Malaria is a group of infectious vector-borne diseases that are transmitted to humans after being bitten by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Such a pathological condition is characterized by fever, chills, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and anemia.
With untimely and improper treatment of malaria, death occurs (in most cases).
Most often, Daraprim medication is used to treat such a disease. Instructions for use, reviews, prices and analogues of this medication will be presented below.
Composition, form, packaging and description of the drug
The drug "Daraprim", the instruction of which is contained in a cardboard box, goes on sale in the form of dull-white tablets. The active substance of the agent in question is pyrimethamine.
You can buy this medicine in contour cells, which are placed in cardboard boxes.
Features of the drug
What is the medicine "Daraprim"? Instructions for use indicate that it is an antiprotozoal drug. It has antitoxoplasmoid and antimalarial effects, and also helps to block folate reductase, which converts folic acid to folic acid.
This medication is effective against plasmodium and the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. It also has a schizontocidal effect.
In the human body, the drug in question does not affect the forms (sexual) of malarial plasmodium, since it is devoid of gamontocidal activity. However, this tool is able to suppress the process of fertilization of gamont in the body of the carrier (that is, it has a gamontostatic effect).
Indications for taking medicine
The drug "Daraprim", the instruction of which will be presented below, is intended for the treatment and prevention of malaria. It is also prescribed for toxoplasmosis (congenital and acquired) and uveitis (toxoplasmosis or of unknown origin).
Contraindications
Under what conditions is it impossible to prescribe the drug "Daraprim"? The instruction claims that this remedy is contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity and megaloblastic B12-deficient anemia, which is associated with a lack of folic acid.
With extreme caution, the drug in question is prescribed for folate-deficient conditions and liver or renal failure.
Medication "Daraprim": instructions for use
Analogs of this medication will be listed below.
Take these pills only inside. Their dosage depends on the indications.
For the prevention of malaria, the drug is prescribed 1 tablet once a day. For children aged 5-10 years, the drug is recommended to be taken in half dose.
Prevention should begin shortly before or immediately after arriving in an area where there is a high probability of contracting malaria. In this case, the medication in the indicated dosage must be continued for the next month.
How to take the drug "Daraprim" for the treatment of malaria? The instruction reports that the therapy of such a disease is carried out comprehensively. The medication is combined with Sulfadoxine or Sulfaleno. It is prescribed in the amount of 3 tablets per 1 dose. Children aged 9-14 are given 2 tablets of pyrimethrin, and 4-8 years old - one at a time.
For the treatment of toxoplasmosis, children over 6 years old and adults are recommended to take 2 tablets of “Daraprima” per day, and children 2-6 years old - one at a time.
The duration of treatment with this tool is 3-6 weeks. If necessary, the course can be repeated.
Side effects
Taking an antimalarial drug can cause many different adverse reactions. We will upset the most often manifested:
- spasmodic abdominal pain, headache, dry throat or mouth, weakness, nausea;
- dizziness, vomiting, dermatitis, diarrhea (at the beginning of treatment), rash, depression;
- change in skin pigmentation, fever, anemia, leukopenia;
- circulatory collapse, thrombocytopenia, ulcerations in the oral cavity, phenylalanine, insomnia.
Drug interaction
"Warfarin" and "Quinidine" increase the toxicity and effectiveness of the drug.
The risk of toxic liver damage increases significantly with the combination of "Daraprima" with "Lorazepam." Myelosuppression, which is caused by cytostatics (including Methotrexate), is also enhanced.
In children with leukemia and central nervous system damage after the administration of Pyrimethamine and Methotrexate, the likelihood of seizures increases.
In people who suffer from acute myeloid leukemia, taking "Cytosine-arabinoside", "Anorubicin" and pyrimethamine can trigger bone marrow aplasia.
Special recommendations for taking an antimalarial
The drug in question is prescribed with caution to people with kidney or liver failure, as well as congenital folic acid deficiency or due to improper nutrition.
In the treatment of toxoplasmosis in order to reduce the risk of suppressing the bone marrow, it is additionally required to take calcium folate or folic acid.
During the entire treatment period, a blood test of the patient is necessary every week.
Analogs and cost
The price of the funds in question is about 7-8 thousand rubles. This drug has no structural analogues. However, some experts claim that drugs like Milife, Zinerit (powder), Plaquenil, and Lariam have similar properties.
Reviews
Now you know the pharmacological properties of the drug "Daraprim." Instructions, the price of this tool were also presented in this article.
Finding consumer reviews about this antimalarial drug is quite difficult. After all, as you know, about 85-90% of cases of infection with this disease occur in areas of Africa. As a rule, children under the age of five become infected with it.
Experts report that after using this drug, mortality from malaria has significantly decreased. However, not all people have the opportunity to use this tool for infection.