Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet belongs to the class of medications called 'quinoline' primarily used to treat malaria. Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet gives a degree of protection (prophylaxis) against malaria when people travel to areas where malarial cases exist. It is effective against Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malariae. Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet is not effective against Plasmodium falciparum. Besides this, it also treats amoebiasis (intestinal dysentery) and rheumatic disease (arthritis). 

Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet contains 'chloroquine' which acts by killing the malarial parasites, i.e. Plasmodium and stops the formation of the nontoxic heme metabolite hemozoin by the parasite. Heme part of the red blood cells is broken by the malarial, causing parasites. Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet prevents the breakdown of heme part and is actually toxic to the parasite. It kills the parasitic form living in red blood cells that resides in the liver.

Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet should be taken as prescribed by your doctor. The dose of Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet can vary depending upon your condition and the severity of the infection. The common side effects of Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet include vomiting, nausea, hair loss and itchy skin. Everyone need not experience the above side effects. In case of any discomfort, speak with a doctor.

Before starting Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet, please inform your doctor if you are allergic to chloroquine or have kidney or liver problems. Do not take Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet on your own. Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet is safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Prolonged use of Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet may have a severe risk on the heart and retina of the eyes leading to pounding heartbeats and permanent vision problems. 

Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet falls into a group of medicines known as antimalarials, indicated for treating or preventing malaria. Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet contains chloroquine, which belongs to quinoline. It works by preventing the formation of the nontoxic heme metabolite hemozoin by the parasite. Due to this, the parasite dies from its own toxic by-products released due to haemoglobin's metabolism. Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet is also indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases like lupus and intestinal infection caused by amoeba (amoebiasis).

• Abnormal heart rhythm
• Stomach pain
• Nausea (being sick)
• Diarrhoea
• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Skin rash
• Liver problems

Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet does not respond well against all malaria strains, so consult with your doctor if you do not respond well to Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet. This medicine can affect heart health, especially if a person is taking medications, including the antibiotic azithromycin and anticancer like tamoxifen. An individual must consult with the doctor if they are noticing fast or pounding heartbeats and sudden dizziness. This medicine cannot be used for a long duration as it may cause irreversible damage to the eye that could lead to vision problems. Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet cannot be used in persons who have heart disease, heart rhythm disorder, diabetes, a stomach disorder, an allergy to quinine, liver or kidney disease, psoriasis, alcoholism, porphyria (a genetic enzyme disorder that affects the skin or nervous system), a genetic enzyme deficiency called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Consult with your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding as this medicine could only be used if prescribed by the doctor. 

Drug-Drug Interaction: Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet can interact with pain killers (aspirin), anti-allergic (hydroxyzine), anticancer (tamoxifen), antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, azithromycin, celecoxib), immunosuppressants (mycophenolate mofetil), antimalarials (proguanil, primaquine, mefloquine, hydroxychloroquine), antianxiety medicine (pregabalin), anti-epileptic (levetiracetam), antacids (esomeprazole), proguanil, and anti-anxiety drugs (alprazolam).

Drug-Food Interaction: Limit the consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice with Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet as it can significantly increase the level of this medicine in the blood. 

Drug-Disease Interaction: People affected with eye disorder (oculotoxicity), blood disease (porphyria), heart disease (arrhythmias), bone marrow suppression, ear disorder (cytotoxicity), seizures, enzyme deficiency (G-6-PD deficiency), liver disease (hepatotoxicity), muscle disorder (myasthenia gravis), skin disease (psoriasis) should not take Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet without doctors consultation.

• PHENYLBUTAZONE
• NEOSTIGMINE
• PYRIDOSTIGMINE
• AMPICILLIN
• CIMETIDINE
• TAMOXIFEN

• Always take Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet with meals for reduced gastric irritation.
• Adequate nutrition is the key for improvement in malaria induced weakness.
• It is important to allow the patient to eat regularly in small amounts to tolerate the food. 
• Increase fluid and protein intake for malaria induced weight loss.
• Proper rest and mosquito-free premises is important for the patient to recover.

Do not take Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet if you have had a previous reaction to Bitaquine DS 500mg Tablet, or if you have certain eye problems involving your retina. Tell your healthcare provider about any problems you may have with your eyes.

Malaria: It is a severe & fatal parasitic infection caused by a protozoan called Plasmodium. 4 types of parasites can infect humans with malaria: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malaria. Female anopheles mosquito bites cause it. If bitten by an infected mosquito (the Anopheles mosquito), malaria parasites are injected into the blood. These parasites then migrate to the liver where they multiply via the bloodstream. A patient doesn't feel sick at this period because the parasites are in the liver. Then the parasites leave the liver and enter the red blood cells where the parasites are developing, and then the red blood cells burst, allowing them to transfer to another blood cell. The parasites release harmful chemicals into the bloodstream at this point, and the patient begins to feel ill. Malaria leads to periodic fever-chills, anaemia, kidney failure, and jaundice due to excessive red blood cell death due to plasmodium growth inside them.