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| Drug Class: What is Product Title?> an why is it prescribed? |
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| Aralen (Chloroquine) is a medicine used to prevent and treat malaria, a red blood cell infection transmitted by the bite of a mosquito, and to treat some conditions such as liver disease caused by protozoa (tiny one-celled animals).
Aralen is also used to treat amoebiasis.
Aralen may be given alone or with one or more other medicines. Aralen may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.
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| Aralen Mechanism: How does Product Title work? |
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| Aralen contains the active ingredient chloroquine, which is an antimalarial medicine, though Aralen also has uses in treating the auto-immune diseases rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus.
Malaria is a potentially fatal disease caused by various types of parasites known as Plasmodium. Plasmodium are carried by mosquitoes and injected into the bloodstream during a bite from an infected mosquito. Once inside the blood the parasites travel to the liver, where they multiply. The parasites are then released back into the bloodstream where they invade the red blood cells and multiply again. An actual attack of malaria develops when the red blood cells burst, releasing a mass of parasites into the bloodstream. The attacks do not begin until a sufficient number of blood cells have been infected with parasites.
Aralen works by attacking the parasites once they have entered the red blood cells. Aralen kills the parasites and prevents them from multiplying further.
It is not fully understood how Aralen kills the parasites, but Aralen is thought to work by blocking the action of a chemical that the parasites produce to protect themselves once inside the red blood cells. The parasites inside the red blood cells digest the oxygen carrying pigment haemoglobin that is found in these cells. This divides the haemoglobin into two parts; haem and globin, and the haem part is toxic to the malaria parasite. To prevent itself from being damaged by haem, the malaria parasites produce a chemical that converts haem into a compound that is not toxic to them. Chloroquine blocks the action of this chemical. This causes the levels of the toxic haem to rise, thus killing the malaria parasites.
Aralen is usually taken in combination with another antimalarial medicine called proguanil to prevent malaria. However, the malaria parasite is resistant to these medicines in certain areas of the world, and it is important to check with your pharmacist which medicines are currently recommended to prevent malaria in the country you are traveling to.
If Aralen is recommended it should be started a week before travel to the malarious region. Aralen should then be taken throughout the stay so that if you are bitten by an infected mosquito, there will be medicine in your blood to prevent malaria developing. Aralen should be continued for a further four weeks after leaving the malarious area so that there is still medicine in the blood to kill any remaining parasites released from the liver into the red blood cells during this time.
Higher doses than those used for preventing malaria are used to treat malaria infection. Aralen can also be used to treat infections of the liver with amoebae.
Aralen is a prescription-only medicine, but can be bought without a prescription from pharmacies for the prevention of malaria.
Aralen also has anti-inflammatory activity and is used in high doses to treat the auto-immune diseases rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and discoid lupus erythematosus. In these diseases the bodys immune system is over-active and causes inflammation that results in the symptoms of these diseases. Aralen suppresses the inflammation and the disease process.
In rheumatoid arthritis Aralen is known as a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Aralen doesnt have an immediate effect but requires four to six months of treatment.
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| Aralen Dosage: How should you take Product Title |
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| Take Aralen tablets by mouth.
Swallow Aralen tablets with a drink of water. If Aralen upsets your stomach take it with food or milk.
For prevention of malaria:
Adults
500mg of Aralen once every seven days.
Children
Aralen dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The usual dose is 8.3 mg per kilogram of body weight once every seven days.
For treatment of malaria:
Adults
Start with 1gm of Aralen. Then, 500 mg of Aralen six to eight hours after the first dose, and 500 mg once a day on the second and third days of treatment.
Children
Aralen dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The usual dose is 41.7 mg per kg of body weight divided up over three days. This dose is given as follows: Start with 16.7 mg per kg of body weight, then 8.3 mg per kg (3.7 mg per pound) of body weight six hours, twenty-four hours, and forty-eight hours after the first dose.
For treatment of liver disease caused by protozoa:
Adults
At first, start with 250 mg of Aralen four times a day for two days. Then 250 mg two times a day for at least two to three weeks.
Children
Aralen dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The usual dose is 10 mg per kg of body weight a day for three weeks.
If you miss a Aralen dose
If you miss a weekly dose, take Aralen as soon as you can. If you miss a daily dose, take Aralen as soon as you remember, but miss that dose if it is nearly time for your next dose. Do not take double or extra doses.
