Oxamniquine
Indications
Oxamniquine is used for:
Intestinal schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma mansoni (acute stage and chronic hepatosplenic disease)
Adult Dose
Oral
Intestinal schistosomiasis due to S. mansoni (West Africa, South America, Caribbean islands), 15 mg/kg as a single dose
Child Dose
Oral
Intestinal schistosomiasis due to S. mansoni (West Africa, South America, Caribbean islands), CHILD (<30 kg), 20 mg/kg in 2 divided doses
Renal Dose
Administration
For Oral use.
Administer after meals for improved GI tolerance.
Contra Indications
Precautions
Epilepsy—close observation, may precipitate seizures.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding (see therapeutic notes)
See also under Pregnancy & Lactation
Pregnancy-Lactation
Recommendations on the use of Oxamniquine in Pregnancy & Lactation:
Data are lacking on the use of Oxamniquine during pregnancy and lactation. It should only be used when the potential benefit outweighs the risk and should be avoided during the 1st trimester. It should be used with caution in breastfeeding mothers (Bustinduy & King, 2014; National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2020).
References:
1. Bustinduy, A. L., & King, C. H. (2014). Schistosomiasis. In J. Farrar, P. J. Hotez, T. Junghanss, G. Kang, D. Lalloo, & N. J. White (Eds.), Manson’s Tropical Infectious Diseases (23rd edition). Elsevier Ltd. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/C20100662237
2. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2020). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 4612, Oxamniquine. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/4612
Interactions
Adverse Effects
Side effects of Oxamniquine :
Common adverse effects: Dizziness and drowsiness; headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea; intense reddish discoloration of urine.
Rarely, urticaria, hallucinations, epileptiform convulsions; raised liver enzyme values; transient fever, eosinophilia, scattered pulmonary infiltrates (Loeffler syndrome)—after 3-day course in patients in Egypt and eastern Mediterranean