Patient leaflet - Quinine Sulfate tablets BP 200 mg
1 What Quinine sulfate tablets are and what they are used for
Quinine sulfate belongs to a group of medicines called anti-protozoal agents and they are used:
- to treat malaria
- to treat and prevent night cramps in adults and the elderly when sleep is regularly disrupted
2 What you need to know before you take Quinine sulfate tablets
Do not take Quinine sulfate tablets if you:
- are allergic to quinine (including that in tonic waters or other beverages), quinoline or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
- have blood in your urine
- have ringing in your ears
- suffer from muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis)
- have problems with your eyes or difficulty seeing
have been told you have a disorder affecting the red blood cells (haemolysis).
Warnings and precautions:
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Quinine sulfate tablets if you:
- have irregular heartbeats or other heart disease
- have had malaria for a long time
- suffer from severe glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD), as this can cause episodes of anaemia after eating certain foods such as fava beans (favism) or take certain drugs including dapsone and drugs to prevent malaria
- were born with or have any condition that causes an abnormal heart rhythm.
You should not take more than the prescribed dose as a condition called ‘cinchonism’ may occur, even with normal doses. Please see section 4 ‘Possible side effects’ for symptoms of cinchonism and tell your doctor if you experience any of them.
Other medicines and Quinine sulfate tablets Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. Especially:
- anticoagulants (to stop your blood from clotting)
- cardiac glycosides (for your heart, such as digoxin)
- chloroquine, mefloquine, artemether with lumefantrine, primaquine, halofantrine (also to treat malaria)
- cimetidine (to treat stomach ulcers or acid reflux and indigestion)
- amantadine (to treat Parkinson’s Disease or some viral infections)
- ciclosporin (to prevent transplant rejection)
- flecainide, quinidine or amiodarone (to treat irregular heartbeats)
- astemizole or terfenadine (for allergic reactions)
- pimozide or thioridazine (to treat some mental disorders)
- moxifloxacin, rifampicin or antifungals (to treat infections)
- medicines to treat diabetes
- suxamethonium (muscle relaxant)
- HIV medicines
- barbiturates, carbamazepine or phenytoin (used in epilepsy)
- medicines which are known to cause disturbances in heart rhythm
- levacetylmethadol (a pain killer).
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine. You should not take quinine sulfate when you are pregnant or breast-feeding, unless the benefits outweigh the risks. This medicine should not be used to treat cramps during pregnancy. Large doses of quinine can cause foetal abnormalities or induce abortion. You should not breast-feed a baby that might have glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Quinine Sulfate 200mg tablets
Package leaflet: Information for the patient
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51038113 BBBC4533
Driving and using machines
Quinine sulfate tablets may affect your vision and cause vertigo (dizziness or spinning sensation). Make sure you are not affected before you drive or operate machinery.
Information on sodium content
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol (23mg) sodium per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
3 How to take Quinine sulfate tablets
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Swallow the tablets with water.
The recommended dose is:
- Malaria (you may be given another medicine for malaria with or after this course of quinine):
Adults (including elderly) and children over 12 years - 600mg every eight hours for 7 days
Children aged 10-12 years - 10mg per kg of body weight every eight hours for 7 days
Children under 10 years – Not recommended.
If you have kidney or liver disease you may be given a different dose.
- Night cramps:
Adults (including elderly) - 200mg at bedtime. It may take up to 4 weeks before you notice any reduction in the frequency of leg cramps.
If you take more Quinine sulfate tablets than you should
If you (or someone else) swallow a lot of tablets at the same time, or you think a child may have swallowed any, contact your nearest hospital casualty department or tell your doctor immediately. Symptoms include loss of consciousness, difficulty breathing, changes in heartbeat and heart function, kidney failure, fits, ‘ringing’ in the ears, loss of hearing, headache, being sick, changes in vision, low blood potassium (causing muscle twitching/weakness or abnormal heart rhythm), low blood sugar and sweating. Some of these side effects can be fatal. High doses of quinine may also cause miscarriage in pregnant women.
If you forget to take Quinine sulfate tablets
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember it and then take the next dose at the right time.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
4 Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Contact your doctor immediately if the following effects occur:
- allergic reactions - itchy skin rash, swelling of the lips, face, throat or tongue, flushing, fever, asthma or sensitivity to light
- sores in the mouth, nose, and eyes, a skin rash, blistering (Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
cinchonism - abdominal pain, diarrhoea, disturbed vision (blurred vision, changes in colour perception or field of vision, total blindness), headache, feeling or being sick, ringing in the ears or impaired hearing, rashes, loss of consciousness, fits, shock due to heart problems, irregular heartbeats. If these occur while taking Quinine sulfate tablets for leg cramps, treatment should be stopped and a doctor contacted straight away. This side effect can be fatal.
- changes to blood cells as seen in blood or urine tests. If you notice that you are bruising or bleeding easily, have frequent nose bleeds, or you have more sore throats and infections than usual, tell your doctor who may want to give you a blood test.
- muscle weakness, excitement, agitation, ‘spinning’ sensation, confusion, loss of consciousness. This can lead to coma, and may be fatal.
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following side effects or notice any other effects not listed:
- diarrhoea, feeling or being sick, abdominal pain, low blood sugar.
- tightness in chest, difficulty breathing or wheezing
- headache, changes in vision, ‘ringing’ in the ears, loss of hearing.
- swollen, itchy, flaky, red or raised patches of skin, rashes, sensitivity to light.
- aggravation of Myasthenia gravis (disorder characterised by muscle weakness, difficulty chewing or swallowing and slurred speech).
- kidney damage, kidney failure, low production of urine, water retention, slowed heart rate, changes in heart rhythm and the way the heart beats, a fall in blood pressure and weak pulse, eczema, miscarriages (at very high concentrations).
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5 How to store Quinine sulfate tablets
Keep out of the sight and reach of children.
Store below 25°C in a dry place.
Do not take this medicine after the expiry date stated on the label/ carton/bottle. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Do not throw away medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6 Contents of the pack and other
information
What Quinine sulfate tablets contain
- The active substance (the ingredient that makes the tablet work) is 200mg quinine sulfate.
- The other ingredients are sodium lauryl sulfate,
povidone, microcrystalline cellulose (E460),
croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate,
hydrogenated vegetable oil.
- The coating contains hypromellose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, medium chain triglycerides, macrogol 3350, titanium dioxide (E171).
What Quinine sulfate tablets look like and contents of the pack
Quinine sulfate tablets are white, circular, biconvex film-coated tablets with the identifying letters “QC” embossed on one face.
Pack size: 28 tablets
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
Accord, Barnstaple, EX32 8NS, UK
This leaflet was last revised in January 2026.
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