What should I avoid while taking hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine should not be taken with other drugs that could cause heart arrhythmias (irregular heart rate or rhythm). Taking hydroxychloroquine with these drugs could cause dangerous arrhythmias. Examples of these drugs include: amiodarone.

What foods should I avoid while taking hydroxychloroquine?

hydroxychloroquine food

You may want to limit your consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice during treatment with hydroxychloroquine. Grapefruit juice can significantly increase the blood levels and effects of hydroxychloroquine, which may result in an irregular heart rate or other conduction disturbances.

Can I take hydroxychloroquine with coffee?

This medication may irritate the stomach, and should be taken with food. It is best to avoid coffee, spicy food or alcohol.

Can you drink if you take hydroxychloroquine?

Alcohol. 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.

What are precautions for hydroxychloroquine?

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. It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies, or to become more depressed.

Hydroxychloroquine And What It Does To Your Body

Can you be in the sun while taking hydroxychloroquine?

Our results have shown that photosensitivity during medication with chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine is uncommon and that there is no need to stop this treatment due to sun exposure.

Can you take hydroxychloroquine with high blood pressure?

Hydroxychloroquine 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.

Can hydroxychloroquine cause weight gain?

Abnormal weight gain is a side effect of long-term doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine treatment.

What painkillers can I take with hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine can be taken with other medications – NSAIDS (Celebrex®, ibuprofen, naproxen), prednisone, Enbrel®.

How does hydroxychloroquine make you feel?

Hydroxychloroquine may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors. It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies, or to become more depressed. If you or your caregiver notice any of these side effects, tell your doctor right away.

Can you drink milk with hydroxychloroquine?

If you are taking hydroxychloroquine to treat rheumatoid arthritis, it is usually taken once or twice a day. Swallow the tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them. Hydroxychloroquine tablets can be taken with a glass of milk or a meal to decrease nausea.

Does hydroxychloroquine make you sleepy?

These may occur for the first few days a person takes the drug while the body adjusts to the medication. Loss of appetite, tiredness, weakness, or headache are uncommon side effects and typically go away over time.

Can you take Tylenol with hydroxychloroquine?

Interactions between your drugs

No interactions were found between hydroxychloroquine and Tylenol. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

Can I take vitamin D with hydroxychloroquine?

Interactions between your drugs

No interactions were found between hydroxychloroquine and Vitamin D3.

Should you eat when taking hydroxychloroquine?

Take this medicine with meals or milk to lessen stomach upset, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Keep using this medicine for the full treatment time, even if you feel better after the first few doses. Your infection may not clear up if you stop using the medicine too soon.

Does hydroxychloroquine affect vitamin D?

It is known that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) inhibits conversion of 25(OH)- to 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D both in vitro and in patients with sarcoidosis.

How long does it take hydroxychloroquine to start working?

Like with many other DMARDs, you will not feel the effects of HCQ right away. Most people start noticing the effects about six to eight weeks after they start to take the medication, but full benefit may not be apparent for up to three months. It is important to be patient and continue taking your medication.

Does hydroxychloroquine reduce inflammation?

Conclusion: HCQ may exert simultaneous anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects in patients with HIV infection and inflammatory arthritis. If larger studies confirm this observation, it may be the drug of choice in this population of patients.

Does hydroxychloroquine cause weight loss?

Weight gain or weight loss

For some people, Plaquenil may cause weight loss. This is because the drug can decrease your appetite, which may lead to the weight loss. But it's not known how many people have had weight loss while taking Plaquenil.

Does hydroxychloroquine affect your teeth?

Can Plaquenil have effects on my teeth? No, side effects related to teeth weren't reported in Plaquenil's clinical studies. Two conditions Plaquenil is prescribed to treat, RA and lupus, can cause problems related to teeth and oral health.

Can hydroxychloroquine cause sleeplessness?

RA and insomnia

Some medications, such as prednisone and hydroxychloroquine, also have the side effect of causing sleeplessness. It is a good idea to take these drugs earlier in the day to reduce this effect.

Does hydroxychloroquine affect the brain?

Hydroxychloroquine may potentially result in adverse effects on the central nervous system, mainly irritability, nervousness, emotional changes, nightmares, and even true psychoses [3, 4].

Who should not take hydroxychloroquine side effects?

Can hydroxychloroquine cause shortness of breath?

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur: severe stomach/abdominal pain, severe nausea/vomiting, easy bleeding/bruising, signs of infection (e.g., fever, persistent sore throat), seizures, shortness of breath, swelling ankles/feet, extreme tiredness, dark urine, yellowing ...

Can hydroxychloroquine cause blood clots?

A new study in Arthritis & Rheumatology shows that monitoring patients' blood levels of hydroxychloroquine can predict their clotting risk. In 739 patients, clotting occurred in 38 patients (5.1%).