Aralen
Aralen is generic chloroquine in 250mg and 500mg tablets for malaria and for the joint and skin symptoms of lupus, sold in packs of 30 to 360 tablets.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250mg | 30 tablets | $29.70 | $0.99 |
| 250mg | 60 tablets | $51.00 | $0.85 |
| 250mg | 90 tablets | $68.40 | $0.76 |
| 250mg | 120 tablets | $84.00 | $0.70 |
| 250mg | 180 tablets | $111.60 | $0.62 |
| 250mg | 360 tablets | $201.60 | $0.56 |
| 500mg | 30 tablets | $51.00 | $1.70 |
| 500mg | 60 tablets | $88.20 | $1.47 |
| 500mg | 90 tablets | $119.70 | $1.33 |
| 500mg | 120 tablets | $145.20 | $1.21 |
| 500mg | 180 tablets | $198.00 | $1.10 |
| 500mg | 360 tablets | $360.00 | $1.00 |
- Category
- Antiparasitics
- Active ingredient
- Chloroquine
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet
- Strengths
- 250/500mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Malaria treatment · Lupus
- Therapeutic Class
- Antimalarial
- Pharmacological Class
- Aminoquinoline
- Minor Side Effects
- Mild nausea, Headache
- Moderate Side Effects
- Blurred vision, Skin pigmentation
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Sanofi
- Onset Time
- Few hours
- Duration
- Dependent on protocol
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature.
- Drug Interactions
- Antacids, Cyclosporine
What you will receive
Aralen is the originator brand name, made by Sanofi. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Aralen.
- The same active ingredient (Chloroquine) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
What strengths and pack sizes does Aralen come in?
Aralen tablets come as 250mg and 500mg, each in packs of 30 to 360 tablets. It is generic chloroquine, not the original Aralen. Each page shows price per tablet in HKD, and larger packs cost less per tablet.
Can I cancel an Aralen order and how do I pay?
You can cancel an Aralen order within 24 hours if it has not yet been dispatched. Payment is by Visa, Mastercard or American Express on a secure, encrypted payment page, or Bitcoin/Ethereum. Order tracking is on the tracking page, and support answers 24/7 in English and Cantonese by live chat.
What is another name for chloroquine?
Aralen is a brand name of chloroquine, which is also sold as Avloclor, Lariago and Nivaquine. Here, chloroquine can be bought online as generic Aralen, and also as chloroquine tablets. These are generics, not the original brand.
Does Aralen treat malaria or prevent it?
Both, at different doses. Three days of tablets clears an attack, while prevention is one small tablet a week, taken from a week or two before travel until four weeks after you return. Prevention only makes sense in areas where the local parasite still responds to chloroquine.
Should I take Aralen with food?
Chloroquine does not have to be taken with food, but a meal or a glass of milk makes it easier on the stomach if it leaves you queasy. Nausea and stomach cramps are the most common complaints and often ease after the first few doses. Swallow the tablet whole with water.
Is Aralen the same as Plaquenil?
No. Aralen is chloroquine and Plaquenil is hydroxychloroquine: close relatives in the same family of antimalarial drugs, but not the same compound. Hydroxychloroquine is the more common choice for lupus because eye damage is less likely with it, and the two are given at different strengths.
How long do people take Aralen for lupus?
Months, sometimes years. Lupus is treated with a long course rather than a short one, and the chief long-term concern is damage to the retina at the back of the eye. That risk climbs with the total amount of chloroquine taken over time, so long courses use the lowest dose that keeps symptoms under control.
How long does Aralen stay in your system?
A long time. Chloroquine's half-life is counted in weeks, which is why one tablet a week can hold malaria off. It also means itching or stomach upset can carry on for a while after the last dose.
About Aralen
What Aralen tablets are used for
Aralen is a brand name for chloroquine, a tablet that attacks the malaria parasite while it is inside red blood cells. It is taken to treat an attack of malaria, and in some regions as a weekly tablet to prevent one. Chloroquine also has a second life in rheumatology: it calms the joint pain, skin rashes and mouth ulcers of lupus (a condition where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues).
Most Plasmodium falciparum malaria — the species behind the severe form of the disease — is now resistant to chloroquine, so the drug is used against malaria only where the local parasite is known to be sensitive.
How a course is taken
Swallow the tablets whole with water, with a meal or a glass of milk if they make you queasy. For an attack of malaria the course is short, usually three days. For prevention it is one tablet a week: start a week or two before you travel, keep to the same day each week while you are there, and carry on for four weeks after you leave.
The drug works against malaria by jamming the parasite's way of disposing of haemoglobin, so toxic waste builds up inside it. In lupus it dampens part of the immune response; how exactly is still not fully understood.
Common and serious side effects
Nausea, stomach cramps, headache, dizziness and blurred vision are the usual complaints, along with an itchy rash that is more common in people with darker skin. Skin can darken and hair lighten on long courses.
The important long-term risk is to the eyes. Chloroquine can damage the retina — the light-sensing layer at the back of the eye — and the chance of that grows with the total dose taken over the years. Rare effects include muscle weakness, hearing changes, low blood sugar, blood cell problems and a severe blistering skin reaction.
Medicines that clash with chloroquine
An antacid or kaolin (a clay found in some anti-diarrhoea mixtures) taken close to chloroquine cuts the amount that reaches the blood, so keep them about four hours apart. Chloroquine can also disturb heart rhythm, which is why it is not stacked with other drugs that do the same, such as amiodarone and some antibiotics and antipsychotics. It pushes ciclosporin levels up as well.
Aralen 250mg or 500mg?
The two tablets hold the same drug and differ only in dose. Choose 500mg if you want fewer tablets to swallow, since the total needed for a malaria treatment course is reached with half as many. Packs run from 30 to 360 tablets, and a shelf below 30°C is fine for keeping them in their packaging.
Sources
- Chloroquine: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine
- CDC - Malaria — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention