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Generic Name: chloroquine (KLOR oh kwin)
Brand Name:Aralen Phosphate, Aralen Hydrochloride
Brand Name:Aralen Phosphate, Aralen Hydrochloride
NIVAQUINE 100 mg, scored tablet. B/20 (CIP: 34009 307 311 7 8). B/100 (CIP: 34009 307 310 0 0). Applicant: SANOFI-AVENTIS France. Aspirin Nivaquine tablets Other antimalarial tablets Paragoric Charcoal Kerosene Firewood Female wage Banku(a) (prepared maize product) Beef Bread Cassava Chicken Cocoyam Eggs Gari (dried cassava) Groundnut oil Groundnuts Smoked herring Palm kernel oil Milk (tinned) Maize Millet Palm oil Plantain Rice(a) Sorghum Sugar.
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com on Nov 25, 2019 – Written by Cerner Multum
- Overview
What is chloroquine?
Chloroquine is an anti-malaria medicine that works by interfering with the growth of parasites in the red blood cells of the human body.
Parasites that cause malaria typically enter the body through the bite of a mosquito. Malaria is common in areas such as Africa, South America, and Southern Asia.
Chloroquine is used to treat and to prevent malaria. Chloroquine is also used to treat amebiasis (infection caused by amoebae).
Chloroquine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Important Information
You should not use chloroquine if you have a history of vision changes or damage to your retina caused by chloroquine or similar anti-malaria medications.
Stop taking this medicine and call your doctor at once if you have trouble focusing, if you see light streaks or flashes in your vision, or if you notice any swelling or color changes in your eyes.
An overdose of chloroquine can be fatal, especially in children.
Before taking this medicine
You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), or if you have:
- a history of vision changes or damage to your retina caused by an anti-malaria medication.
To make sure chloroquine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:
- heart disease, heart rhythm disorder (such as long QT syndrome);
- an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood);
- psoriasis;
- porphyria;
- liver or kidney disease;
- alcoholism;
- epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
- glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency; or
- problems with your vision or hearing.
It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant.
Malaria is more likely to cause death in a pregnant woman. If you are pregnant, talk with your doctor about the risks of traveling to areas where malaria is common.
Chloroquine can pass into breast milk and may cause side effects in the nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
How should I take chloroquine?
Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take chloroquine in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.
To prevent malaria: Start taking the medicine 2 weeks before entering an area where malaria is common. Chloroquine is usually taken once per week on the same day each week. Continue taking the medicine regularly during your stay and for at least 8 weeks after you leave the area.
If you stop using chloroquine early for any reason, talk to your doctor about other forms of malaria prevention.
To treat malaria: Chloroquine is usually given for 3 days, starting with one high dose followed by a smaller dose during the next 2 days in a row.
To treat amebiasis: Chloroquine is given in a high starting dose for 2 days followed by a smaller dose for 2 to 3 weeks. You may be given other medications to help prevent further infection.
Follow your doctor's dosing instructions very carefully.
Take this medicine for the full prescribed length of time for treatment of malaria. Your symptoms may improve before the infection is completely cleared.
If you use this medicine long-term, you may need frequent medical tests.
Use protective clothing, insect repellents, and mosquito netting around your bed to further prevent mosquito bites that could cause malaria.
Call your doctor as soon as possible if you have been exposed to malaria, or if you have fever or other symptoms of illness during or after a stay in an area where malaria is common.
No medication is 100% effective in treating or preventing all types of malaria. For best results, keep using the medication as directed. Talk with your doctor if you have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea during your treatment.
Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.
What happens if I miss a dose?
![Famotidine 10 mg for dogs Famotidine 10 mg for dogs](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125495457/411373119.jpg)
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of chloroquine can be fatal, especially in children.
Chloroquine overdose must be treated quickly. You may be told to induce vomiting right away (at home, before transport to an emergency room). Ask the poison control center how to induce vomiting in the case of an overdose.
Overdose symptoms may include headache, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, vision changes, seizure (convulsions), slow heart rate, weak pulse, fainting, slow breathing (breathing may stop).
What should I avoid while taking chloroquine?
Avoid taking an antacid or Kaopectate (kaolin-pectin) within 4 hours before or after you take chloroquine. Some antacids can make it harder for your body to absorb chloroquine.
If you also take an antibiotic called ampicillin, avoid taking it within 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take chloroquine. Chloroquine can make ampicillin much less effective when taken at the same time.