Aralen Overdose
Aralen overdose can lead to serious consequences. Seek medical emergency immediately.
Symptoms of Aralen overdose may include
• drowsiness,
• headache,
• increased excitability
Aralen Storage instructions
Keep Aralen out of the reach of children in a container that small children cannot open. It is important to keep Aralen out of reach of children; overdose is very dangerous.
Store Aralen at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F). Throw away any unused amount of Aralen after the expiration date.
Preparations: Tablet- 250mg, 500mg |
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| Possible food and drug interactions when taking Product |
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| Aralen may increase the blood level of cyclosporine, resulting in an increased risk of adverse effects.
Aralen may reduce the effectiveness of rabies vaccine.
There may be a risk of abnormal heart rhythms if Aralen is taken with any of the following medicines:
- medicines for abnormal heart rhythms, eg amiodarone, quinidine
- the antihistamines terfenadine and astemizole
- halofantrine
- antipsychotics, eg thioridazine.
There may be a risk of convulsions if Aralen is taken with mefloquine.
Cimetidine may prevent the breakdown of Aralen by the liver and lead to increased levels of Aralen in the blood.
Antacids used for indigestion, eg magnesium trisilicate, kaolin, reduce the absorption of chloroquine from the gut, which may mean the full dose is not absorbed. To avoid this, the dose of Aralen should not be taken within two to three hours of taking an antacid or kaolin. |
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| Special information on Product |
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| Most Important Fact about Aralen
If you are taking Aralen to prevent malaria, you should start taking it two weeks before entering the endemic area, and continue for 8 weeks after leaving. If you are treating an acute attack of malaria you will need treatment with Aralen for several days.
Aralen should be used carefully if you have a history of epilepsy or if you have kidney or liver disease.
Aralen precautions if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
High doses of Aralen used to treat arthritis, during pregnancy may be harmful to a developing baby and should only be used if the potential benefits outweigh the risks to the foetus. The situation is different for low doses used to prevent malaria, and Aralen has a long history of safe use for preventing malaria during pregnancy. However, Aralen should only be used after seeking medical advice from a doctor. Pregnant women who cannot avoid travel to malarious areas must take effective measures to prevent malaria and be diligent with measures to avoid mosquito bites.
Aralen passes into breast milk, but in doses taken to prevent malaria is not harmful to a nursing infant. However, the amount of Aralen that passes into the milk is not sufficient to prevent malaria in the nursing infant and the child will also need to be given Aralen. If you are taking this Aralen for reasons other than preventing malaria you should consult your doctor before breast-feeding.
Special warnings about Aralen
Regular eye checks are recommended during long-term treatment as Aralen can sometimes cause eye problems.
It is recommended that people taking Aralen for long periods of time have regular blood tests to monitor the levels of the different types of blood cells in the blood.
To prevent malaria it is important that you take Aralen regularly and try not to forget a dose. You should still take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, such as using mosquito repellants and sleeping under mosquito nets. This is particularly important if you have vomiting or diarrhea.
To prevent malaria Aralen should be started one week before traveling to the malarious area. Aralen should be taken regularly throughout the stay and continued for four weeks after leaving the malarious area.
Aralen may cause visual disturbances when you first start taking it. If affected you should use caution when driving or operating machinery. |
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| Product Title side effects |
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| Why Aralen should not be prescribed?
Aralen should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using Aralen and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Possible Aralen Side effects
More common side effects of Aralen may include:
• diarrhea,
• difficulty in reading,
• headache,
• itching,
• loss of appetite,
• nausea or vomiting,
• stomach cramps or pain
Less common side effects of Aralen may include:
• bleaching of hair or increased hair loss,
• blue-black discoloration of skin, fingernails, or inside of mouth,
• skin rash
• blurred vision,
• change in vision,
• eye pain,
• loss of vision
Rare side effects of Aralen may include:
• black, tarry stools,
• blood in urine or stools,
• convulsions (seizures),
• cough or hoarseness,
• feeling faint or lightheaded,
• fever or chills,
• increased muscle weakness,
• lower back or side pain,
• mood or other mental changes,
• painful or difficult urination,
• pinpoint red spots on skin,
• ringing or buzzing in ears or any loss of hearing,
• sore throat,
• unusual bleeding or bruising,
• unusual tiredness or weakness |
Drug Class: What is Product Title?> an why is it prescribed?
