Drug reference
emetine
Drug monograph
CDSCO approved
EXCRETION
—
not curated
INTERACTIONS
—
none in our sources
PREGNANCY
X
FDA category + note
Mechanism
Not yet extracted
Indications
Acute amoebic dysentery (rapid symptomatic relief, but not curative alone)Amoebic liver abscessLiver fluke infestation
Dosing
- Adult
- Not to be repeated within 6 weeks
Pharmacokinetics
Bioavailability
Cannot be given orally (vomited out).
Excretion
Administered by s.c. or i.m. injection.
Side effects
Common
toxicity on heart and skeletal musclenauseavomiting (due to CTZ stimulation and gastric irritation)abdominal crampsdiarrhoeaweaknessstiffness of musclesmyositishypotensionECG changespain at injection sitedizzinessheadachegi symptoms
Serious
- myocarditis (high systemic toxicity)
- cumulative toxicity (if used for more than 10 days)
- cardiotoxicity
Pregnancy & lactation
Pregnancy
X
Related guidelines
Other Unclassified drugs
Ask House about emetine
Continue into a citation-backed clinical answer with the drug context already attached.
Sources: KD Tripathi 7e, Harrison 22e·Verified: 2026-05-10 · House clinical team