Despite a deworming drug that’s largely used to treat parasitic worms being touted as a cure for cancer, the claims are unfounded. Sheila Singh, director of McMaster’s Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, is one of many experts who say the anecdotal stories of people using fenbendazole for cancer are not true.
Known as FBZ, the antiparasitic medication is part of the benzimidazole family and works by disrupting microtubules in the cell. It’s primarily used in veterinary medicine but human patients can also tolerate a certain amount of the medication. The European Medicines Agency states that a healthy adult can tolerate up to 500 mg of fenbendazole for ten days in a row.
Anecdotally, fenbendazole has been used as a complementary treatment to conventional chemotherapy for genitourinary cancers. It was found to shrink tumors, kill cancer cells and reduce multi-drug resistance. The best way to get the most out of fenbendazole is to take it with a high-quality probiotic and curcumin supplements. Curcumin is a potent antioxidant that may help increase healthy p53 levels and prevent the breakdown of apoptotic cells.
A recent study by scientists from Seoul National University showed that anthelmintics, drugs used to kill parasitic worms, could potentially have anti-cancer effects. However, it’s not clear how effective these medications would be in humans because turning animal anthelmintics into approved cancer treatments is a long road.
Unlike chemotherapy, which floods the body with toxic chemicals to destroy fast-growing cancerous cells, fenbendazole targets only cancer cells, which are more prone to mutation. Because the medication doesn’t harm healthy cells, it can work alongside standard of care treatments to help them become more effective.
Fenbendazole, along with its sister drugs mebendazole (MBZ) and albendazole (ABZ), can be absorbed best when taken with a food that’s rich in fat. Adding foods like eggs, meat, nuts and seeds can help ensure that the medication makes its way through the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream.
While the anthelmintic medications can be purchased online, the safest and most efficient way to use them is through a regulated company that offers third-party lab results. These companies, such as Panacur C, Safeguard and Happy Healing, are able to offer fenbendazole in powder and tablet forms, as well as provide worldwide shipping.
While fenbendazole for cancer is promising, it’s important to always consult your medical team before trying any new medications or supplements. They can tell you whether fenbendazole or MBZ might be right for you and will ensure that the treatment is compatible with your health history. They can also advise on other supplements that might complement the medication to improve your chances of success.