Niclosamide is a teniacide ("tenia-" referring to tapeworm) in the anthelmintic family especially effective against cestodes that infect humans. It is also used as a piscicide. It is stressed that while antihelmintics are a drug family used to treat worm infections, Niclosamide is used specifically to treat tapeworms and is not effective against other worms such as pinworms or roundworms. It is a chewable tablet taken orally, dosage depending on type of worm and patient's age and/or weight. Niclosamide molecules are lethal to tapeworms upon contact. The medication can have side effects such as abdominal pain, anorexia, diarrhea, and emesis. Rarely, dizziness, skin rash, drowsiness, perianal itching, and an unpleasant taste. Niclosamide has been shown to inhibit the spread of colon cancer in animal studies. According to an article in Nature, niclosamide uncouples oxidative phosphorylation in the tapeworm.
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