The medications used for the treatment of pinworm are mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, or albendazole. Any of these drugs are given in one dose initially, and then another single dose two weeks later. Pyrantel pamoate is available without prescription. The second dose of medication is to eliminate possible re-infection since the first dose of medication. Health practitioners and parents should weigh the health risks and benefits of these drugs for patients under 2 years of age.

The safety of drugs used to treat pinworm have not been studied for pregnant women. If the infection is compromising the pregnancy (i.e. weight loss, sleeplessness) then treatment can be considered, but should be withheld until the 3rd trimester when the risk, if any, to the fetus is likely to be reduced. Breastfeeding should not be withheld during mebendazole therapy. Only about 2%-10% of an oral dose is absorbed and as expected, the amounts of the drug excreted in milk are below the level of detection and appear to be clinically insignificant. Excretion in breast milk of the other drugs used to treat pinworm is not as well characterized.