Epsiprantel

Indications

Cestex tablets are indicated for the removal of the following: Feline cestodes: Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaeformis Canine cestodes: Dipylidium caninum and Taenia pisiformis

Dosage and Administration

Cestex tablets should be administered orally. The recommended dosage of epsiprantel is: cats, 1.25 mg/lb of body weight; dogs, 2.5 mg/lb of body weight. The following table may be used as a guide: Dosage Schedule Feline Body Weight Dose Seven weeks old up to 10 lb 12.5 mg 11–20 lb 25.0 mg Canine Body Weight Dose Seven weeks old up to 5 lb 12.5 mg 6–10 lb 25.0 mg 11–20 lb 50.0 mg 21–40 lb 100.0 mg 41–50 lb 125.0 mg 51–60 lb 150.0 mg 61–80 lb 200.0 mg 81–90 lb 225.0 mg 91–100 lb 250.0 mg 101+ lb 2.5 mg/lb, rounding up to next whole tablet combination Fasting is not necessary or recommended. Unless exposure to the infected intermediate hosts is controlled, reinfection is likely and retreatment may be required. In the case of D. caninum , an effective flea control program should be instituted. SAFETY Epsiprantel has been evaluated in cats at 5 times the recommended dose given once daily for 3 days with no adverse effects noted. In tolerance studies, epsiprantel produced minimal clinical signs in cats given 40 times the recommended dose once daily for 4 days. Epsiprantel has been evaluated in 14-day repeat dose studies in dogs at 500 mg/kg (90 times recommended dosage) with no significant adverse results. No side effects were observed during the clinical field studies. Epsiprantel is not a cholinesterase inhibitor. During the course of clinical field studies, Cestex was administered concurrently with diethylcarbamazine citrate (dogs only), anti-inflammatory agents, insecticides, and nematocides with no drug incompatibilities noted.

Contraindications

There are no known contraindications to the use of this drug.

Warnings

For use in cats and dogs only. Safety of use in pregnant or breeding animals has not been determined. Keep out of reach of children. Not for use in humans.

Precautions

Do not use in kittens or puppies less than 7 weeks of age.

Description

Cestex tablets are film-coated and contain 12.5 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg or 100 mg of epsiprantel per tablet. Epsiprantel is an anthelmintic that is active as a single dose against the common tapeworms of cats and dogs. Epsiprantel has a molecular weight of 326 and is chemically 2-(cyclohexyl-carbonyl)-4-oxo 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,12b-octahydropyrazino[2,1-a][2]benza-zepine. It is a stable white solid which is sparingly soluble in water. Its chemical structure is presented below. Chemical Structure Action Epsiprantel acts directly on the tapeworm. Since it is minimally absorbed following oral administration, epsiprantel remains at the site of action within the gastrointestinal tract. Due to digestive process, tapeworm fragments or proglottids may not be readily visible in the stool.

Storage

Store at controlled room temperature 20°-25°C (68°-77°F) with excursions between 15°-30°C (59°-86°F).

FDA adverse event reports

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine publishes the adverse event reports it receives through openFDA. The counts below are the reports naming epsiprantel as an active ingredient for each species this label names, as returned on 2026-09-16, coded by the VeDDRA reaction term the reporter chose. Reactions are counted per report, so one report can appear under several terms.

These are counts, not rates. Reporting is voluntary, the number of animals treated is not known, and a widely used product accumulates reports for that reason alone. A report records that an event followed a dose; it does not establish that the product caused it. The counts say nothing about how one product compares with another.