Artesunate Tablet: Basics, Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, and More

Artesunate Tablet is a preferable medication for Malaria treatment. It belongs to a class of medicines collectively known as “antimalarial drugs“. Malaria is quite common in certain regions of the world, and one can acquire it while traveling or living in these regions where it is common. Although as per the data, there is no immediate risk of malaria within the United States. All the reported malaria cases are imported within the States. However, these numbers are continuously enhancing, as per the data of NCBI(National Center for Biotechnology Information) and the Artesunate tablet is the most effective cure for the disease. In this article, we are indulging with the appropriate explanations related to Artesunate Tablet: Basics, Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Reviews, and More so that anyone suffering from the disease can get free from malaria without any severe side effects or other uncertainties.

Malaria is a disease that occurs when a mosquito acquires an infection because of biting an infected human. After the bite, if the infected mosquito further bites a healthy person, it starts transmitting malaria parasites. The malaria parasites then enter the body and remain in the tissues. From these tissues, they travel to the liver and bloodstream.

Basic Overview Of the Artesunate Tablet

Apart from treating malaria by killing the malaria infection, the artesunate tablet is also known for shutting down the activities of the malaria parasites to lend more time to other medications to work and kill the parasites.

From our explanations throughout the article, one can notice that the facts and conditions vary from person to person. But the overall characteristics of the medicine remain similar. Hence the following overview pointers can provide the necessary idea of the Artesunate tablet except for that variable part.

1. 1. Artesunate tablets or injections primarily treat malaria in adults and pediatric patients. The medication strictly prohibits its general use without any prescription because, unlike other medications, the Artesunate tablet or injection requires a constant dose to resonate its effect within the patient’s body.
   2. The Artesunate Tablet is not FDA-Approved in the United States. However, the Artesunate tablet is available on prescription by the Centers for Disease Control(CDC). They take responsibility for intravenous (IV) artesunate under the expanded use IND protocol(Investigational New Drug).
   3. In the case of severe malaria, the body is already fighting the infections due to malaria. Hence the immune system is weak and busy stopping malarial infections. In that condition, the medication side effects work as an overload to the immunity. Hence Artesunate, with its lower to high dosage shift, does not affect the immune system and delivers more strength to fight malarial infections.
   4. In case the common side effects like Nausea, Mild dizziness, diarrhea, and Appetite loss don’t go away after three weeks, then immediately seek professional help as there is a high chance that the common side effects can become severe.
   5. The severe side effects of Artesunate tablets occur mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the body is not adapting to the medicine depending on factors like prior diseases, current treatment, etc., or second, due to the careless or overdose usage of Artesunate tablets.

Uses and Working of Artesunate Tablet

1. 1. Malaria causes due to the malarial parasite, which is commonly known as plasmodium. The plasmodium parasite resides under a specific type of mosquito called the Anopheles mosquito. One cannot get infected by malaria on a normal mosquito bite. When Anopheles bites a healthy person, the plasmodium parasite gets transmitted into the person’s body, causing malaria. The plasmodium parasite enters the bloodstream and infects the white blood cells straightaway. It is also seeking its way toward the liver, where it can stay and get mature. After getting mature, it stays in the liver and infects the white blood cells from the liver. Artesunate tablets treat the person by killing the parasites that remain in the bloodstream and also prevent their transmission through the liver. The parasites infecting white blood cells decrease the platelets to the extent that a person can die within a small time frame.
   2. Once the infection is transmitted into the system, it takes ten days to 4 weeks to show the symptoms of malaria. The symptoms of malaria include sweating, vomiting, headache, nausea, high fever, abdominal pain, muscle pains, blood stools, coma, diarrhea, anemia, and convulsions. The Artesunate tablet alters the growth of the plasmodium parasite and stops its effects on red blood cells in the body’s bloodstream.
   3. The artesunate tablet enters the parasite and forms a harmful chemical that starts seizing it and kills it. Through this procedure, the Artesunate tablet works, and completing the whole procedure requires regular doses of the medication regularly. Hence consume the Artesunate tablet mandatorily depending on the conditions written on the prescription by the doctor.
   4. The Artesunate tablet can kill all the severe malaria types, including cerebral malaria, which is quite dangerous. It is preferable for its high efficiency, well-tolerating capabilities, and safer options than other antimalarial medicines. Artesunate tablets are consumed with other malaria-curing medicines to enhance their effects and functioning. The medicine should be strictly consumed as per the doctor’s prescription and does not have the condition of consuming it before or after a meal. Although if there are confined conditions on all medications as per the prescriptions, then an Artesunate patient should consume the Artesunate tablet by following those same conditions.

