Dicaris
Dicaris is levamisole 50mg tablets, a worm treatment for roundworm and hookworm infections, sold in packs of 10, 20, 30 or 50 tablets.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50mg | 10 tablets | $28.00 | $2.80 |
| 50mg | 20 tablets | $49.20 | $2.46 |
| 50mg | 30 tablets | $65.40 | $2.18 |
| 50mg | 50 tablets | $103.00 | $2.06 |
- Category
- Antiparasitics
- Active ingredient
- Levamisole
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet
- Strengths
- 50mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Parasitic worm infections (roundworm)
- Therapeutic Class
- Anthelmintic
- Pharmacological Class
- Imidazothiazole
- Minor Side Effects
- Nausea, Stomach pain
- Moderate Side Effects
- Headache, Dizziness
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Janssen Pharmaceutica
- Duration
- Single or short-course dosing
- Storage Instructions
- Store in a cool, dry place.
- Age Restrictions
- Use as directed by a pediatrician for children.
What you will receive
Dicaris is the originator brand name, made by Janssen Pharmaceutica. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Dicaris.
- The same active ingredient (Levamisole) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
What Dicaris pack sizes can I order?
Dicaris tablets come as 50mg in packs of 10, 20, 30 or 50 tablets. The pack contains generic levamisole, not the original Dicaris. Larger packs cost less per tablet.
How is Dicaris delivered to Hong Kong?
Dicaris can be sent to Hong Kong by standard airmail in 14 to 21 business days, untracked, or by tracked courier in 5 to 9 business days with online tracking. If a parcel does not arrive within the delivery window, or arrives damaged, it is sent again free; if that is not possible, the order is refunded.
How long does Dicaris take to work?
The worm is paralysed soon after the tablet and is carried out of the gut with a bowel movement, often the same day or the next. Stomach pain and loose stools linked to the infection usually settle over the following days, and a stool test can confirm the worms have gone.
Do I need more than one Dicaris tablet?
For roundworm and hookworm, one 50mg tablet is the usual treatment. Some other gut worms, such as Strongyloides stercoralis, are treated with a repeat dose after an interval, so the number of tablets depends on which worm is being treated.
Will I see worms in my stool after taking Dicaris?
Often, yes. Levamisole paralyses the worm rather than dissolving it, so the worm is passed in a bowel movement, usually within a day of the dose. Seeing worms in the stool afterwards is expected and does not mean the treatment has failed.
How is levamisole different from albendazole?
Both are worm treatments, but they work differently. Levamisole paralyses the worm by acting on its nerve receptors. Albendazole is a benzimidazole: it stops the worm forming microtubules, the tiny internal tubes it relies on, and it covers a broader range of worms.
Does Dicaris treat threadworm?
No. Threadworm (pinworm) is a different infection and is usually treated with other worm medicines, such as mebendazole or albendazole. Dicaris is used for roundworm, hookworm and a few related gut worms.
About Dicaris
What Dicaris is used for
Dicaris is a tablet treatment for worms in the gut. Its active ingredient, levamisole, clears the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides and the two hookworms that most often infect people, Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale, as well as a few less common gut worms such as Strongyloides stercoralis. Roundworm and hookworm infections can cause stomach pain and loose stools, and you may spot a worm in the toilet after a bowel movement.
How levamisole gets rid of the worm
The tablet does not poison the worm or dissolve it. Levamisole acts on the worm's nerves: it stimulates receptors on the worm's muscle (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors), the muscle contracts hard, and the worm is paralysed. Unable to keep its grip on the gut wall, it is carried down by the ordinary wave-like movements of the intestine and leaves in a bowel movement.
After the dose
Treatment is short. For roundworm and hookworm the usual dose is a single 50mg tablet swallowed with water; some other gut worms are treated with a repeat dose after an interval. Because the worm is paralysed rather than broken down, the infection clears once the tablet has done its work, and you may pass a worm later that day. Mild stomach upset is the most likely thing you will notice.
What side effects can Dicaris cause?
Nausea, stomach cramps and loose stools are the usual complaints and generally settle within a day. Two rarer problems matter more. Leukoencephalopathy — damage to the white matter, the nerve fibres that connect parts of the brain — has been reported with levamisole and is the subject of an ongoing safety review in Europe; confusion, new muscle weakness, clumsiness, or a change in speech or vision needs urgent treatment. Blood problems, including a fall in the white cells that fight infection, have also been reported, and fever, sore throat or mouth ulcers during treatment can be signs of one.
Dicaris 50mg tablets
Each tablet contains 50mg of levamisole, and packs hold 10, 20, 30 or 50 tablets. Tablets are the only form of Dicaris, and 50mg is the only strength: there is no liquid or chewable version to choose between.
Sources
- PRAC starts safety review of levamisole, a medicine used to treat parasitic worm infections — European Medicines Agency