Albendazole is a potent medication that is used to treat several types of medical conditions caused by parasitic worms and flukes. Generally, the albendazole dosage to be used depends on the specific parasite. Other factors, such as the age of the person taking this substance, and other medical conditions like liver damage may affect the amount of the drug that is appropriate to take.
Treatment for most worm-related medical conditions consists of taking this drug for several days. Hydatid disease, caused by worms, may be treated in adults using a 400 milligram (mg) albendazole dosage taken two times every day with food. This dosing schedule is continued for 28 days, followed by a two week break, in a regimen called a cycle. Usually, people take this drug for a total of three cycles for successful treatment.
Children may also use this medication if they contract hydatid disease. In this case, the appropriate child dosage may be determined by body weight. For children under 60 kilograms (kg), or 122 pounds (lb), the usual albendazole dosage is 15 mg per 1 kg, or 2.2 lb, of body weight. This dose is taken twice a day with food, and does not usually go over 800 mg total. As with adults, this medication is taken in three cycles of 28 days using the drug, and 14 days refraining from use.
Visceral larva migrans is another worm infection treated with this compound. Treatment for this infection normally uses an albendazole dosage of 400 mg taken two times per day, taken for five days total. Sometimes, the infection may require that this medication is taken for a total of 20 days, however. Unlike with hydatid disease, the adult dosage and child dosage for this particular infection is often the same.
Medical conditions like liver damage can sometimes cause people to break down drugs at a slower rate than otherwise healthy individuals. As a result, some medications, including albendazole, can build up in the body and possibly result in harmful and unpleasant side effects if the dosage is altered. For this reason, and because this drug can sometimes lead to higher liver enzyme levels, people with liver conditions often take a reduced albendazole dosage. Even in healthy individuals, doctors sometimes recommend that people taking albendazole have their liver enzyme levels checked after two weeks of therapy to ensure that those levels are not overly high.