Benda500 (Mebendazole) Dosage

[hermespan]

A friend in Camboida recommened Benda500 tablet X 1 once a year as a routine to avoid having worms.

I was about to follow his suggestion when I noticed that all the drug information sites recommend a *100 mg* dose if one presumably actually has worms, whereas this expat takes the standard 500 mg pill as a regimen. Besides the matter of whether it is wise to take a pharmaceutical as a 'preventative', my question is this...

Why does the Thai packaged Benda500 some in 500mg while all drug sites recommend a fifth of that? More is not necessarily better.

[Sheryl]

The recommended dosage of mebendazole varies according to the specific parastite present, but is usually 100 mg twice a day for 3 -5 days. When used as presumptive treatment for unknown parasites, single does 500 mg is usual

However albendazole is somewhat more effective and more commonly used these days, especially in Thailand http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7939948

Zentel is probably the most widely available brand name.