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Liver Flukes

Liver flukes are flatworm parasites that take up residence in the bile ducts and gallbladder. Infection follows eating freshwater fish that is raw or not fully cooked. Many people carry a light burden without clear symptoms, while a heavy or long-standing infection can do real damage to the liver and bile ducts.

Medicine used to treat Liver Flukes

Biltricide

Praziquantel

600mg

Praziquantel is the active ingredient in Biltricide, a tablet for schistosomiasis and liver flukes. You can choose from one strength and several pack sizes. You see the price per tablet for each option.

FromUS$2.34/ tabletView

Key points

  • Raw or undercooked freshwater fish is the usual route by which these worms enter the body.
  • Species such as Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini can cause repeated blockages of the bile duct and, across decades, a higher risk of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).
  • Praziquantel paralyses and kills the worms quickly, and a short course usually clears most fluke species.

Symptoms and when to get checked

A light infection may go unnoticed for years. When symptoms do appear, they tend to include discomfort in the upper right abdomen, tiredness, nausea and fever that comes and goes. Prolonged unexplained fatigue or right-sided abdominal pain after living in or visiting an endemic region is a reason to be investigated.

How it is treated

Treatment rests on praziquantel, an antiparasitic that acts on the worms themselves. Biltricide 600mg tablets contain praziquantel and are also used for schistosomiasis. The medicine belongs to the wider antiparasitics group. Stool testing a few weeks afterwards confirms that the infection has cleared. Pharmacy partners in India ship orders to Malaysia in discreet packaging.

Further reading

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