Is A Prescription Required To Acquire Plaquenil?

A prescription is required to purchase Plaquenil from licensed Canadian drugstore online.

What Does the Drug Plaquenil Do?

Plaquenil is prescribed for the treatment of:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammation of joints with stiffness, swelling and pain) and childhood arthritis.
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a disease where the immune system of the body mistakenly attack healthy tissues affecting skin, joints, brain, kidneys and other organs.
• Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE), similar to SLE but affects only skin with symptoms like red rashes and scaly patch.
• Plaquenil is also used to prevent and treat acute attacks of some forms of malaria.

What Kind of Drug is Plaquenil?

Plaquenil is an anti-malarial drug and contains hydroxychloroquine sulfate. It is used for treatment of malaria, auto-immune diseases like lupus and arthritis. The exact mechanism of action of Plaquenil is not known. Its action against the malarial parasites is similar to the compound chlorquine phosphate.

How Does Plaquenil Work For Sjogren's Syndrome?

Sjogren's syndrome is an overlapping disease with lupus. Plaquenil is used for treatment of many symptoms of Sjogren's such as fatigue, joint symptoms of arthritis, joint pain, dry mouth and dry eyes.

What Lupus Symptoms Does Plaquenil Treat?

• Treat lupus flares by 50%
• Reduction in joint and muscle pain
• Reduction in lupus related rashes
• Protection against inflammation of the lining of lungs and heart
• Prevention of lupus from damaging organs like brain and kidneys

How Is Plaquenil Supplied and Stored?

It will be our privilege to offer you the generic equivalent of Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) comes from Apotex Canada. It is available in 200 mg hydroxychloroquine sulfate in bottles of 100 tablets.

This medication should be stored at a room temperature of 15°C to 30°C. The medicine should be kept out of reach and sight of children.

What Is the Cost of Plaquenil?

The average cost of 200 mg oral tablet of generic Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) is $85 for a supply of 100 tablets. We are pleased to offer you the same at unbeatable prices of $59 for a supply of 100 tablets.

How Is Plaquenil Taken?

Plaquenil should be taken with a meal or glass of milk to reduce stomach upset. For prevention of malaria the dosage of these tablets is 400 mg once every 7 days in adults and the dose is weight based in children. For treatment of malaria in adults, the dosage is 800 mg followed by 400 mg after 6, 24 and 48 hours after initial dose. For treatment of lupus, the recommended dose is 200 to 400 mg daily. For treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, the initial dose is 400 to 600 mg followed by a maintenance dose of 200 to 400 mg. Take this medicine for the full treatment period as prescribed by your health care professional. If Plaquenil completely controls the disease, talk to your doctor about reducing the dosage of the drug. Never reduce the dosage without talking to your doctor first.

Can You Drink Alcohol While Taking Hydroxychloroquine?

Anti-malarial compounds such as Plaquenil need to be used in caution in patients with alcoholism. You should inform your doctor if you drink large amounts of alcohol. Alcohol abuse can affect your liver which can affect the way how Plaquenil works in body. It is best to avoid taking alcohol with this medication.

Can You Operate Machinery While on Plaquenil?

Plaquenil can lead to impairment of accommodation, dizziness and blurring of vision. Do not operate or drive heavy machinery until you know how Plaquenil affects you.

How Long Does It Take for Plaquenil to Get in Your System?

The use of Plaquenil might result in little improvement of symptoms in 1 to 2 months. But optimal improvement occurs in 6 months.

How is Plaquenil Metabolized in Body?

Plaquenil (hydroychlorquine) is metabolized in liver and its half-life is about 40 to 50 days.

What Are The Side Effects of Taking Hydroxychloroquine?

Plaquenil can cause mild to moderate side effects. However, some side effects can be serious and require immediate treatment. You should inform your health care provider about any of the side effects that you experience while taking Plaquenil. Some very common side effects of Plaquenil include nausea, stomach cramps and pain. Others include diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting, visual problems such as blurring of vision, difficulty focusing, seeing halos around lights especially at night, night blindness, visual field loss, change in eye color, difficulty reading, headache, rashes, itchy rash and nervousness. Some rare side effects include dizziness, hair loss, bleaching of hair, loss of skin pigment or increase in skin pigment, ringing in ears, decreased hearing, nerve and muscle disorders including tingling, numbness, burning pain, weakness, cramps and spasms. Side effects of unknown frequency include severe skin problem, severe breathing problem, increased sensitivity to sunlight, muscle weakness, permanent damage to vision, heart problems such as irregular heartbeat, chest pain, fainting, liver problems like jaundice, abdominal pain, convulsions, lowered blood cell count, psychosis, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, low blood sugar and tremors. These are not all the side effects of Plaquenil. In case of any unexpected effect, contact your health care provider immediately.

How Safe Is Plaquenil?

