Emverm

Emverm is a prescription medication used to treat parasite infections of the intestine involving pinworm, hookworm, whipworm, and roundworm. Emverm belongs to a group of drugs called anthelmintics. These work by killing the worms.

Emverm is a chewable tablet that is taken by mouth once for pinworm infection. For hookworm, whipworm, and roundworm infections, Emverm is taken by mouth twice a day for 3 days.

Common side effects of Emverm include loss of appetite, stomach pain, diarrhea, flatulence (passing gas), nausea, vomiting, and rash. 

Emverm is used in the treatment of intestinal infections involving:

• Hookworm (Ancylostomiasis) 
• Roundworm (Ascariasis)
• Pinworm (Enterobiasis)
• Whipworm (Trichuriasis) 

Emverm is only approved for patients older than 2 years of age. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

• Impax Laboratories, Inc.

Serious side effects have been reported with Emverm. See the “Emverm Precautions” section.

Common side effects of Emverm include the following:

• diarrhea
• stomach pain, discomfort, or swelling
• nausea
• vomiting
• flatulence (passing gas)
• loss of appetite
• rash

This is not a complete list of Emverm side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• aminoquinoline medications (antimalarials) such as cholorquine, hydroxychloroquine and primaquine
• barbiturates
• medications that increase the activity of the enzyme CYP3A4 such as carbamazepine (Tegretol, Equetro, Carbatrol), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin), rifampin (Rifadin), and St John's wort
• fosphenytoin (Cerebyx)
• cimetidine (Tagamet)
• metronidazole (Flagyl)

This is not a complete list of Emverm drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with Emverm including:

• Low white blood cell count (neutropenia). Neutropenia can cause you to get other infections. Your healthcare provider will check your blood count regularly during your treatment with Emverm. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have a fever or any signs of an infection while taking Emverm.
• Severe skin reactions (Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis). Emverm may cause rare, but serious skin reactions when taken with metronidazole and other medicines that contain mebendazole. These severe allergic reactions may be life-threatening and need to be treated in a hospital. Call your healthcare provider right away or get emergency medical help if you have any allergic reactions or the following symptoms: 
  • severe skin blisters
  • sores around the mouth, nose, eyes, vagina or penis (genitals)
  • peeling skin 
  • swollen face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat 
  • itchy rash (hives)

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you experience any of the above serious side effects. 

Do not take Emverm if you are allergic to Emverm or to any of its ingredients.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Emverm, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking Emverm, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to Emverm or to any of its ingredients
• have or have had stomach problems or liver disease
• have liver problems
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Emverm falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans, though. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Emverm has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from Emverm, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.

Take Emverm exactly as prescribed.

Emverm comes in chemable tablet form and is taken twice a day for three days to treat whipworm, roundworm, and hookworm. Emverm is usually taken as a single dose to treat pinworm. If the infection is not cured 3 weeks after treatment, a second course of treatment may be advised. 

Emverm may be taken with or without food. Emverm may be chewed, swallowed whole, or crushed and mixed with food. 

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of Emverm at the same time.

Take Emverm exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. 

The Emverm dose your doctor recommends will be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication

The recommended dose of Emverm for the treatment of whipworm, roundworm, and hookworm is 100 mg twice a day for three days.  

The recommended dose of Emverm for the treatment of pinworm is 100 mg as a single dose. 

If the infection is not cured 3 weeks after treatment, a second course of treatment may be advised. 

Emverm is available as a 100 mg chewable oral tablet. Emverm may be chewed, swallowed whole, or crushed and mixed with food. 

If you take too much Emverm, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

• Store Emverm at room temperature.
• Keep away from excess heat and moisture.
• Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.
• Safely throw away Emverm that is out of date or no longer needed.