Dosage of Artesunate Tablet

The Artesunate Tablet is not FDA-Approved in the United States. Also, it is prohibited for its commercial selling in the States premises. Although the Artesunate tablet is available on prescription by the Centers for Disease Control(CDC) takes the responsibility of intravenous (IV) artesunate under the expanded use IND protocol(Investigational New Drug). Hence Artesunate tablet consumption is quite strict and only available for adults and pediatric patients of age groups higher than 13 years of age. Its dosage consumption depends on the guidelines and conditions as per the prescription from the doctor. However, some common criteria provide more depth on the dosage consumption of Artesunate tablets for the betterment of the artesunate patient.

Various criteria define the Dosage of an Artesunate Tablet. These criteria are:

1. Dosage Forms and Strength:

   • The Artesunate tablet is available in mainly two forms: Artesunate Tablets(oral) and Artesunate Injections. The preferable Artesunate doses are Ridsunate 100 mg and Falcigo 60 mg. These are brand-manufactured medications and are available in oral tablets and injection forms. As the government restricts its uses from the prescriptions and other exceptional cases, the artesunate tablet is not available in the generic form, at least within the United States.

2. Dosage Considerations:

   • The Artesunate tablet is available in the severity of malaria and through the CDC mandate approvals. Hence the following considerations are mandatory to admire:
   • The Artesunate medication is only available for patients suffering from severe malaria.

• • 1. The CDC has its helpline numbers that assign their doctors to patients suffering from severe malaria for their treatment with Artesunate Tablet. The hotline numbers are 770-488-7788 and 770-488-7100(for weekends or evenings).
    2. The dosage quantity for adults: 2.4 mg/kg IV Artesunate at time gaps of 0 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours.
    3. The dosage quantity for children above 13 years and 20 kg weight: 2.4 mg/kg IV Artesunate at time gaps of 0 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours.
    4. The dosage quantity for children above 13 years and less than 20 kg weight: 3 mg/kg IV Artesunate at time gaps of 0 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours.

1. • Generally, popular brand medicines are only available with a challenge as they are high in demand. One can consider 24×7 pharma, an online medical store selling medicines at lower prices with flat discounts, original products, necessary conditions check, and much more to solve this problem.

Side effects of Artesunate Tablet

The Artesunate side effects can broadly be categorized into two major categories that are:

1. Common Side effects of Artesunate Tablet:

   • • These side effects occur due to the lack of the body’s ability to acquire the medication. The fault here is not of the body. In the case of severe malaria, the body is already fighting the infections due to malaria. Hence the immune system is weak and busy stopping malarial infections. In that condition, the medication side effects work as an overload to the immunity.
     • For this reason, the doctor prescribes the Artesunate tablet in lower doses and then slightly increases the dosage. In the case of Artesunate tablets, the body takes 2 to 3 weeks to adapt to the medication. In this interval, the necessary and recurring consultation with the doctor is mandatory. The common side effects of Artesunate dose are:
       1. Initial Appetite loss
       2. Mild and continuous Dizziness
       3. Nausea on starting of medication
       4. Diarrhea for 1-2 days
     • Note: If the above side effects don’t go away after three weeks, then immediately seek professional help, as there is a high chance that the common side effects can become severe.

