My kid has pinworms! Should I take treatment?

[Zizzle]

My 9 yr old son has pinworms. He started complaining of severe butt itching last night. I looked VERY CAREFULLY with a flashlight MULTIPLE TIMES, and only saw a small hemorrhoid, until tonight....I caught a live worm!! UGH!!!!

I have applied creams, wiped and washed his butt with my bare hands over these 2 days (washing them well afterwards, of course).

The PinX OTC medication says the entire household should be treated. Should I take it? Would it be a concern, MC-wise? It can cause cramping, D, nausea, vomiting, SKIN RASH and headache. I plan to treat my daughter, my husband is on the fence. There are no formal drug interactions with the plaquenil and prednisone I'm on.

What should I do??

For patients taking pyrantel for pinworms:

Pinworms may be easily passed from one person to another, especially among persons in the same household. Therefore, all household members may have to be treated at the same time to prevent their infection or reinfection. Also, all household members may have to be treated again in 2 to 3 weeks to clear up the infection completely.

Less common side effects:

Abdominal or stomach cramps or pain
diarrhea
dizziness
drowsiness
headache
irritability
loss of appetite
nausea or vomiting
trouble in sleeping

[Zizzle]

I should mention that I've read about natural approaches, and it appears eating coconut (and I presume the oil) helps treat and prevent - I eat the equivalent of a teaspoon almost daily. Probiotics also help -- And I OD on them daily with my water kefir. Low sugar diet also starves them, so I need to get strict with my AIP paleo. I'm PMSing this week and broke down and made tapioca/coconut milk/chocolate pudding and baked coconut flour/tapioca blueberry bars.

Maybe it's the pinworms telling me to eat more sugar?

[dfpowell]

Zizzie

Your blueberry bars sound good, can you share your recipe?

[tex]

Tough decision!

If you already have them, surely you would notice the itching at night. On the other hand, the incubation period is probably pretty short. It's difficult to say what your resistance might be, but I would guess that you might have a fair chance of escaping them as long as you're very careful with sanitary precautions. After all, surely doctors don't take the treatment after examining patients who have infections (of course they use plastic gloves).

Tex

[Zizzle]

Here are the blueberry-lemon bars I made. I used coconut oil instead of shortening. I didn't realize baking powder can contain corn starch. Apparently you can replace with baking soda and cream of tartar? I'm not a baker, so I don't know what soda/powder do anyway.

http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2014/01 ... -bars.html

[Zizzle]

Phew, my "featherweight" baking powder is corn free/gluten free.

Pinworm paranoia is building among my husband and me. Might take the meds by nightfall just to be sure! Who knows what other critters we might knock out in the process. Imagine if it cured my rash? Wishful thinking, but I'm all for weird adjustments to my immune system.

[DebE13]

Sorry to hear about the pinworms. Hope it all gets under control soon and doesn't spread.

The recipe looks like a keeper!

[Zizzle]

I bought black walnut tincture, a natural remedy for pinworms. 15 drops 2-3/day. We'll see!

[Leah]

Good luck Zizzle. Keep us posted!

Leah

[Zizzle]

Well, called the pediatrician and did some reading. We are definitely all going to take the medicine (even though it's not necessarily 100% effective). It's possible my kid has had this for several weeks!! And the eggs the worms lay on their behinds can be in the thousands per day!! They fall off and end up on their bed, the floor, the bathroom, the laundry, etc, etc. Lots of stories of failed treatments out there, so the family is embarking on a major parasite cleanse. This will surely bring back my D, but desperate times call for...

1. Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (a teaspoon per day mixed in a smoothie perhaps)
http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Wisdom-Gr ... _sbs_hpc_2

2. Lots of garlic

3. Lots of water kefir for everyone

4. Black Walnut tincture if our tummies can handle it (it caused some mild D for me already)

5. Vaseline on the bum every night before bed for 4-6 weeks, plus morning showers.

What's interesting is reading user reviews of some of the parasite cleanses out there -- people with CFS, fibromyalgia and other autoimmune issues miraculously getting better! I've always poo-pood the parasite theories of autoimmunity, but I guess I'll find out if they have any merit now!

Wish me luck!

[UkuleleLady]

Good luck Zizzle! I hope the pinworms are eradicated ASAP.

Nancy

[dfpowell]

Good Luck Zizzie!

I tried the Lemon-Blueberry bar recipe last night and really like it, the ratio of dry vs wet ingredients is good allowing for a slightly chewy bar. I'm going to try a variation next time by substituting pureed sweet potato for the applesauce.

[gluten]

Hi Zizzle, I always wondered about parasites. They would consume nutrients from the foods we eat and leave their toxic waste that would trigger our immune system. I always search my BM's for any parasites. I do not think they would like all the olive oil that is in my G.I tract. Please keep us updated on the progress. Jon

[Zizzle]

Donna,
If you want a chewy-gooey bar, substitute coconut milk for the applesauce. You might have to lengthen the baking time though.

Took my dose of Pin-X tonight! Had to get my daughter early from school due to tummy ache. Could be a rough night...