Headache albendazole

When used for 1-3 days, albendazole is nearly free of significant adverse effects. Mild and transient epigastric distress, diarrhea, headache, nausea, dizziness, lassitude, and insomnia can occur. In long-term use for hydatid disease, albendazole is well tolerated, but it can cause abdominal distress, headaches, fever, fatigue, alopecia, increases in liver enzymes, and pancytopenia. 

In a report on the use of albendazole 15 mg/kg/day in two divided doses for 14 days in the treatment of persistent neurocysticercosis (10), adverse reactions were monitored in 43 patients with seizures and a sohtary cysticercal cyst, who had not been treated before. In aU patients CT scans confirmed the presence of a solitary cyst less than 2 cm in diameter. Antiepileptic treatment was continued. In seven patients dexamethasone 8 mg/day in four divided doses was given for the first 5-7 days after the start of treatment. Follow-up CT scans at 4-10 weeks after the start of treatment showed responses in 20 patients, with complete disappearance in seven patients and a reduction to 50% of the pretreatment size in the other 13. There were adverse effects in 15 patients, with a maximum on the fifth day after the start of treatment. Six patients had severe headaches, 11 had partial seizures, and 2 had epileptic seizures and severe postictal hemiparesis that persisted for a week or more. Because of these serious adverse effects treatment was discontinued in seven patients and dexamethasone was added in those patients who were not already taking it, although its use proved questionable. Adverse effects were seen in three of seven patients who took prophylactic steroid therapy and in 12 of 36 patients who did not. 

In 110 children with ascariasis or trichuriasis the efficacy of a single dose of albendazole 400 mg has been compared with that of nitazoxanide 100 mg bd for 3 days in children aged 1-3 years and 200 mg bd for 3 days in children aged 4-11 years (16). Nitazoxanide cured 89 and 89% of the cases of ascariasis and trichuriasis respectively. Albendazole cured 91 and 58% of the cases of ascariasis and trichuriasis respectively. Abdominal pain (n — 9), nausea (n = 1), diarrhea (n — 2), and headache (n — 1) were reported as mild adverse effects in 105 patients who took nitazoxanide, and abdominal pain (n — 1), nausea (n = 1), and vomiting (n — 1) were reported as adverse effects in 54 patients who took albendazole. AU the adverse events were mild and transient and drug withdrawal was not necessary. 

Albendazole has been used in the treatment and prophylaxis of microsporidiosis in patients with AIDS. In a small, double-blind, placebo-controUed trial from France (17) the efficacy and safety of treatment with albendazole was studied in four patients treated with albendazole 400 mg bd for 3 weeks and in four patients treated with placebo. Microsporidia were cleared in all patients given albendazole but in none of those given placebo. Afterwards aU eight patients were again randomized to receive either maintenance treatment with albendazole 400 mg bd or no treatment for the next 12 months none of the three patients taking maintenance treatment had a recurrence, while three of the five who took no maintenance therapy developed a recurrence. During the doubleblind part of the trial there were no serious adverse effects in the patients who took albendazole, although two complained of headache, one of abdominal pain, one had raised transaminase activities, and one had... 

Used in the treatment of neurocysticercosis, albendazole (like praziquantel) can cause a CSF syndrome characterized by fever, headaches, meningism, and exacerbation of some or many of the neurological signs of the disease it is thought to be due to a local reaction to dying and dead larvae and can be attenuated by prednisone (SED-12, 707) (19,20). 

Albendazole also produces few side effects when used for short-term therapy of GI helminthiasis, even in patients with heavy worm burdens. Transient mild GI symptoms (epigastric pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting) occur in I% of treated individuals. Dizziness and headache occur on occasion. In school-age mass treatments, the incidence of side effects with albendazole is very low. Allergic phenomena rarely occur and usually resolve after 48 hours. 

Albendazole has been a first-line agent for treatment of parasitic infections since 1972 and is still a valuable and commonly used medication. Documented side effects after short-term use include mild abdominal discomfort, nausea, diarrhoea, headaches, dizziness, lassitude and insomnia. Longer term treatment for hydatid disease can lead to the same adverse reactions as seen in shorter courses in addition to alopecia, transaminitis and pancytopenia. 

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 533 T. trichiura-iniected children in Pemba, Tanzania, consisted of treatment with 1000 mg of nitazoxanide + placebo, placebo+400mg of albendazole or 1000mg of nitazoxanide on day 1 followed by 400 mg of albendazole on day 2. Common side effects from albendazole and nitazoxanide were headache, abdominal cramps, nausea, vertigo, diarrhoea, fever, allergic reaction, vomiting and fatigue [17 ]. Cure rates for T. trichiura were equally low in all arms. 

A cross-sectional study examined 386 children aged 4-15 in Biankouma, Cote d Ivoire, who were infected with schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthes and were then treated with single-dose PZQ 40mg/kg and albendazole as needed. About 40.8% (exact number unavailable) reported minor adverse effects including abdominal pain, headache and itching2-Ah after intake of PZQ [61 j. 

Albendazole, thiabendazole and mebendazole are also used in human medicine for the treatment of helminthiasis. Thiabendazole is frequently associated with anorexia, nausea, vomiting and dizziness at therapeutic doses. It may also cause diarrhoea, drowsiness and headache. It has resulted in erythema multiforme, hallucinations, sensory disturbances and Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Mebendazole is without significant toxicity although it may cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Like mebendazole, albendazole is well tolerated and only occasionally results in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, dizziness and headache. Very rarely, it may cause signs of hepatotoxicity including increases in liver enzymes, jaundice and cholestasis and it is usually recommended that its use be avoided in patients with cirrhosis. Albendazole has been reported to cause pseudomembranous colitis and dystonia in children. 

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