2. 2. Severe Side effects of Artesunate tablet:

   • • The severe side effects are quite rare and happen due to two reasons. The first one is the uncertain and careless consumption of Artesunate dose. The second reason for side effects is that the individual consuming the Artesunate tablet cannot acquire the medication physically due to prior diseases, current medication, etc. These factors create friction between the workings of Artesunate medicine and hence cause severe side effects. The Severe side effects of the Artesunate dose are:
     • The severe side effects are further categorized based on the percentage of occurring:
       • a) >10%
         1. Hyperbilirubinemia
         2. Increased transaminase
         3. Anemia
         4. Thrombocytopenia
       • b) 1-10%
         1. Severe Diarrhea
         2. Neurologic disorders
         3. Jaundice
         4. Pneumonia
         5. Elevated creatinine
         6. Neutropenia
         7. Lymphopenia
         8. Leukocytosis
         9. ARDS
         10. Acute renal failure requiring dialysis
         11. Pulmonary edema
         12. DIC
     • The above side effects listed in the Severe side effects of Artesunate tablet are not all. Consult with the physician or doctor for the detailed Side effects that can occur to an individual based on body-specific conditions and analysis reports.

Read More : Why Artesunate is a Game Changer in Malaria Treatment

Necessary Precaution with Artesunate Tablet

Artesunate patients should care about the various precautions that help to avoid the side effects and gain the maximum positive results from the Artesunate tablet. The precautions one must mandatorily follow are applied on both oral and injection medication independent of the dosage criteria as they can vary from person to person and solely depend on the individual’s body type. The precautions that need to follow are:

1. 1. There can be major possibilities of Post-treatment Hemolysis, meaning the decreased levels of haemoglobins and related enzymes within the body after almost seven days of starting the Artesunate tablet as a malaria treatment. Monitor the patient in this case for four weeks as sometimes the extended symptoms are also noticeable. And perform an antiglobulin test in case of any slight signs or symptoms of post-treatment hemolysis.
   2. The Artesunate tablet causes severe side effects to the mother and fetus. And a pregnancy with malaria and additional artesunate tablet side effects can be life-threatening. Hence avoid the Artesunate tablet at any cost and consult with the doctor about the same.
   3. Alcohol or drug consumption with malaria and Artesunate tablets can worsen the side effects, and the person can face direct death in such conditions.
   4. Patients with liver or kidney disorders or diseases should monitor more than frequently, and the Artesunate dose needs to be maintained accordingly. Hence consult with your doctor and address the kidney and liver-related diseases before starting an Artesunate prescription for malaria treatment.
   5. A patient with the uses of Artesunate along with the onion malaria conditions should avoid the vehicle or any other heavy warning-based machinery as these medications make the person disease and overall weak.

If the medicines are not original, including Artesunate tablets, they cause severe side effects and also show adverse effects on the disease they are supposed to treat. In these conditions, make sure the consuming Artesunate tablet is original. For the original medicines, 24×7 pharma is a trustable online medical store that sells the medicines after the necessary factors check. It also provides surety of original medicines and flat discounts for lower prices.

Conclusion

The Artesunate Tablet is the preferred medication for Malaria treatment worldwide with over 241 million Malaria cases registered as per World Health Organization. In the United States, the artesunate table is quite popular because of its highly efficient functionalities. This medication not only cures malaria by killing the plasmodium parasite but also helps other medicines maximize their effects. Artesunate medicine increases the dosage strength from low to high depending on the body’s adaptability. Hence the starting dosage of the medication is low and does not impact the immune system as it is busy curing malaria. These cure factors are more comfortable from the patient’s side compared to other antimalarial medications. This article covers all the details about Artesunate Tablet: Basics, Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Reviews, and More so that patients can better understand the tablet and maximize its benefits without suffering from severe side effects.