What is Plaquenil and how is it used?
Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) is an antimalarial medication used to treat or prevent malaria, a disease caused by parasites, which enter the body through the bite of a mosquito. Plaquenil is also used to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and discoid or systemic lupus erythematosus. Plaquenil is available in generic form.
Is Plaquenil a safe drug?
Plaquenil 200 mg Tablet is used in the treatment of autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. It slows down the progression of the disease and provides relief from pain, swelling, and redness.
How long can you stay on Plaquenil?
A lower dose may stop them. Do not lower the dose on your own. Plaquenil stays in your body for about 3 months. If you must stop it, it will take a while for the side effects to go away.
How does Plaquenil make you feel?
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.
What drugs does Plaquenil interact with?
Some products that may interact with this drug are: penicillamine, remdesivir. Many drugs besides hydroxychloroquine may affect the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). Some examples are amiodarone, azithromycin, disopyramide, dronedarone, pimozide, quinidine, among others.
How good is Plaquenil?
Plaquenil has an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from a total of 148 ratings on Drugs.com. 53% of users who reviewed this medication reported a positive effect, while 24% reported a negative effect.
Does Plaquenil affect your sleep?
Another is hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil). It can sometimes causes people to get jumpy, nervous and twitchy. Sleep fragmentation – not getting good quality sleep – occurs in more than half of patients with RA that Suneel Valla, MD, treats.
Can I take Plaquenil forever?
How long is treatment continued? Treatment with hydroxychloroquine may be continued indefinitely as long as it is effective and no serious side effects occur. If you stop hydroxychloroquine treatment for more than a few weeks there is a risk that your condition may worsen.
