A tapeworm infection is known medically as taeniasis. This infestation can make you nauseated and eventually malnourished. When the larva or eggs travel through the body and create cysts in various organs, major organ damage can occur, ranging from blindness to seizures to paralysis. Some tapeworms die without treatment, but eliminating the tapeworm is prudent to prevent potentially serious complications. Treatment varies, depending on whether you have a tapeworm in the intestine or a tapeworm cyst elsewhere in the body.
Worm-Killing Medicine
The U.S. National Library of Medicine states that niclosamide is considered the first line treatment for intestinal tapeworm. It is a chewable tablet that is taken in one dose, killing the tapeworm. You may notice segments of the tapeworm in your stool, or they may be digested in your intestine. Some patients will need a second dose of niclosamide. Other oral preparations that are sometimes prescribed to kill the intestinal tapeworm include albendazole and praziquantel. The physician's orders must be carefully followed when taking any of these medications. Your stool may be checked at a later time to ensure that you no longer have a living tapeworm in your intestine. Occasionally, these drugs may be given to destroy tapeworm cysts in the brain.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, or other anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed to treat the areas where tapeworm cysts have settled. This can relieve symptoms such as swelling or tenderness. These medications are usually given orally for several days to weeks.
Anti-Seizure Drugs
When tapeworm cysts in the brain lead to seizures, anti-seizure medications are often prescribed. These drugs, which are usually given orally, can have serious side effects. They may have to be taken indefinitely.
Surgery
When a tapeworm cyst is located in an organ where it can cause damage or loss of body function, it is often removed surgically. This may happen to cysts that settle in the lungs, liver or other organs. Cysts in the eye are also surgically removed to avoid blindness. Some cysts are located in such precarious areas that they cannot be removed.
Shunt
Tapeworm cysts in the area of the brain can lead to excess fluid on the brain. The Mayo Clinic explains that if this happens, you may need a permanent tube--called a shunt--placed in your brain to drain the fluid on a continual basis.
