Hetq 200 mg Tablet

Hetq 200 Tablet – Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg by Hetero

Hetq 200 from Hetero Healthcare is a film-coated tablet of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg, carrying the Schedule H1 warning on the carton. A feature of this drug that patients rarely hear about is its effect on blood sugar and lipids. Hydroxychloroquine lowers fasting glucose and HbA1c, improves insulin sensitivity, and modestly reduces total and LDL cholesterol – enough that it has been studied as an add-on in type 2 diabetes and is a recognised advantage in patients with lupus, who carry a raised metabolic and cardiovascular risk. The same mechanism has a flip side that matters practically: it can push blood sugar too low, occasionally severely and occasionally in people without diabetes at all. Anyone on insulin or a sulfonylurea starting hydroxychloroquine should monitor closely, because the diabetes dose often needs reducing. Strip of 10 tablets.

Key Features

• Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate IP 200 mg, film-coated tablets
• Marked Schedule H1 on the carton
• Lowers fasting glucose and HbA1c and modestly improves lipids
• Can cause hypoglycaemia – diabetes doses often need reducing
• Strip of 10 tablets from Hetero Healthcare Limited

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 at a temperature below 30°C. Protect from light, as printed on the carton
• Keep the tablets in the blister until use
• Keep out of 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.