What is Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg

Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg is a quinoline medicine used to treat or prevent malaria, a disease caused by parasites that enter the body through the bite of a mosquito. Malaria is common in areas such as Africa, South America, and Southern Asia. This medicine is not effective against all strains of malaria.

Hydroxychloroquine is not effective against all strains of malaria, or against malaria in areas where the infection has been resistant to a similar drug called chloroquine.

Hydroxychloroquine is also used to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and discoid or systemic lupus erythematosus.

Warnings

Hydroxychloroquine sulfate can cause dangerous effects on your heart, especially if you also use certain other medicines including the antibiotic azithromycin (Z-Pak). Seek emergency medical attention if you have fast or pounding heartbeats and sudden dizziness (like you might pass out).

Taking Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg long-term or at high doses may cause irreversible damage to the retina of your eye that could progress to permanent vision problems.

Stop taking hydroxychloroquine sulfate and call your doctor at once if you have blurred vision, trouble focusing, distorted vision, blind spots, trouble reading, changes in your color vision, increased sensitivity to light.

Before taking Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg

You should not use hydroxychloroquine if you are allergic to hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine.

High doses or long-term use of hydroxychloroquine sulfate may cause irreversible damage to your retina (the membrane layer inside your eye that helps produce vision). This could progress to permanent vision problems. The risk of retinal damage is higher in people with pre-existing eye problems, kidney disease, or people who also take tamoxifen.

To make sure hydroxychloroquine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• vision changes or damage to your retina caused by an anti-malaria medication;
• heart disease, heart rhythm disorder (such as long QT syndrome);
• diabetes;
• a stomach disorder;
• an allergy to quinine;
• liver or kidney disease;
• psoriasis;
• alcoholism;
• porphyria (a genetic enzyme disorder that causes symptoms affecting the skin or nervous system); or
• a genetic enzyme deficiency called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Malaria is more likely to cause serious illness or death in a pregnant woman. Having malaria during pregnancy may also increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and low birth weight.

It is not known whether Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg will harm an unborn baby. If you are pregnant, ask your doctor about the risks of traveling to areas where malaria is common (such as Africa, South America, and Southern Asia).

It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.

Hydroxychloroquine sulfate is not approved for treating lupus or rheumatoid arthritis in anyone younger than 18 years old.

How should I take hydroxychloroquine Sulfate

Take hydroxychloroquine exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets.

Take hydroxychloroquine with a meal or a glass of milk unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

To treat lupus or arthritis, hydroxychloroquine is usually taken daily.

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 Sulfate 200mg is usually given as one high dose followed by smaller doses during the next 2 days in a row.

Use this medicine for the full prescribed length of time, even if your symptoms quickly improve.

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.

No medication is 100% effective in treating or preventing all types of malaria. Talk with your doctor if you have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea during your treatment.

While using hydroxychloroquine, you may need frequent medical tests and vision exams.

Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

What to Avoid

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to hydroxychloroquine (hives, difficult breathing, swelling in your face or throat) or a severe skin reaction (fever, sore throat, burning eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash with blistering and peeling).

Also seek emergency medical attention if you have symptoms of a serious heart problem: fast or pounding heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, shortness of breath, and sudden dizziness (like you might pass out).

Hydroxychloroquine may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

• a seizure;
• yellowing of your eyes;
• ringing in your ears, trouble hearing;
• unusual mood changes;
• severe muscle weakness, loss of coordination, underactive reflexes;
• low blood cell counts – fever, chills, tiredness, sore throat, mouth sores, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, pale skin, cold
• hands and feet, feeling light-headed or short of breath;
• low blood sugar – headache, hunger, sweating, irritability, dizziness, fast heart rate, and feeling anxious or shaky; or
• a serious drug reaction that can affect many parts of your body – skin rash, fever, swollen glands, muscle aches, severe
• weakness, unusual bruising, or yellowing of your skin or eyes.

Taking hydroxychloroquine sulfate 200mg long-term or at high doses may cause irreversible damage to the retina of your eye. Stop taking Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg and tell your doctor if you have:

• blurred vision, trouble focusing, trouble reading;
• distorted vision, blind spots;
• changes in your color vision;
• hazy or cloudy vision;
• seeing light flashes or streaks, seeing halos around lights; or
• increased sensitivity to light.

Common side effects of hydroxychloroquine Sulfate may include:

• headache;
• dizziness;
• nausea or vomiting;
• stomach pain;
• loss of appetite;
• weight loss;
• feeling nervous or irritable;
• skin rash or itching; or
• hair loss.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. OR Contact us

What other drugs will affect hydroxychloroquine Sulfate

Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200mg can cause a serious heart problem. Your risk may be higher if you also use certain other medicines for infections, asthma, heart problems, high blood pressure, depression, mental illness, cancer, malaria, or HIV.

Tell your doctor about all your other medicines, especially:

• cimetidine;
• cyclosporine;
• methotrexate;
• praziquantel;
• tamoxifen;
• heart rhythm medicine;
• insulin or oral diabetes medicine; or
• seizure medication.

This list is not complete. other drugs may interact with hydroxychloroquine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

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