You can also breastfeed while you're on hydroxychloroquine. Hardly any of the drug passes into the breast milk and there's no evidence it has any effect on the baby.
Download versus Arthritis - Hydroxychloquine information booklet. Print this page. What is hydroxychloroquine? Related information. Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat: rheumatoid arthritis discoid and systemic lupus erythematosus SLE juvenile idiopathic arthritis JIA.
Are there any reasons I won't be prescribed hydroxychloroquine? How is it taken? Hydroxychloroquine is taken in tablet form, with or after food. How long does it take to work? Because it's a long-term treatment it's important to keep taking hydroxychloroquine unless you have severe side effects: even if it doesn't seem to be working at first even when your symptoms improve to help keep the disease under control. Side effects and risks.
Side effects aren't common. However, in some people hydroxychloroquine can cause: skin rashes, especially those made worse by sunlight feeling sick nausea or indigestion diarrhoea headaches bleaching of the hair or mild hair loss tinnitus ringing in the ears visual problems. You should report any new eye symptoms to your doctor straight away. Effects on other treatments. You can carry on taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSAID or painkillers , if needed, unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Don't take over-the-counter preparations or herbal remedies without discussing this first with your healthcare team. There's no known interaction between alcohol and hydroxychloroquine.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. This medicine may cause blurred vision and may impair your reactions. Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you.
Avoid taking an antacid or Kaopectate kaolin-pectin within 4 hours before or 4 hours after you take hydroxychloroquine. Use Hydroxychloroquine Plaquenil exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Use the medicine exactly as directed. To prevent malaria: Hydroxychloroquine is usually taken once per week on the same day each week.
Start taking the medicine 2 weeks before entering an area where malaria is common. Keep taking the medicine during your stay and for at least 4 weeks after you leave the area. To treat malaria: Hydroxychloroquine is usually given as one high dose followed by smaller doses during the next 2 days in a row.
Call your doctor as soon as possible if you have been exposed to malaria, or if you have fever or other symptoms of illness during or after a stay in an area where malaria is common.
Use protective clothing, insect repellents, and mosquito netting around your bed to further prevent mosquito bites that could cause malaria. Talk with your doctor if you have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea during your treatment. Overdose symptoms may include drowsiness, vision changes, seizure, slow heart rate, weak pulse, pounding heartbeats, sudden dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, or slow breathing breathing may stop.
Keep this medicine out of the reach of children. A hydroxychloroquine overdose can be fatal to a child who accidentally swallows this medicine. Your doctor might recommend that you take this medicine before, during, and after traveling to a place where malaria is prevalent. But it could take up to six months before you experience the full benefits. Currently, the FDA recommends that COVID patients should take hydroxychloroquine only as part of a clinical study under the supervision of a doctor.
Health Topics. Health Tools. However, if you experience stomach upset while taking generic hydroxychloroquine, ask your doctor about trying name-brand Plaquenil instead. While these medications contain the same active ingredient, the preparation of generic hydroxychloroquine can sometimes cause stomach irritation.
This sort of upset usually does not occur with commercial Plaquenil. Lastly, remember that even though you may feel the benefits of anti-malarial therapy after about a month of treatment, it may take up to three months for the full benefits of the drug to manifest. If you experience any serious adverse effects, notify your doctor. Long-term anti-malarial use is normally safe. However, if you stop taking your anti-malarial drugs, you may experience a lupus flare.
Anti-malarial drugs may have additional health benefits for some people. Potential benefits include greater protection from UV light and lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels. These benefits may be especially helpful for people taking steroids. In addition, individuals with antiphospholipid antibodies, such as the lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibodies, may experience a decreased likelihood of blood clots.
If side effects do occur, they are usually minor and last only for a short period of time. All information contained within the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center website is intended for educational purposes only. Physicians and other health care professionals are encouraged to consult other sources and confirm the information contained within this site. Consumers should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they may have read on this website.
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