This medication may cause blurred vision and may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert and able to see clearly.
Chloroquine side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction (hives, difficult breathing, swelling in your face or throat) or a severe skin reaction (fever, sore throat, burning in your eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling).
![Nivaquine Nivaquine](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125495457/252945124.jpg)
Taking chloroquine long-term or at high doses may cause irreversible damage to the retina of your eye. Stop taking chloroquine and call your doctor at once if you have trouble focusing, if you see light streaks or flashes in your vision, or if you notice any swelling or color changes in your eyes.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
- vision problems, trouble reading or seeing objects, hazy vision;
- fast or pounding heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, shortness of breath, and sudden dizziness (like you might pass out);
- severe muscle weakness, loss of coordination, underactive reflexes;
- hearing loss or ringing in the ears;
- a seizure (convulsions); or
- upper stomach pain, loss of appetite, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Common side effects may include:
- diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps;
- headache;
- changes in hair or skin color;
- temporary hair loss; or
- mild muscle weakness.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
See also:
Chloroquine side effects (in more detail)
What other drugs will affect chloroquine?
Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any you start or stop using, especially:
- cimetidine;
- cyclosporine;
- mefloquine;
- praziquantel;
- tamoxifen;
- heart rhythm medication; or
- insulin or oral diabetes medicine.
This list is not complete. Other drugs may interact with chloroquine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed in this medication guide.
See also:
Chloroquine drug interactions (in more detail)
Further information
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
Copyright 1996-2018 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 5.01.
More about chloroquine
- During Pregnancy or Breastfeeding
Consumer resources
Other brands:Aralen Phosphate
Professional resources
Related treatment guides
In one of the key moments of his about the, President Trump touted hydroxychloroquine, a common anti-malaria drug, as a potential treatment for the illness, even while the top health official beside him urged caution about it.“This is prescribed for many years for people to combat malaria, which was a big problem and it’s very effective,” Trump said. “It was a strong drug.” He later added, “I sure as hell think we ought to give it a try.”Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and a beacon of evidence-based policy in the administration’s botched pandemic response, had been asked by a reporter whether hydroxychloroquine could be used against Covid-19 after reports surfaced this week of doctors using it in other countries to treat patients. Fauci was clear: The evidence was thin and anecdotal. (Their extended exchange was bizarre and revealing, as my colleague German Lopez.)But what is the deal with hydroxychloroquine, you ask?
With the spread of the coronavirus across the world and increasing numbers of infected people, there’s now an international race to develop. And hydroxychloroquine, a less-toxic derivative of, another malaria drug, has emerged as one of the frontrunners. (Chloroquine itself is related to, an ingredient in tonic water.)Hydroxychloroquine, the less toxic version, is an appealing option mainly because it’s an off-the-shelf drug.
Companies know how to make it, there are low-cost generic versions available, and the drug has already been tested and approved for use against malaria and to treat inflammation in conditions like arthritis.But as Fauci noted, it has not been approved as a treatment for Covid-19, and right now, the evidence for its effectiveness is sparse.Chinese researchers showed in lab cell culture tests that from the virus behind Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, blocking it from entering cells. Some doctors in have also used it to treat patients. And a recent found that the drug was “efficient” in clearing upper airways from the virus in three to six days in most patients. That timing is important because an untreated infected person can transmit the virus for 20 days or more, even without showing symptoms. So it’s important to shrink the amount of time a person carries the virus in order to limit its spread.“Such results are promising and open the possibility of an international strategy to decisionmakers to fight this emerging viral infection in real-time even if other strategies and research including vaccine development could be also effective, but only in the future,” the French researchers wrote. “We therefore recommend that COVID-19 patients be treated with hydroxychloroquine and to cure their infection and to limit the transmission of the virus to other people in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the world.”But the researchers only looked at 36 patients and only 26 actually received hydroxychloroquine in the study — a tiny sample size. Hydroxychloroquine can also have like headaches, dizziness, and diarrhea, so it’s not something that doctors can blanketly prescribe.
And the study wasn’t blinded, meaning the patients knew what they were getting, nor was it randomized. That limits the scientific merit of the study.That said, there are plans for wider testing. At least are recruiting patients or in planning stages around the world. In the meantime, health officials are scrambling to get enough Covid-19 tests and to build up the capacity to care for a looming surge in patients.Right now, the most effective way to fight the virus remains not getting infected in the first place, which means using good personal hygiene like hand-washing,.
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