counter medication and a cost-effective drug, most cancer patients prefer fenbendazole as an ideal at-home treatment for certain forms of tumors.
However, further extensive clinical trials are awaited to establish the likely use of fenbendazole to treat advanced levels of cancers in human beings. Patients with a compromised liver – due to liver cirrhosis – or those living with hepatic dysfunction / liver cancers are advised to use fenbendazole only after taking all needful safety precautions.
Safety Precautions to Follow with Fenbendazole
You are advised to avoid taking fenbendazole in high dosage forms, as it may cause other complications. It is not a wise thing to use fenbendazole when you are having other medications and / or supplements using same chemical composition as that of fenbendazole.
When you are taking meds to increase your liver enzymes, it is a safer option to avoid using fenbendazole. It is a critical thing to note fenbendazole is not a choice for patients undergoing chemotherapy, as they may experience several adverse side effects. Using fenbendazole during this time might likely up the chances of increasing liver enzyme levels.
Due to ongoing research on efficacy and reliability of fenbendazole in human use, no medical agencies have issued a proper approval for this drug for use in humans.
If you consume fenbendazole on your own without the consent of a healthcare professional or without proper guidance from your caregiver, you might end up experiencing symptoms – starting from mild to severe. In all such cases, you are advised to dial 911 on an emergency mode; you can also approach a nearest healthcare setting center for clinical assistance. It is a good practice to visit your physician without much delay.
Emily is a licensed pharmacist with over 10 years of expertise in community pharmacy management. She is passionate about empowering individuals to understand their medications and improve overall well-being. In her spare time, she reads medical journals and shares valuable health insights.
