Pyrantel (Oral)

Brand Names : Pin-X, Reese's Pinworm Caplets, Reese's Pinworm Medicine, Combantrin

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For pyrantel, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to pyrantel. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Pyrantel should not be taken during pregnancy unless recommended by your doctor. Studies have not been done in pregnant women. However, pyrantel has not been reported to cause birth defects or other problems in animal studies.

Breast-feeding - Only small amounts of pyrantel are absorbed into the body. Pyrantel has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies. However, pyrantel is not recommended during breast-feeding.

Children - This medicine has been tested in a limited number of children 2 years of age or older and, in effective doses, has not been reported to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of pyrantel in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking pyrantel, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Piperazine (e.g., Entacyl) - Using pyrantel and piperazine together may decrease the effectiveness of pyrantel

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of pyrantel. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Liver disease