Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat malaria. It is also used to prevent malaria infection in areas or regions where it is known that other medicines (eg, chloroquine) may not work. Hydroxychloroquine may also be used to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) in certain hospitalized patients.
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE (hye drox ee KLOR oh kwin) treats autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It works by slowing down an overactive immune system. It may also be used to prevent and treat malaria. It works by killing the parasite that causes malaria.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are the most common side effects of hydroxychloroquine. And some people may also experience stomach pain.
Over the long term hydroxychloroquine can reduce pain, swelling and joint stiffness. If you have lupus, it may also improve the rash. It may be as long as 12 weeks before you notice the benefits. Hydroxychloroquine is often taken in combination with other drugs such as methotrexate.
Safety variables at 6 month were within normal physiological ranges and did not differ in groups (p>0.05) indicating that both methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine were effective and safe to use in rheumatoid arthritis. The difference in the incidence of adverse effects, total or individual, was almost nil.
Methotrexate is widely regarded as one of the safest of all arthritis drugs, though it carries some potential downsides. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting are its most frequent side effects.
Even a low dose of methotrexate is not free from side effects. The most common adverse effects are gastrointestinal manifestations such as nausea, vomiting, mucosal ulcers, loss of appetite. These are noted in most of the patients and are easily managed. [6] The major adverse effect of methotrexate is hepatotoxicity.
The early signs of hydroxychloroquine toxicity are macular edema and/or bilateral granular depigmentation of the RPE in the macula. With continued exposure to the drug, this can progress to an atrophic bullseye maculopathy with concentric rings of hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation surrounding the fovea.
How long you take hydroxychloroquine for depends on why you're taking it. For some conditions, if hydroxychloroquine works for you then you may need to take it for several years, or even for the rest of your life, to control your symptoms.
This medicine may cause muscle and nerve problems. Check with your doctor right away if you have muscle weakness, pain, or tenderness while using this medicine.
hydroxychloroquine food
You may want to limit your consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice during treatment with hydroxychloroquine. Grapefruit juice can significantly increase the blood levels and effects of hydroxychloroquine, which may result in an irregular heart rate or other conduction disturbances.
Hydroxychloroquine is generally safe at normal doses, but higher amounts can damage the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, and could result in partial or complete blindness.
Abnormal weight gain is a side effect of long-term doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine treatment. Gut microbiota modifications at the phylum level could play an instrumental role in this effect.
In 1956, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved HCQ for symptoms of lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, particularly skin inflammation, hair loss, mouth sores, fatigue, and joint pain.
Interactions between your drugs
No interactions were found between hydroxychloroquine and Vitamins.
Hydroxychloroquine may potentially result in adverse effects on the central nervous system, mainly irritability, nervousness, emotional changes, nightmares, and even true psychoses [3, 4].
One of the side effects of hydroxychloroquine is that it can cause changes in emotional lability. Emotional lability means a person may have sudden and exaggerated changes in mood, with poorly controlled strong emotions that may include anger, dysphoria, sadness, or euphoria.
Hydroxychloroquine, for example, is one medication that can cause significant sun sensitivity in the eyes. This drug is used primarily to prevent or treat malaria but has also gained traction as a treatment for unresponsive cases of certain autoimmune diseases.
Methotrexate is well known to cause serum aminotransferase elevations and long term therapy has been linked to development of fatty liver disease, fibrosis and even cirrhosis.
Liver disease, severe or. Thrombocytopenia (low platelet blood level) or. Weak immune system—Methotrexate tablets should not be used in patients with these conditions.
Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis have stayed on this drug for 20 years or more.
As with all medicines, some people may experience side effects from taking hydroxychloroquine. The most important side effect of hydroxychloroquine is on the eye. Blurred vision may occur in the first few weeks after starting hydroxychloroquine. This usually returns to normal even when you continue taking the tablets.
Hydroxychloroquine (brand name Plaquenil) side effects range from more common, mild issues such as headache, nausea and stomach pain to serious but rare conditions such as heart problems, muscle weakness and convulsions. Side effect risk may increase with higher doses and long-term treatment.
There is significant variation in the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, and the case by Nissen and Wulf demonstrated initial hair growth; however, there was relapse of disease, even while on treatment with hydroxychloroquine.