President Trump announced that he’s been taking the drug hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.
Here, a rheumatologist shares his concerns about doing so.
Nope, I dont have COVID-19; I have arthritis.
I first learned about the drug in January of 2019.
There was a good chance Id be taking this medication long-term.
His recommendation: hydroxycholoroquine.
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But that was hardly the end of that.
What do you have to lose?
In fact, there are serious hazards.
It could happen to anyone, he said.
I called up my rheumatologist to ask.
What are the standard side effects of hydroxychloroquine?
My doctor unfortunately didnt return my call by deadline.
But I was able to snag some time withH.
Michael Belmont, MD, a rheumatologist at NYU Langone Health and co-director of the hospitals Lupus Center.
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All patients with systemic lupus should be on hydroxychloroquine unless they have an absolute contraindication, says Dr. Belmont.
This is because its a background medication, he says.
But most common still means theyre rare.
How rare are we talking?
But lets take 100 by way of example.
This last consideration, he says, is a new addition to the conversation.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
And to date, I havent experienced any side effects of taking the medication.
But you should only do it in an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved trial.
Another not-small issue that arises if you skip the clinical trial phase of testing a new treatment is safety.
You are required to report what are called treatment-emergent adverse events.
During the trial period, if theres an adverse effect that emerges, you have to report it.
Dr. Belmonts second concern is one shared by many people currently taking hydroxychloroquine (present company included).
She was prescribed Plaquenil (the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine) almost right away.
What if I really need it?
It made me into a nervous wreck for a little bit.
As Annies panic ebbed, she found a new wave of feeling take its place.
Its hard to put into words, she tells me.
But what she describes sounds a lot like disappointmentin our president and in our country.
Its just so disheartening how people completely disregard other humans who need the medication to survive.
They need it to literally live, and these people are stocking up because, Why not?
Its so selfish, she says.
Nobody at my work knows the specifics of my medical situation, she says.
At first, it seems like a non-sequitur.
Until I realize, this is the whole point, the heart of the issue.
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