Pete Dixon

I suppose it's to be expected that a treatment that has the goal of manipulating the immune system could have side effects, and for some people that appears to be true.

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Back when I started in 2018 with Helminthic Therapy (HT) I simply asked for 25 larvae from my provider because, well, the price was the same whether I ordered one or 25, so I tried to maximize my bang for my buck. I'm on the large side so I probably contributed to me not having problems with this strategy. Outside of the initial rash I've never felt anything from HT other than having my immune issues go away. There was one thing at the time I chalked up to chance, a sharp quick pain in my gut about two weeks in of my first dose when I bent over to pick something up. I had never felt that before so I wondered at the time if there was an association. Nothing like it has happened since, so I now consider it to be unrelated.

Other people aren't so lucky. Some get what's called 'worm flu' where the immune system rises up against the presence of the hookworms. The discomfort is akin to the feeling of being unwell like when you have a cold or the flu. It's not the invading organism you feel, but the body's reaction to the organism. Usually this passes in a few days, probably in part because the hookworms start doing their job of tamping down the immune system.

Over the years people have reported a plethora of reactions and strategies of dealing with those reactions. You have to keep in mind that these people are generally unwell physically and sometimes emotionally, so probably sometimes the hookworms are blamed for problems unrelated to HT.

John Scott tracks every mention of any reported problems in the wiki: https://helminthictherapywiki.org/wiki/Hookworm_side_effects

To prevent side effects nowadays providers insist on starting people out slower to reduce the impact of any side effects. Just 3 larvae to start, then after some weeks perhaps another 5, then 10. Doing what I did in 2018 would be regarded as looking for a punch in the face, but luckily I got away with it and to this day I maintain that largish dose once every 5-6 months.

It's worth noting that sometimes people can't deal with the side effects and discontinue HT for that reason. There are plenty of regular pharmaceuticals that I can't tolerate, so really this should come to no surprise. There's no such thing as a magic bullet in medicine, insulin being the sole exception that comes to mind.