Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)

Fast Facts

• Hydroxychloroquine is often used to treat mild rheumatoid arthritis or in combination with other drugs when treating more severe diseases.
• Hydroxychloroquine is commonly used to manage multiple complications of lupus and connective tissue disorders.
• Hydroxychloroquine is a relatively safe medication, though regular monitoring by an ophthalmologist is recommended while taking this drug.
• Although vision problems and loss of sight while taking hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) for the treatment of lupus or arthritis are very rare, notify your doctor if you notice any changes in your vision. Your doctor also may suggest regular eye exams while taking this medication. Visual changes experienced by the patient early on, or seen early during regular eye exams, usually improve after stopping the medication if your ophthalmologist feels they were due to the medication.
• If you are pregnant or are considering having a child, discuss this with your doctor before taking this medication. Although hydroxychloroquine use appears to be safe during pregnancy, any medication taken during pregnancy should be discussed with a doctor. Although some of the drug passes into breast milk, hydroxychloroquine appears to be safe to take while breastfeeding.

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is considered a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), because it can decrease the pain and swelling of arthritis, and it may prevent joint damage and reduce the risk of long-term disability.

Uses Hydroxychloroquine is in a class of medications that was first used to prevent and treat malaria. Today it is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, some symptoms of lupus, childhood arthritis (or juvenile idiopathic arthritis) and other autoimmune diseases. 

How it works It is not clear why hydroxychloroquine is effective at treating autoimmune diseases. It is believed that hydroxychloroquine interferes with communication of cells in the immune system. 

Dosing Hydroxychloroquine generally is given to adults in doses of 200 mg or 400 mg per day. In some cases, higher doses can be used. 

Time to effect Symptoms can start to improve in one to two months, but it may take up to six months before full benefits of this medication are experienced.

Side effects

Hydroxychloroquine typically is very well tolerated, and serious side effects are rare. The most common side effects are nausea and diarrhea, which often improve with time or by taking the medication with food. Less common side effects include skin rashes, changes in skin pigment (such as darkening or dark spots), hair changes (bleaching or thinning of hair) and muscle weakness.

Rarely, hydroxychloroquine can lead to anemia in some individuals. This can happen in individuals with a condition known as G6PD deficiency or porphyria.

In rare cases, hydroxychloroquine has caused visual changes or loss of vision, but such vision problems are more likely to occur in individuals taking high doses for many years, in persons 60 years or older, or in those with significant kidney disease. The dose used today is lower than the one originally used to treat arthritis or malaria. At the current recommended dose, development of visual problems while taking this medication is very unusual.

Drug interactions Although there are few drug interactions with hydroxychloroquine, to be safe be sure to tell your doctor about all of the medications you are taking, including over-the-counter drugs and natural remedies