How poisonous is quinine?
Quinine, termed a “general protoplasmic poison” is toxic to many bacteria, yeasts, and trypanosomes, as well as to malarial plasmodia. Quinine has local anesthetic action but also is an irritant. The irritant effects may be responsible in part for the nausea associated with its clinical use.
What was quinine used for?
Quinine is used to treat uncomplicated malaria, a disease caused by parasites. 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.
How much quinine is poisonous?
Toxic dose. Quinine sulfate is available in capsules and tablets containing 130–325 mg. The minimum toxic dose is approximately 3–4 g in adults; 1 g has been fatal in a child.
Does quinine affect the heart?
Conclusions: Use of quinine was common and associated with increased mortality in heart failure, especially if administered together with β-blockers and shortly after treatment initiation.
How is quinine overdose treated?
From a review of the literature, treatment of moderate poisoning with ingestion of less than 10 g of quinine should consist of immediate and thorough gastric lavage, forced acid diuresis, immediate bilateral stellate ganglion blockage repeated if there is clinical improvement in vision.
How do you take quinine injection?
Intramuscular quinine is recommended when IV infusion is not possible. Undiluted quinine injection is painful when given by IM, so it is therefore best to administer in a buffered formulation or diluted to 60-100 mg/mL….Injectable quinine dosing table (IV)
| Category | Dose |
|---|---|
| Initial dose | 20 mg salt/kg bodyweight |
How does quinine affect the body?
Quinine is used to treat malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Plasmodium falciparum is a parasite that gets into the red blood cells in the body and causes malaria. Quinine works by killing the parasite or preventing it from growing.
What happens if you overdose on quinine?
Overdose. Quinine is very toxic in overdosage; life-threatening features include arrhythmias (which can have a very rapid onset) and convulsions (which can be intractable).
How long does quinine stay in your system?
The limit of sensitivity for quinine in urine, utilizing TLC, is approximately 0.2mg/mL. Laboratory experience indicates that quinine nmy be detected as long as 4 to 5 days after intake.
Has anyone died from quinine?
We report a case of a man with a 9.75 g ingestion of quinine. The patient presented with recurrent pulseless wide complex tachycardia for which he received sodium bicarbonate, defibrillation and overdrive mechanical pacing. Despite treatment, the patient died.
Does quinine cause blindness?
Quinine blindness is a rare complication seen in the management of malaria and may occur even with a single dose of the drug in susceptible persons with a mean time from ingestion to onset of blindness being 9 hours [2]. Visual loss occurs in every patient with a plasma quinine concentration above 10 mg/l [3].