Mepacrine

Information about Mepacrine

Mefloquine is a quinoline derivative used for the prevention and therapy of P. falciparum malaria. Mefloquine therapy is associated with a low rate of transient and asymptomatic serum enzyme elevations and is a rare cause of clinically apparent acute liver injury.

Mechanism of action of Mepacrine

Mefloquine (mef' loe kwin) is a quinoline methanol similar to quinine and is active against the asexual stages of malaria. Its exact mechanism of activity is unknown. Mefloquine is effective as prophylaxis against malaria and is widely used in therapy against chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum infection. Unfortunately, mefloquine resistance is becoming an enlarging problem. Mefloquine

FDA approval information for Mepacrine

Mepacrine was approved for use in the United States in 1989 and is available in tablets of 250 mg in several generic forms and under the brand name Lariam. The recommended dosage for suppressive prophylaxis is 250 mg once weekly for 1 week before to 4 weeks after travel to an endemic area. Specific recommendations on the therapy of malaria including details on diagnosis, drug dosage and safety are available at the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/.

Side effects of Mepacrine

Common side effects of mefloquine include headache, fatigue, insomnia, vivid dreams, anorexia, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, rash and pruritus. Rare side effects include hallucinations, disorientation and seizures.

The following links are to individual drug records.

• Artemisinin
• Amodiaquine
• Atovaquone
• Chloroquine
• Mefloquine
• Mepacrine
• Primaquine
• Proguanil
• Quinine
• Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine

• Dailymed label info on Mepacrine
• FDA Mepacrine

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