Diethylcarbamazine - Side effect(s)

Read the side effects of Diethylcarbamazine as described in the medical literature. In case of any doubt consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Central nervous system: Headache, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)

Cardio vascular system: Increase in heart rate, low blood pressure resulting in dizziness

Musculoskeletal: Muscle and joint pain

Eye: Retinal hemorrhage (bleed in the inner light-sensitive layer of the eye), vision problems

Skin: Itching, rashes

Others: Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, chills and fever

Other Precautions : • In severe cases, convulsions may occur which can be treated by diazepam.
• Urine samples should be monitored as loss of protein in the urine may occur.
• Due to the destruction of the microfilariae parasite, a reaction which includes fever, headache, dizziness and asthmatic attacks may occur. It can be managed by either reducing the dosage or stopping the treatment temporarily.
• It can also be prevented with pretreatment with corticosteroids such as dexamethasone, 2 to 4 mg twice a day.

Drug Name : Diethylcarbamazine

Diethylcarbamazine generic Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is an antihelmintic drug which is prescribed to kill worms and treat the following diseases: a)Bancroft’s filariasis b)Tropical pulmonary eosinophilia c)Loiasis for the treatment, as well as to prevent infection in visitors to endemic areas • Though it is effective in river blindness ( Onchocerciasis ), DEC is no longer preferred since it can cause a severe reaction called Mazzoti reaction, and ivermectin is a much better choice.
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