QDMRD-200 mg Tablet

QDMRD-200 Tablet – Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg by Alembic

QDMRD-200 from Alembic Pharmaceuticals is a film-coated tablet of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg. The single most counter-intuitive fact about this drug is its half-life: roughly 40 to 50 days – among the longest of any oral medicine in common use. Everything else follows from that number. It takes three to six months of daily dosing to reach a steady level in the body, which is exactly why nobody should judge it at four weeks and why prescribers ask for patience. The same arithmetic runs in reverse on stopping: the drug is still measurable months later, so a flare after stopping can be delayed rather than immediate, and a “drug holiday” of a week or two changes essentially nothing. It also explains why cumulative dose, not daily dose alone, governs the risk of retinal toxicity. Strip of 10 tablets.

Key Features

• Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg, film-coated tablets
• An exceptionally long half-life of 40 to 50 days
• Takes three to six months to reach steady state – patience is part of the treatment
• Colour: Titanium Dioxide IP
• Strip of 10 tablets from Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Composition

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

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 protected from light and moisture at a temperature not exceeding 25°C, as printed on the pack
• Keep the tablets in the blister until use
• Keep the medicine out of reach of children

Disclaimer

Schedule H prescription drug – to be sold by retail on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner only. 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.