Plaquenil crosses the placenta (the organ that allows the mother’s oxygen and nutrients to pass to the unborn baby). Hence, you should inform your doctor if you are pregnant. Plaquenil also passes into breast milk. You should tell your doctor if you are breast feeding before taking Plaquenil. Sometimes, Plaquenil can lead to sever life threatening hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) with loss of consciousness. You should talk to your doctor if you have symptoms of sweating, shakiness, weakness, dizziness and fast heartbeat. This medication prolongs QT interval (heart rhythm condition that can potentially cause fast, irregular heartbeats). Consult your doctor immediately if you experience a sudden fainting spell. While taking Plaquenil, protect your skin from sun with appropriate clothing and sunscreen cream of minimum SPF 30.

Can You Take Ibuprofen and Plaquenil Together?

Plaquenil has been used safely in combination with salicylates (aspirin), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, methotrexate and corticosteroids.

When Should You Not Take Plaquenil?

Do not take Plaquenil if you:

• Are allergic to hydroxychlorquine sulfate or any of the ingredients of Plaquenil.
• Are pregnant or planning to become pregnant
• Are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed
• Have retinopathy (eye problem affecting the retina). Plaquenil can cause irreversible damage to the retina (back of the eye where vision is formed). It is very important to have an eye exam before taking Plaquenil and then follow-up as needed while taking the drug. You should immediately contact your doctor in case you experience any of the visual problems like blurred vision, seeing halos around lights especially at night, seeing light flashes and streaks, night blindness, visual field loss, change in eye color (eye pigmentation), difficulty focusing eye, difficulty reading (skipped words).
• Are taking Tamoxifen (medicine to treat breast cancer). Both Plaquenil and Tamoxifen can individually cause damage to retina. Taking both drugs at the same time can increase the risk of damage.

Can You Take Ibuprofen and Plaquenil Together?

Plaquenil has been used safely in combination with salicylates (aspirin), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, methotrexate and corticosteroids.

What Should You Tell Your Doctor Before Taking Plaquenil?

Before taking Plaquenil always talk to your health care professional in case you:

• Are allergic to hydroxychlorquine sulfate or any other ingredients in Plaquenil
• Have blood disease, including a rare blood disease called porphyria
• Have liver or kidney disease
• Have nervous system disease
• Have skin disease called psoriasis
• Genetic condition known as “glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency”
• Are taking digoxin for heart disease or drugs for diabetes (your doctor might need to reduce the dosage of Plaquenil)

What to Do if You Overdose Plaquenil?

Overdosing Plaquenil is dangerous and can lead to headache, drowsiness, blurred or double vision, rapid heartbeats, fainting due to decreased blood flow and heart pump function, muscle weakness, convulsions and serious trouble in breathing. In case of drug overdose, contact a health care professional, hospital emergency department or regional poison control center, even if there are no symptoms.

What Medicines Can Interact With Plaquenil?

You should talk to your doctor about any medications that you are taking or going to take including prescription, non-prescription drugs, vitamins and herbal supplements. Some medicines that can interact with Plaquenil are:

• Digoxin (if you are taking both Plaquenil and Digoxin at the same time, your doctor may decide to check the level of Digoxin in your blood).
• Anti-diabetic drugs. Taking Plaquenil and anti-diabetic drugs together can lead to low blood sugar causing hunger pains, rapid heart rate, loss of consciousness and dizziness.
• Antiepileptic drugs
• Some antibiotics used for infections (aminoglycoside antibiotics) such as gentamycin, neomycin, tobramycin
• Neostigmine and pyridostigmine (medicines used to treat muscle disorders)
• Cimetidine (medicine used to treat heartburns)
• Ciclosporine (an immunosuppressant medication)
• Antacids. You should leave a gap of at least 4 hours between taking these medicines and Plaquenil
• Rabies vaccine
• Medicines that may affect the liver, the kidney, the skin or the eye
• Medicines that may cause irregular heart beat (e.g. amiodarone, moxifloxacin) or increase the risk of convulsions (e.g. antimalarials, mefloquine)
• Agalsidase (a medicine used to treat a rare genetic disease called Fabry disease)

Plaquenil has been used safely in combination with salicylates (aspirin), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, methotrexate and corticosteroids.

Where Can I Buy Plaquenil Online?

If prescribed by your health care professional, Plaquenil can be bought directly from Canadian Online Pharmacy. You will not have to wait to start your therapy due to the swift shipping service provided by us.

How Is Plaquenil Delivered?

The standard delivery fee is $10.00. The orders are usually shipped in 2-3 working days after the processing of the order. The medication package is delivered by regular mail within 10-14 business days after it has been shipped.

For further information and aid, you can contact our Customer Service at 604-581-4000 or email us at customerservice@canadawidepharmacy.com.

References:

1. http://products.sanofi.ca/en/plaquenil.pdf.
2. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/009768s037s045s047lbl.pdf.
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/hydroxychloroquine-oral-tablet#other-warnings.
4. https://www.kaleidoscopefightinglupus.org/plaquenil/
5. https://info.sjogrens.org/conquering-sjogrens/topic/plaquenil