Quinine/Selected Protease Inhibitors Interactions

This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.

Medical warning:

Serious. These medicines may interact and cause very harmful effects. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.

How the interaction occurs:

Protease inhibitors may slow down or speed up how quickly your body processes quinine.

What might happen:

The amount of quinine in your blood may change. Higher levels of quinine may result in more side effects than expected, including changes in your heart's rhythm, which may be life threatening. Lower levels of quinine may result in decreased effectiveness of your malaria treatment.

What you should do about this interaction:

Make sure your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) know that you are taking these medicines together. Let your doctor know right away if you notice an irregular heartbeat or have any fainting episodes. Let your doctor know if you experience headaches, flushing, sweating, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, changes in your hearing or vision, or abdominal pain.Your healthcare professionals may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.

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  • 4.Norvir (ritonavir) US prescribing information. Abbott Laboratories December, 2019.
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  • 7.Saeheng T, Na-Bangchang K, Siccardi M, Rajoli RKR, Karbwang J. Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling for Optimal Dosage Prediction of Quinine Coadministered With Ritonavir-Boosted Lopinavir. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2020 May;107(5):1209-1220.
  • 8.USDepartment of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration. ICH E14 Clinical Evaluation of QT/QTc Interval Prolongation and Proarrhythmic Potential for Non-Antiarrhythmic Drugs. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/media/71372/download October, 2005.

Selected from data included with permission and copyrighted by First Databank, Inc. This copyrighted material has been downloaded from a licensed data provider and is not for distribution, except as may be authorized by the applicable terms of use.

CONDITIONS OF USE: The information in this database is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals. The information is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or adverse effects, nor should it be construed to indicate that use of a particular drug is safe, appropriate or effective for you or anyone else. A healthcare professional should be consulted before taking any drug, changing any diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment.