Treatment of uncomplicated malaria due to other Plasmodium species, when chloroquine cannot be used
Completion treatment following parenteral therapy for severe malaria
Forms and strengths
250 mg scored tablet
Dosage and duration
Child 6 months and over (≥ 5 kg) and adult: 8 mg/kg once daily for 3 days (in combination with artesunate)
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
Do not administer to patients with neuropsychiatric disorders (or history of), seizures, hypersensitivity to mefloquine or quinine; mefloquinetreatment in the previous 4 weeks.
For completion treatment following parenteral therapy for severe malaria: do not administer if the patient developed neurological signs during the acute phase.
more rarely: neuropsychiatric reactions, heart rhythm disorders, hypo or hypertension, skin allergies.
If the patient vomits less than 30 minutes after administration, repeat the full dose. If the patient vomits within 30 to 60 minutes,re-administer a half the dose.
Do not combine with anti-epileptics (risk of seizures), co-artemether, chloroquine (risk of seizures, cardiac toxicity).
Do not administer simultaneously with quinine (risk of seizures, cardiac toxicity). If mefloquine is used after quinine IV, administer mefloquine 12 hours after the last dose of quinine.
Administer with caution to patients taking antiarrhythmics, beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers or digitalis (risk of heart rhythm disorders).
Pregnancy: no contra-indication
Breast-feeding: no contra-indication
Remarks
Also comes in co-formulated tablets containing artesunate 25 mg/mefloquine 50 mg and artesunate 100 mg/mefloquine 200 mg.