The drug "Plaquenil" is used for rheumatoid, juvenile arthritis, discoid, systemic lupus. In practice, the medication was also prescribed for the prevention and treatment of malaria attacks.
Dosage regimen
The medicine "Plaquenil" for children is prescribed per kilogram 6.5 mg. With a child weighing up to 31 kilograms, the total amount of medication should not be more than two hundred milligrams. Adults, the elderly including patients with rheumatoid arthritis are recommended per kilogram of 6.5 mg. The maximum allowable dose per day is not more than 400 mg. It is recommended to drink the product with milk in a sufficient (not less than 200 ml) volume. In the treatment of arthritis, the Plaquenil medication (the instructions for use contain such information) can be taken in combination with glucocorticosteroids, salicylates. The dosage of these and other additional funds can be reduced. So, the medicine “Cortisone” is taken in an amount 5-15 mg less, “Hydrocortisone” - 5-10 mg less, “Methylprednisolone” or “Triamuinolon” - 1-2 milligrams less, “Prednisolone” - 1- less 2 mg, "Dexamethasone" - 0.3-0.5 mg. When treating lupus erythematosus , the Plaquenil remedy recommends 400 mg / day. The frequency of taking the medication is 1-2 p.
In order to prevent the manifestations of malaria attacks, the drug begins to be taken two weeks before the expected trip to the epidemiological areas. If it is not possible to start therapy at this time, a loading double dosage of 800 mg for an adult is prescribed. For children, Plaquenil (the instructions for use confirms this) is given in the amount of 12.9 mg per kg. The daily dose is taken twice with an interval of six hours. After leaving the area of epidemiological danger, prevention is carried out for another two months. If an acute malaria attack occurs, an adult is given 800 mg, after six to eight hours - another 400 mg, over the next two days another 400 mg. For children, the dose is 32 mg per kg. Means "Plaquenil", the instructions for use while recommending drinking for three days.
Side effects
Based on therapy or prevention, myopathy, headache, neuromyopathy, convulsions, psychosis are likely. Means “Plaquenil” (instructions for use indicate this) can cause accommodation disorder, hearing loss, hemolytic or aplastic type anemia, keratopathy. The negative consequences of prevention or treatment include tinnitus, soreness in the abdomen, upset liver function, atrophy in the optic nerve, and pigmentation disorder. Some patients had myocardial hypertrophy, atrioventricular block, emotional lability. With an increase in the dose of the drug “Plaquenil” (instructions for use warns about this), adverse reactions increase. With an overdose in children, the risk of mortality increases. In case of drug poisoning, urgent gastric lavage, symptomatic therapy is recommended. Assign activated carbon, ammonium chloride.