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.
Serious side effects
muscle weakness, cramps, stiffness or spasms, or changes in how your skin feels such as tingling. frequent infections with a high temperature, sore throat or mouth ulcers. bruising that happens more easily than usual.
Its main side effects are gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps), skin rash, headache, dizziness, and ocular toxicity. However, serious side effects including arrhythmia, bronchospasm, angioedema, and seizures can rarely occur.
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 may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors.
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.
The study concludes that hydroxychloroquine therapy is safe for long-term use at doses <5 mg/kg/day. Learn about how lupus affects the eyes and hydroxychloroquine.
Hydroxychloroquine may potentially result in adverse effects on the central nervous system, mainly irritability, nervousness, emotional changes, nightmares, and even true psychoses [3, 4].
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.
Can Plaquenil have effects on my teeth? No, side effects related to teeth weren't reported in Plaquenil's clinical studies.
People may need to stop taking hydroxychloroquine because of side effects. They should not stop taking the drug on their own without the help of their medical provider. Plaquenil stays in the body for around three months and it may take a while for side effects to go away.
Hydroxychloroquine is not considered an immunosuppressant but it may lower the number of white cells in your blood. This can make you more likely to get an infection. It's important to reduce your risk of getting an infection. When possible, avoid close contact with people who you know are unwell.
Adults—At first, 400 to 600 milligrams (mg) taken as a single dose or in two divided doses per day. Then, 200 mg once a day or 400 mg taken as a single dose or in two divided doses per day. Your doctor may adjust your dose if needed. Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
It is known that some people who take hydroxychloroquine for more than five years and/or in high doses are at increased risk of damage to their retina, the light sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye. This is known as retinal toxicity or retinopathy.
Methotrexate is widely regarded as one of the safest of all arthritis drugs, though it carries some potential downsides.
No clinical trial has reported that Hydroxychloroquine can make you gain weight. However, bloating or weight gain can be experienced by some people because of water or fluid retention in the body. You should inform your physician if you experience severe or unusual weight change.
Using Plaquenil for a long period of time may harm the retina, causing serious vision loss. People with retinal damage from Plaquenil are not aware at first that they are losing vision. Unfortunately, once they lose a severe amount of vision loss, it is permanent.
The Plaquenil is Causing Hair Loss
Usually Plaquenil related hair loss starts 2-6 months after the Plaquenil was started. We call this a drug induced telogen effluvium.
There's no known interaction between alcohol and hydroxychloroquine. However, if you're also taking methotrexate you should keep well within the recommended limits (no more than 14 units of alcohol per week for adults) as methotrexate can interact with alcohol and affect your liver.
Hydroxychloroquine may cause a condition that affects the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). QT prolongation can rarely cause serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away.
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.
Methotrexate is a common treatment for some types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis, but it can have many side effects. Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is an effective medication for autoimmune conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus) and certain types of malaria.
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. The maximum amount of HCQ you can take is based on your body weight.
Cardiac toxicity can be induced by hydroxychloroquine, especially when used in combination with azithromycin.
Similar potential side effects that have been described in the use of HCQ include neuropsychiatric side effects such as psychosis, depression and suicidal behaviour [20–22].