Quinine, whose brand name is Qualaquin, belongs to a class of medications known as antimalarias. According to the National Institutes of Health, quinine is used alone or in combination with other drugs to treat malaria and works by killing plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. Quinine should not be used to prevent malaria.
Malaria
According to the National Institutes of Health, malaria is a parasitic disease cause by a parasite called plasmodium found in female anopheles mosquitoes and transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Signs and symptoms of mosquito include shaking chills, fever, headache, sweating and convulsions.
Contraindications
According to Drugs.com, patients allergic to quinine should avoid the drug. Patients allergic to drugs similar to quinine such as mefloquine and quinidine should also avoid quinine. Patients with myasthenia gravis and optic neuritis should also avoid quinine. Myasthenia gravis is a disease of the body's muscles, while optic neuritis is the inflammation of the nerves of the eyes.
Precautions
According to Drugs.com, dose adjustment is needed for patients with abnormal heart rhythms, low potassium levels, heart disease, kidney disease and liver disease. Patients with heart and kidney diseases may need special tests to monitor the heart and kidney while they are taking quinine.
Side Effects
According to Drugs.com, common side effects of quinine include blurred vision, headache, increased sweating, nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain and muscle weakness. Adverse side effects of quinine include fever, chills, confusion, severe stomach pain, severe vomiting, hearing and vision loss, blistering of the skin and purple spots under the skin
Directions of Use
Drugs.com states that quinine capsules are taken with food three times a day for 3 to 7 days. Quinine capsules should be swallowed whole without chewing or breaking. Patients should continue taking the full dose of quinine even if they begin to feel better after a few days of treatment. Patients who do not show improvement of malaria symptoms after two days of taking quinine should consult the doctor.
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