1 May 2026Oral drugsSource update: November 2023

Diethylcarbamazine Oral: Dosing, Duration, and Precautions

Diethylcarbamazine guidance for lymphatic filariasis, with staged dose escalation and severe co-infection precautions.

Also searched as

DEC oralDiethylcarbamazine

Prescription under medical supervision

Source reviewed

November 2023

Guide category

Oral drugs

Safety boundary

Prescription medicine information for clinician-guided use.

Kenza Health Hub presents this medicine page as structured health education. Check dose, route, interactions, pregnancy or breast-feeding considerations, and local protocol with a qualified clinician or pharmacist. Read our medical editorial policy.

This guide page is for structured reference only and does not replace a clinician, pharmacist, or emergency review. Dose choice, route choice, interactions, and safety decisions still need professional judgment.

Therapeutic action

Anthelminthic (antifilarial).

Indications

Lymphatic filariasis.

Forms and strengths

100 mg breakable tablet.

Dose

Child under 10 years: 0.5 mg/kg on D1, then increase the dose gradually over 3 days to 1 mg/kg 3 times daily.
Child over 10 years and adult: 1 mg/kg on D1, then increase the dose gradually over 3 days to 2 mg/kg 3 times daily.

Duration

W. bancrofti: 12 days.
B. malayi and B. timori: 6 to 12 days.

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

Do not administer to patients with onchocerciasis or heavy Loa loa microfilaraemia, to infants, older patients, or patients with heart or renal diseases.
Do not administer during acute attacks because of the risk of severe reactions.
Administer with caution in patients with a history of seizures.
May cause nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, fever, joint pain, urticaria, transient haematuria, subcutaneous nodules, lymphangitis, and localized oedema.
In patients with associated onchocerciasis, severe ocular damage may occur.
In patients with associated loiasis, encephalitis can occur if Loa loa microfilaraemia is high.
Reduce dosage in patients with renal impairment.
Pregnancy: contraindicated; treatment may be deferred until after delivery.
Breast-feeding: not recommended.

Source

MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)

This page combines source-derived medicine reference sections with Kenza editorial context, while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections from the source batch.

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