By now you have probably heard about hydroxychloroquine, a common, first line treatment for Malaria, SLE (Lupus) and in some cases Rheumatoid Arthritis. Lupus is a serious disease and this drug has improved the lives of many people, even though the drug’s mechanism still isn’t fully understood. I am not a medical professional but I do have Lupus (and another auto-immune disease). Several years ago, after I was diagnosed, I tried this medication at my specialist’s urging. Our current president, Mr. Trump, is very aggressively promoting hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID 19. I’m making this post because I want to share my experience with this drug. Also, after reading the available literature, I – personally – think that Trump’s language and actions concerning this drug as a treatment for COVID 19 are not responsible. I believe that the public should be given ALL of the available information about this drug, including its ongoing research. Yesterday, April 5, 2020 Trump said “what’s the harm. Even if it does nothing, it can’t kill you.” That is a lie.
Before I went on this drug, my doctor sat down with me to make sure I understood the potential side effects. Blindness is a reported side effect, and this should be taken very seriously because once the damage is done, it is not reversible. I was frightened by this because my Dad lost his vision about 17 years before his (fairly early) death. I was sent to an eye doctor to establish the state of my vision and given the Hydroxychloroquine. I was hopeful because parts of my body were covered in itchy/painful lesions. There was serious inflammation inside of me too.
I took my first pill the day before Christmas. By the second day, and the second pill I felt a bit “off.” I figured it was my disease messing with me. By the third day I felt more “off.” Maybe I was getting a cold, but I started to notice a distinct puffiness in my face. I woke up on day four feeling utterly miserable. I took a fourth pill. An hour later it dawned on me that the drug might be the problem. I looked in the mirror and could barely recognize myself. By face was red and badly swollen, my eyes little slits, skin had purple blotches. I discovered that my entire body was covered with these “bruises.” I called the Dr.’s office. They asked me how my breathing was. I said that I was slightly wheezy. The nurse told me to get my ass to the E.R. if the breathing got worse. Actually she wanted me to go anyway. My Guy was up north with his mom. I called him and he rushed home.
I was seen early the next day at my specialist’s office. The nurses and staff couldn’t stop staring at me. I was given a massive injection of Prednisone and a bottle with more in it and told that if I had taken just one more pill Anaphylactic Shock would have resulted. When I got home I went straight to bed (and was there the better part of the week). During the first 12 hours my face blistered up and the skin – literally – peeled off 6 times (six layers). The rest of my body did the same over the days that followed. I was pretty miserable. It took several months before the rest of the rash faded. Because of this reaction, another Dr. (very good one, not mine sadly) was able to more specifically pinpoint my autoimmune issues and prescribe the appropriate medication, because she had seen this reaction before. My reaction is considered “rare,” but out of how many cases? How many of these rare outcomes might we expect if we hand this drug out to 2 million people who are already sick?
Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association has said that, in no uncertain terms, Hydroxychloroquine should not be pushed as a treatment for COVID 19, nor would she ever prescribe it for a patient. Trump’s briefing yesterday included his usual smarmy vocal sales pitch, “So hey, so it doesn’t work. Whataya got tuh lose?”
“You could lose your life” responded Dr. Harris.
Be safe out there y’all. The snake oil salesmen are just getting started.
