• About Us
  • Board of Advisors
  • Contact

MALARIA.com

A Malaria Information and Community Portal

  • Home
  • Malaria Overview
  • Malaria Research
  • News
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Malaria Q&A
  • Events
  • Jobs
Home / Malaria Q&A / Quinine Side Effects

Quinine Side Effects

December 11, 2011 By Malaria Q&A Leave a Comment

QUESTION

What are the side effects of quinine?

ANSWER

The main side effect of quinine, in therapeutic doses, is cinchonism or quinism. This is a condition associated with a number of symptoms, including flushed/sweaty skin, tinnitus, confusion, headaches, and more.

Mild cinchonism should not be a reason to cease treatment with quinine, however. If injected into a nerve, quinine can cause paralysis, and is an extremely potent poison if overdosed. In some cases, quinine can lead to constipation, erectile dysfunction and/or diarrhea. There are few side effects associated with oral quinine.

If you have taken medications for malaria, please help Malaria.com by taking our Malaria Medication Side-effects Survey: Treatment and Prophylaxis. Thank you!

Filed Under: Malaria Q&A Tagged With: cinchonism, injection, nerve, paralysis, Quinine, quinism, side effects, tinnitus

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Informed

WWARN Corner

About WWARN

The WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) generates innovative resources and reliable evidence to inform the malaria community on the factors affecting the efficacy of antimalarial medicines. Learn more…

  • Fighting Malaria Requires Protecting the Effectiveness of Antimalarial Medicines
  • Data Sharing at IDDO
  • Evidence to inform equitable dosing in very young and malnourished children

More WWARN Stories...

  • Home
  • Malaria Overview
  • Malaria Research
  • News
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Malaria Q&A
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • About Us
  • Board of Advisors
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 Malaria.com ยท Log in