• Medication,  Science

    We don’t know if hydroxychloroquine is safe for COVID

    Hydroxychloroquine (and related drug chloroquine) has been in the news a lot lately for its supposed ability to cure or prevent COVID-19. These drugs are commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, especially under the brand name Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine). This leaves those of us with autoimmune conditions wondering: could I be taking hydroxychloroquine to both treat my autoimmune disease and prevent coronavirus? In a time when taking immunosuppressants is unnerving, is hydroxychloroquine a safe treatment? If I’m not on hydroxychloroquine, should I start taking it? The short answer is no. The long answer is that a lot of studies are showing contradictory results, and the small study…