Malarone 250mg/100mg Tablets
PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE PATIENT
Malarone® 250mg/100mg Tablets
(atovaquone/proguanil hydrochloride)
Your medicine is known as the above but it will be referred to as Malarone throughout the remainder of this leaflet.
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What is in this leaflet:
1. What Malarone is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Malarone
3. How to take Malarone
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Malarone
6. Contents of the pack and other information
Tell your doctor if you are taking any of these. Your doctor may decide that Malarone isn't suitable for you, or that you need extra check ups while you're taking it.
Remember to tell your doctor if you start taking any other medicines while you're taking Malarone.
Malarone with food and drink
Take Malarone with food or a milky drink, where possible. This will increase the amount of Malarone your body can absorb, and make your treatment more effective.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
If you are pregnant, do not take Malarone unless your doctor recommends it.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking Malarone
Do not breast-feed while taking Malarone, as the ingredients of Malarone may pass into breast milk and may harm your baby.
Driving and using machines If you feel dizzy, do not drive.
Malarone makes some people feel dizzy. If this happens to you, do not drive, use machines or take part in activities where you may put yourself or others at risk.
2. What you need to know before you take Malarone
Malarone belongs to a group of medicines called antimalarials. It contains two active ingredients, atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride.
What Malarone is used for Malarone has two uses:
■ to prevent malaria
■ to treat malaria
Dosage instructions for each use are in Section 3, How to take Malarone.
Malaria is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, which passes the malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) into the bloodstream. Malarone prevents malaria by killing this parasite. For people who are already infected with malaria, Malarone also kills these parasites.
Protect yourself from catching malaria
People of any age can get malaria. It is a serious disease, but is preventable.
As well as taking Malarone, it is very important that you also take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
■ Use insect repellent on exposed areas of the skin
■ Wear light coloured clothing that covers most of the body,
especially after sunset as this is the time when mosquitoes are most active
■ Sleep in a screened room or under a mosquito net impregnated with insecticide
■ Close windows and doors at sunset, if they are not screened
■ Consider using an insecticide (mats, spray, plug-ins) to clear a room of insects or to deter mosquitoes from entering the room.
If you need further advice, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
It is still possible to get malaria after taking the necessary precautions. Some types of malaria infection take a long time to cause symptoms, so the illness may not start until several days, weeks or even months after returning from abroad.
See a doctor immediately if you get symptoms such as high temperature, headache, shivering and tiredness after returning home.
Do not take Malarone:
■ if you are allergic to atovaquone, proguanil hydrochloride or any of the ingredients of this medicine listed in section 6.
■ for preventing malaria, if you have severe kidney disease.
Tell your doctor if either of these apply to you.
Take special care with Malarone
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Malarone if:
■ you have severe kidney disease
■ your child is being treated for Malaria and weighs less than 11 kg. There is another tablet strength to treat children who weigh less than 11 kg (see section 3).
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if any of these applies to you. Other medicines and Malarone
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines, including medicines you've bought without a prescription.
Some medicines can affect the way Malarone works, or Malarone itself can strengthen or weaken the effectiveness of other medicines taken at the same time. These include:
■ metoclopramide, used to treat nausea and vomiting
■ the antibiotics, tetracycline, rifampicin and rifabutin
■ efavirenz or certain highly active protease-inhibitors used to treat HIV
■ warfarin and other medicines that stop blood clotting
■ etoposide used to treat cancer.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist
has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not
sure.
Take Malarone with food or a milky drink, where possible.
It is best to take Malarone at the same time each day.
If you are sick (vomit)
For preventing malaria:
■ if you are sick (vomit) within 1 hour of taking your Malarone tablet, take another dose straight away
■ it is important to take the full course of Malarone. If you have to take extra tablets due to sickness, you may need another prescription.
■ if you have been vomiting, it is especially important to use extra protection, such as repellents and bed nets. Malarone may not be as effective, as the amount absorbed will be reduced.
For treating malaria:
■ if you have vomiting and diarrhoea tell your doctor, you will need regular blood tests. Malarone will not be as effective, as the amount absorbed will be reduced. The tests will check whether the malaria parasite is being cleared from your blood.
To prevent malaria
The recommended usual dose for adults is 1 tablet once a day, taken as below.
Not recommended for preventing malaria in children, or in
adults who weigh less than 40 kgs.
Malarone paediatric tablets are recommended for preventing malaria in adults and children who weigh less than 40 kgs.
To prevent malaria in adults:
■ start taking Malarone 1 to 2 days before travelling to an area which has malaria
■ continue taking it every day during your stay
■ continue taking it for another 7 days after your return to a malaria-free area.
To treat malaria
The recommended dose for adults is 4 tablets once a day for 3
days.
For children the dose depends on their bodyweight:
■ 11-20 kg - 1 tablet once a day for 3 days
■ 21-30 kg - 2 tablets once a day for 3 days
■ 31-40 kg - 3 tablets once a day for 3 days
■ over 40 kg - dose as for adults.
Not recommended for treating malaria in children who weigh less than 11 kgs.
For children who weigh less than 11 kgs talk to your doctor. There may be a different type of Malarone tablet available in your country.
If you take more Malarone than you should
Contact a doctor or pharmacist for advice. If possible show them the Malarone pack.
If you forget to take Malarone
It is very important that you take the full course of Malarone.
If you forget to take a dose, don't worry. Just take your next dose as soon as you remember. Then continue your treatment as before. Don't take extra tablets to make up for a missed dose.
Just take your next dose at the usual time.
Don't stop taking Malarone without advice Keep taking Malarone for 7 days after you return to a malaria-free area. Take the full course of Malarone for maximum protection. Stopping early puts you at risk of getting malaria, as it takes 7 days to ensure that any parasites that may be in your blood following a bite from an infected mosquito are killed.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
