What are the Different Types of Malaria Medications?

Malaria is a disease that is caused by mosquitoes which are infected by parasites. If an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite can then be passed on. Malaria typically causes a drastic change in body temperature, which can result in fever, chills, or heavy sweating, and may ultimately result in organ failure, brain damage, fatally low blood sugar, or trouble breathing. A variety of medications can be used to fight malaria, but none of them have been conclusively proven to treat malaria over a long period of time because the parasites that cause the disease may form immunities to the drugs and cause many malaria medications to be less effective.

One of the possible malaria medications that may be prescribed to fight the disease is doxycycline. Doxycycline is an antibiotic medication that can also be used to treat acne, and is thought to be able to possibly fight off the parasite infection. Its side effects include an increased sensitivity to the sun, which may cause issues for people residing in the tropical climates where malaria is most common.

Another one of the possible malaria medications that can be prescribed is primaquine. Primaquine is a medication that is typically only used for the treatment of malaria. The medication may be able to kill the parasite that caused the malaria infection; however, it is not known precisely how or why primaquine is successful in fighting the parasites. Primaquine cannot be prescribed to people with glucose-6-phosphatase dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a condition in which a person’s body does not contain a sufficient amounts of G6PD, an enzyme used in metabolizing blood. Although the condition does not usually cause symptoms, primaquine can worsen the condition and cause the breakdown of red blood cells, which can lead to kidney damage; therefore, in order to be prescribed the medication, a person’s G6PD levels must be tested.

Malaria medications that may be prescribed may also include chloroquine. Chloroquine is a medication that has been found to fight against parasites that cause malaria, as well as treat infections caused by amoebas. It is similar to primaquine, in that the mechanics behind how or why it works at treating malaria have not been proven. The medication can also not be taken by people with a G6PD deficiency and one of its most serious side effects is a sudden change in vision, including blurriness or fogginess.