Quinine Sulfate 200mg

About Quinine Sulfate

Description

Quinine Sulfate belongs to a group of medicines called antiprotozoal agents and they are used to treat malaria in an emergency if you believe you have contracted malaria and are unable to get immediate medical attention.

Suitability

Do not take Quinine Sulfate:

• if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to quinine (including that in tonic waters or other beverages), quinoline or any of the other ingredients listed in the patient information leaflet
• have blood in your urine
• have ringing in your ears
• suffer from muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis)
• have problems with your eyes or difficulty seeing
• have been told you have a disorder affecting the red blood cells (haemolysis)
• have irregular heartbeats or other heart disease
• suffer from severe glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD

Important Interactions

You must tell your doctor if you are taking, have recently taken or might take other medicines, in particular:

• anticoagulants (to stop your blood from clotting)
• cardiac glycosides (for your heart, such as digoxin)
• chloroquine, mefloquine, artemether with lumefantrine, primaquine, halofantrine (also to treat malaria)
• cimetidine (to treat stomach ulcers or acid reflux and indigestion)
• flecainide, quinidine or amiodarone (to treat irregular heartbeats)
• medicines to treat diabetes

Side Effects

• diarrhoea, feeling or being sick, abdominal pain, low blood sugar
• muscle weakness, excitement, agitation, ‘spinning’ sensation, confusion, loss of consciousness
• tightness in chest, difficulty breathing or wheezing
• headache, changes in vision, ‘ringing’ in the ears, loss of hearing

Please Note

All medication can cause side effects. We have only listed a few to be aware of. Details of all side effects, including rare side effects to be aware of, are listed in the patient information leaflet (PIL). When completing your medical questionnaire, it is very important that you answer the questions truthfully. This is to ensure your doctor has a full picture of your medical history before prescribing. List all medicines you are already taking, including non-prescription and herbal medicines.

Looking after your medicine

Do not take medicines after the expiry date stamped on the pack. Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children.

Medicines are only intended to be used by the person they are prescribed for. Do not give your prescribed medicine to anybody else, even if they have the same symptoms as you. Medicines can be harmful if used by anybody other than the person they have been prescribed for.

References

Quinine Sulfate 200mg Patient Information Leaflet

British National Formulary: quinine

Can you buy Quinine Sulfate tablets over the counter?

Quinine Sulfate is only available with a prescription in the UK, this means that it is not available at the pharmacy without a prescription. The Anytime Doctor Travel Pack includes Quinine Sulfate as one of the prescription-only medicines available to buy following a full doctor assessment.

Are quinine and chloroquine the same?

Quinine is a compound found naturally occurring in the bark of the cinchona tree, which is indigenous to Peru. Chloroquine is a synthetic form, based on the same structure as quinine, most commonly used as an anti-malarial (this means for the prevention of malaria). Both are used slightly differently and depending on the malaria parasite in question. You must always follow your doctor’s advice on what medicine to take for what scenario and how to take your prescribed medicine.

How does Quinine Sulfate treat malaria?

Quinine can be used to treat certain types of malaria, which is when a malaria parasite gets into your blood and causes malaria. Quinine works by killing this parasite and by preventing it from growing. Please note that you should only consider taking the Quinine Sulfate included in your travel pack if you are unable to get immediate medical attention and suspect that you have malaria. You must always seek medical attention as soon as possible – do not delay getting prompt medical care because you are taking Quinine.

Which quinine is found in tonic water?

Quinine found in tonic water – to give it its distinctive bitter taste – is also the active ingredient found in Quinine Sulfate tablets. However, tonic water contains much lower amounts of this ingredient than found in the medical tablet form. That said, it is possible to have an allergic reaction to tonic water if you are allergic to quinine.