Quinine was the first drug to be used to treat malaria, after being replaced by chloroquine, due to its toxic effects and low efficacy. However, subsequently, with the resistance of P. falciparum to chloroquine, quinine was reused, alone or in combination with other drugs.
Although the substance is not currently commercially available in Brazil, it is still used in some countries to treat malaria caused by chloroquine and babesiosis-resistant Plasmodium strains, an infection caused by the parasite Babesia microti.
- For the treatment of malaria in adults.
- The recommended dose is 600 mg (2 tablets) every 8 hours for 3 to 7 days.
- In children.
- The recommended dose is 10 mg/ kg every 8 hours for 3 to 7 days.
For the treatment of babesiosis, it is common to combine other medicines, such as clindamycin. The recommended doses are 600 mg quinine, 3 times daily, for 7 days. In children, daily administration of 10 mg /kg of quinine associated with clindamycin is recommended every 8 hours.
Quinine is contraindicated for people allergic to this substance or any of the components of the formula and should not be used by pregnant or nursing women without the advice of the doctor.
In addition, it should not be used by people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, optic neuritis or a history of swamp fever.
Some of the most common side effects quinine can cause are reversible hearing loss, nausea and vomiting.
If visual problems, rashes, hearing loss or tinnitus occur, you should stop taking the medicine immediately.