Know well about Hydroxychloroquine, a drug that is thought to cure covid19

Hydroxychloroquine is a drug used to prevent and treat malaria. Malaria is a disease that spreads by mosquito bites that carry parasites, such as Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, or Plasmodium falciparum. However, this drug cannot be used for certain types of malaria, which are already resistant to chloroquine.

In addition, hydroxychloroquine is also used to treat diseases that attack the immune system or autoimmune, such as lupus or inflammation of the joints (rheumatoid arthritis). The use of hydroxychloroquine to treat both conditions is an alternative step, if the main treatment that has been done before is unsuccessful.

As an antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine works by killing off parasites that cause malaria. Meanwhile, to deal with arthritis or lupus, the way this medication works is by affecting the patient's immune system.

Trademark: Plaquenil, Quinoric

About Dabigatran

Class: Antimalarial, antirheumatic

Category: Prescription drugs

Benefits:

Prevent and treat malaria.

Treat autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

Consumed by children to adulthood

Categories of pregnancy and lactation

Category C: animal studies show that there are side effects on the fetus, but there are no controlled studies in pregnant women. The drug should only be used if the magnitude of the expected benefits exceeds the amount of risk to the fetus.

Hydroxychloroquine is known to be absorbed into breast milk. For women who are breastfeeding you should avoid or not take this drug, unless consumption is recommended by a doctor.

Shape: Tablet

Warning:

Please be careful when using this drug if you are suffering from vision problems, heart disease, heart rhythm disorders, kidney dysfunction, liver disease, diabetes, gastric disorders, porphyria, psoriasis, or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.

We recommend that you consult your doctor again if you have used hydroxychloroquine for more than six months in a row, especially if this drug is given to children and has not shown improvement.

Tell your doctor if you are using other medicines, including supplements and herbal products, to avoid adverse drug interactions.

If an allergic reaction or overdose occurs, see a doctor immediately.

Hydroxychloroquine dose

Adult malaria prevention:

initial dose is 400 mg, once a week. Provision of drugs to prevent malaria is done 2 weeks before leaving the malaria endemic area and continued for 8 weeks.

Children: 6.5 mg / kg, once a week. Provision of drugs to prevent malaria is done 2 weeks before departure, and continued for the next eight weeks.

Treatment of malaria

Adult: the initial dose is 800 mg, then followed by 400 mg after 6-8 hours, then 1 day thereafter given again 400 mg for 2 days.

Children: the initial dose is 13 mg / kg body weight. Then proceed with the administration of 6.5 mg / kg body weight, after 6, 24, and 48 hours.

Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis

Adult: initial dose is 400 mg per day, as a single dose or divided into 2 times administration. For maintenance doses after the disease has subsided, it is 200-400 mg per day, depending on the patient's response to the drug. The maximum dose is 6.5 mg / kg per day, or 400 mg per day.

Children: the maximum dose is 6.5 mg / kg per day, or 400 mg per day.

Take Hydroxychloroquine Correctly

Follow the advice given by your doctor and read the instructions listed on the package before taking hydroxychloroquine. This medicine should be consumed after eating to avoid heartburn.

Try to consume hydroxychloroquine at the same time every day, so that the maximum treatment results. For patients who forget to take hydroxychloroquine, it is recommended to do so as soon as you remember if the break with the next consumption schedule is not too close. If it's close, ignore it and don't double the dose.

What should be considered before using the drug Hydroxychloroquine?

Before taking Hydroxychloroquine, tell your doctor and pharmacist:

1. If you are allergic to hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine (Aralen), primaquine, or other drugs.
2. Regarding the prescription and nonprescription drugs you use, especially acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), digoxin (Lanoxin), iron-containing drugs (including multivitamins), isoniazid (Nydrazid), methotrexate (Rheumatrex), niacin, rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane) ), and vitamins and herbal products.
3. If you have or have had liver disease, psoriasis, porphyria or other blood disorders, G-6-PD deficiency, dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), or if you drink large amounts of alcohol.
4. If you ever have vision problems when taking hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine (Aralen), or primaquine.
5. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking hydroxychloroquine, contact your doctor.

Drug Interactions

Consult your doctor if you are using the following drugs together with hydroxychloroquine, because they can cause unwanted drug interactions.

• Antacids: interfering with the absorption of hydroxychloroquine.
• Diabetes medications: strengthen the effect of diabetes medications.
• Amiodarone, cisapride, quinidine: increase the risk of torsades de pointes type heart rhythm disorders.
• Digoxin: increases blood levels of the drug digoxin.

What health conditions can interfere with the performance of the drug Hydroxychloroquine?

Other health conditions that you have can affect the use of this drug. Always tell your doctor if you have other health problems, especially:

Blood disease (severe) - Hydroxychloroquine can cause blood disorders

Vision problems - Hydroxychloroquine can cause severe side effects to the eyes, especially in high doses

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency - Hydroxychloroquine can cause serious blood side effects in patients with this deficiency

Kidney Disease - there may be an increased chance of side effects in patients with kidney disease

Liver disease - might decrease Hydroxychloroquine decay from the blood, increasing the chance of side effects

Brain and nerve disease (severe), including seizures - Hydroxychloroquine can cause muscle weakness and in high doses, seizures

Porphyria - Hydroxychloroquine can worsen the symptoms of porphyria

Psoriasis - Hydroxychloroquine can cause severe psoriasis attacks

Stomach disease or (severe) intestinal disease - Hydroxychloroquine can cause stomach irritation

Recognize the Side Effects and Dangers of Hydroxychloroquine

Each person has a different reaction after taking a drug. The following are the side effects that can occur after consuming hydroxychloroquine:

• Headache or dizziness
• Nausea
• Throw up
• Stomach pain
• Diarrhea
• Skin rash
• Decreased appetite
• Sleepy
• Difficulty seeing or reading certain objects
• Blurred vision
• Ears ringing
• Limp
• Heart rhythm disorders
• Bruising or bleeding on the skin
• Mood Change
• Hair loss
• Convulsions

Contact your doctor immediately if side effects don't subside, get worse, or have severe side effects.

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