Re:About that Hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 trial
by kevingadd on Monday March 23, 2020 @07:21AM
(#22662920)
I'd note that the phrase "further retinal damage and visual loss" implies that retinal damage and visual loss has already occurred... how much of that you are willing to tolerate is up to you, I suppose: I'd prefer 0 unless necessary. If the retinal damage is saving me from a death at the hands of COVID-19 maybe it's worth it, but if it's not...
Re:About that Hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 trial
by ekianjo on Monday March 23, 2020 @09:15AM
(#22663779)
This kind of damage does not occur with short term use of the drug.
Re:About that Hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 trial
by mcguire on Monday March 23, 2020 @07:26PM
(#22670003)
https://www.drugs.com/sfx/hydroxychloroquine-side-effects.ht...
Common (1-10%): rash, itching, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, headache, blurred vision, "Affect liability" (got no idea what that is).
This side effect occurs if you take chloroquine for extended periods of time. Look at the data.
https://eyewiki.aao.org/Hydroxychloroquine_toxicity
"Risk for toxicity is less with <5.0 mg/kg real weight/day for hydroxychloroquine and <2.3 mg/kg real weight/day for chloroquine[2]. Patients are at low risk during the first 5 years of treatment."
And management is as simple as stopping the drug if it starts affecting your vision:
"At the first signs of retinal toxicity, hydroxychloroquine should be stopped to prevent further retinal damage and visual loss[2]. "