Chloroquine Warnings and Side Effects

Chloroquine is touted as the future for COVID-19. Not many people will have a future wit these side effects. It seems like the last drug that should be prescribed to a coronavirus patient.

[link to www.mayoclinic.org (secure)] (Less than 50% - sadly)

Precautions

This medicine may cause heart problems and changes in your heart rhythm. Check with your doctor right away if you have chest pain or tightness, decreased urine output, dilated neck veins, extreme fatigue, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs, troubled breathing, or weight gain. You may also feel dizzy or faint, or you may have a fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat.

This medicine may cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which may be life-threatening. Low blood sugar must be treated before it causes you to pass out (unconsciousness). People feel different symptoms of low blood sugar. It is important that you learn which symptoms you usually have so you can treat it quickly. Talk to your doctor about the best way to treat low blood sugar.

Chloroquine may cause vision problems. It may also make you dizzy or lightheaded. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you. . If these reactions are especially bothersome, check with your doctor.

Check with your doctor immediately if blurred vision, difficulty with reading, or any other change in vision occurs during or after treatment. Your doctor may want your eyes be checked by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

This medicine may cause extrapyramidal disorders (eg, dystonia, dyskinesia, tongue protrusion, torticollis). Check with your doctor right away if you have the following symptoms after using the medicine: difficulty in speaking, drooling, loss of balance control, muscle trembling, jerking, or stiffness, restlessness, shuffling walk, stiffness of the limbs, twisting movements of the body, or uncontrolled movements, especially of the face, neck, and back.

Using this medicine for a long time may cause muscle weakness. Check with your doctor right away if you have muscle weakness while using this medicine.

Children are very sensitive to this medicine, and accidental overdoses have occurred with small amounts of chloroquine. Keep this medicine out of the reach of children.

Check with your doctor right away if you have continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noise in the ears or hearing loss while using this medicine.

While you are being treated with chloroquine, do not have any immunizations (eg, rabies vaccine) without your doctor's approval.


Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Side Effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
Incidence not known

Anxiety
attempts at killing oneself
back, leg, or stomach pains
black, tarry stools
bleeding gums
blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin
blood in the urine or stools
blurred or decreased vision
change in near or distance vision
chest discomfort or pain
chills
cold sweats
confusion
continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noise in the ears
cough
dark urine
diarrhea
difficulty in focusing the eyes
difficulty with speaking
difficulty with swallowing
disturbed color perception
dizziness
dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
double vision
drooling
fast, slow, irregular, or pounding heartbeat
feeling that others are watching you or controlling your behavior
feeling that others can hear your thoughts
feeling, seeing, or hearing things that are not there
fever
general tiredness and weakness
halos around lights
headache
hearing loss
inability to move the eyes
increased blinking or spasms of the eyelid
joint or muscle pain
large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs
light-colored stools
loss of balance control
lower back or side pain
muscle trembling, jerking, or stiffness
muscular pain, tenderness, wasting, or weakness
night blindness
nausea
overbright appearance of lights
painful or difficult urination
pale skin
pinpoint red spots on the skin
puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
red skin lesions, often with a purple center
red, irritated eyes
restlessness
shuffling walk
skin rash, hives, or itching
sore throat
sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
sticking out of the tongue
stiffness of the limbs
sweating
swollen or painful glands
tightness in the chest
trouble breathing
tunnel vision
twitching, twisting, or uncontrolled repetitive movements of the tongue, lips, face, arms, or legs
uncontrolled movements, especially of the face, neck, and back
unusual bleeding or bruising
unusual tiredness or weakness
upper right abdominal or stomach pain
vomiting
yellow eyes and skin

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Incidence not known

Change in hair color
hair loss
increased sensitivity of the skin to sunlight
redness or other discoloration of the skin
severe sunburn
stomach cramps
trouble sleeping
weight loss

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients.