Era-H Tablet

Era-H Tablet – Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg by TBG Pharma

Era-H from TBG Pharma is a film-coated tablet of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg, marked on the carton as a Schedule H1 prescription drug. One property sets hydroxychloroquine apart from almost every other disease-modifying antirheumatic drug: it is generally continued through pregnancy. Methotrexate and leflunomide have to be stopped well before conception, and most biologics need careful timing – but stopping hydroxychloroquine in a woman with lupus tends to trigger a flare, and a lupus flare during pregnancy is itself dangerous for mother and baby. The accumulated evidence has been reassuring enough that rheumatology guidelines now recommend continuing it, and it may reduce the risk of neonatal lupus and of congenital heart block in babies of anti-Ro positive mothers. That is an unusual position for a drug of this class to hold. Manufactured by Bajaj Formulations, a WHO-GMP and ISO 9001:2015 certified company. Strip of 10 tablets.

Key Features

• Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg, film-coated tablets
• Marked Schedule H1 – the tighter prescription category
• Generally continued through pregnancy in lupus, unlike most DMARDs
• Colour: Titanium Dioxide IP. Made by Bajaj Formulations (WHO-GMP, ISO 9001:2015)
• Strip of 10 tablets from TBG Pharma Ltd.

Composition

• Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP – 200 mg
• Colour: Titanium Dioxide IP. Excipients q.s. As printed on the carton

Uses & Benefits

• Used long term in rheumatoid arthritis to reduce joint pain, swelling and stiffness
• A cornerstone treatment in systemic and discoid lupus erythematosus
• Reduces the frequency of lupus flares and helps its skin and joint symptoms
• Also used in the treatment and prevention of malaria, as prescribed
• One of the better-tolerated disease-modifying drugs, needing no routine blood monitoring
• Taken once or twice daily as a tablet, alongside other treatment where needed

Directions for Use

• Swallow the tablet whole with a meal or a glass of milk – taking it on an empty stomach is the main cause of the nausea
• Take it exactly as your doctor prescribes. The dose is set from your body weight, not a standard number
• Take it at the same time each day. If you miss a dose, take it when you remember unless the next is nearly due – never double up
• Allow weeks to months for the full effect in rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, and keep taking it in the meantime
• Keep your eye-screening appointments for as long as you are on it, and do not take antacids within four hours of a dose

Precautions

• Hydroxychloroquine can damage the retina, and the damage is not reversible. Risk rises above 5 mg per kg of actual body weight per day, beyond five years of use, with kidney impairment and with tamoxifen. A baseline eye examination and regular screening thereafter are part of the treatment
• Report any change in vision immediately – blurring, difficulty reading, missing patches, altered colour vision or light sensitivity
• Tell your doctor if you have G6PD deficiency, porphyria, psoriasis, epilepsy, liver or kidney disease, or any heart rhythm problem. It can prolong the QT interval and can trigger a severe psoriasis flare
• It can cause low blood sugar, sometimes severe, even in people who are not diabetic. If you take diabetes medicines, your doses may need reducing
• Do not stop it on your own – in lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, stopping often brings on a flare. It also takes weeks to months to work
• Keep it well away from children. A small number of tablets can be fatal to a small child. Nausea, stomach upset, diarrhoea, headache and rash are the usual early effects and are much reduced by taking it with food

Storage

• Store in a cool, dry and dark place. Protect from light, as printed on the carton
• Keep the tablets in the blister until use
• Keep the medicine out of the reach of children

Disclaimer

Schedule H1 prescription drug – the pack states it is dangerous to take this preparation except in accordance with medical advice, and it is not to be sold by retail without the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner. Hydroxychloroquine requires baseline and periodic eye examinations and long-term medical supervision. This information is for general awareness and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.