Hydroxychloroquine can be taken with other medications – NSAIDS (Celebrex®, ibuprofen, naproxen), prednisone, Enbrel®.
Interactions between your drugs
No interactions were found between hydroxychloroquine and Paracetamol.
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). It can decrease the pain and swelling of arthritis which can prevent joint damage leading to long-term disability.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are the most common side effects of hydroxychloroquine. And some people may also experience stomach pain.
These may occur for the first few days a person takes the drug while the body adjusts to the medication. Loss of appetite, tiredness, weakness, or headache are uncommon side effects and typically go away over time.
Hydroxychloroquine acts by suppressing Toll-like receptors to trigger important immunomodulatory effects. Hydroxychloroquine is a well-established and effective therapy for systemic and cutaneous lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
Hydroxychloroquine starts to work gradually. For inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, it can take 6 to 12 weeks before you notice any benefits. It's important to keep taking hydroxychloroquine. You may not feel any different at first, but it is likely to be working.
You might feel dizzy or faint, or you might have a fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat. Make sure your doctor knows if you had a heart rhythm problem, including QT prolongation. This medicine may cause muscle and nerve problems.
This includes prescription and non-prescription medicines as well as birth control pills, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Hydroxychloroquine can be taken with other medications – NSAIDS (Celebrex®, ibuprofen, naproxen), prednisone, Enbrel®.
Take them with or just after food, or with a glass of milk. If you take antacids for indigestion, leave a gap of at least 4 hours between taking them and hydroxychloroquine.
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.
The usual dose is between one and two tablets per day (200 to 400 mg per day). If you are taking two tablets a day you can take them all at once or divide them up: one in the morning and one in the evening.
This medication may irritate the stomach, and should be taken with food. It is best to avoid coffee, spicy food or alcohol.
If you are also taking a certain drug for diarrhea (kaolin) or taking antacids (such as magnesium/aluminum hydroxide), take hydroxychloroquine at least 4 hours before or after these products. These products may bind with hydroxychloroquine, preventing your body from fully absorbing it.
Can Plaquenil have effects on my teeth? No, side effects related to teeth weren't reported in Plaquenil's clinical studies. Two conditions Plaquenil is prescribed to treat, RA and lupus, can cause problems related to teeth and oral health.
Rather than suppressing the whole immune system, the drug appears to work by stopping immune proteins called autoantibodies from triggering the immune response that causes these diseases.
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.
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.
Review of the records of 108 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with hydroxychloroquine sulfate for at least six months revealed that 63 percent responded: 12 percent achieved complete remission (no joint pain or tenderness, two or less joints with trace swelling); 14 percent showed a 75 percent ...
Plaquenil works very slowly. In 1 to 3 months you should start to feel better. You may continue to get better for up to 1 year. Most people who take Plaquenil also take other medicines for pain and stiffness.
No clinical trial has reported that Hydroxychloroquine can make you gain weight.
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.
Most people with lupus take hydroxychloroquine throughout their lives. It helps control lupus symptoms with very few side effects. Hydroxychloroquine may also help prevent blood clots and organ damage from lupus. It usually takes 1 to 3 months to start working.
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.