FOLIC acid = VITAMIN B9 oral

Therapeutic action

• Antianaemia drug

Indications

• Treatment of folate-deficient megaloblastic anaemias: severe malnutrition, repeated attacks of malaria, intestinal parasitosis, etc.

Forms and strengths

• 5 mg tablet

Dosage and duration

• Child under 1 year: 0.5 mg/kg once daily for 4 months
• Child over 1 year and adult: 5 mg once daily for 4 months; 15 mg once daily in malabsorption states

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

• Do not combine with sulfadiazine-pyrimethamine in patients with toxoplasmosis nor sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in patients with malaria: folic acid reduces the efficacy of these treatments.
• Pregnancy: no contra-indication
• Breast-feeding: no contra-indication

Remarks

• Folic acid must not be used for the treatment of anaemia due to antifolates (pyrimethamine, trimethoprim or methotrexate). Use folinic acid.
• Folic acid is also used for primary and secondary prophylaxis of neural tube defects and for prophylaxis of acute anaemia in patients with sickle-cell anaemia.

Storage