4 ms·

I can't seem to find information on whether Chloroquine would be taken prophylactically to be effective, or only after diagnosis and symptoms appear.

9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago
This will be a moot point for the foreseeable future, since if this actually works, limited supplies will be redirected to people who are actually infected.
- sudosysgen 7y ago
  Chloroquine is relatively easy to make. I think if prophylactic usage is recommended thousands of tons of the stuff will be produced in very short order.
Cantbekhan 7y ago
Some GPs in some EU countries did decide do take it prophylactically due to lack of PPE. But most around me agree this is a risky and probably bad advice. The current publicly available guidelines do not recommend taking it before you develop symptoms and do not recommend taking it at all if you are asymptomatic and/or very young. And also certainly they do not recommend any self medication without doctor's approval as there can be serious adverse effects with chloroquine (less with hydroxichloroquine). Also this would have a terrible effect and indeed cause supply shortages as another commenter pointed out.
tim333 7y ago
Probably works as a prophylactic. Unproven. I'm actually taking it at the malarial prophylactic dose (500mg/wk). There is some info here from a doctor https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/fbfj0r/covid19_prophylaxis_in_healthcare_workers/ https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/fbfj0r/covid19_pr... There is some evidence that hydroxychloroquine may be better as a prophylactic. Here's medcram talking about it from in vitro results https://youtu.be/vE4_LsftNKM?t=192 https://youtu.be/vE4_LsftNKM?t=192 Re real patients I thought this interesting on lupus patients using hydroxychloroquine at a hospital in Wuhan: >In the early stage of the study group, through the clinical analysis of 178 patients with new coronavirus received by the hospital from December 2019, it was found that none of them was systemic lupus erythematosus. After that, in the consultation of 80 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus treated by dermatology department of the hospital, it was found that they were not infected with new coronavirus pneumonia. https://www.jqknews.com/news/388543-The_novel_coronavirus_pneumonia_has_short_term_curative_effect_on_the_treatment_of_new_crown_pneumonia.html https://www.jqknews.com/news/388543-The_novel_coronavirus_pn... Which suggests it may work in real life. Lupus patient get a pretty high dose but looking at the in vitro stuff it looks like a low dose say 400mg/wk might work. There may be a possibility here to save millions of lives - if this does go full pandemic with 60% global infection, taking say weekly hydroxychloroquine might reduce the effects to something mild flu rather than ICU death. It seems to me enough upside to make it worth doing a serious research effort which I don't think is being done.
- jamesblonde 7y ago
  My wife was tested yesterday - she has fever sympthoms. The first thing I did was down 500mg of Chloroquine. I am in an at-risk group. Then i took the kids to our country house. Fingers crossed for her today. 36 hrs after she came home from work with a fever i am still fever free.
  - hackeerTwo 7y ago
    Don't mix it with hydroxychloroqine. They can cause a heart attack when combined.
    - jamesblonde 7y ago
      prolonged qt interval. Yeah.
  - tim333 7y ago
    Good luck.

9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago

This will be a moot point for the foreseeable future, since if this actually works, limited supplies will be redirected to people who are actually infected.

sudosysgen 7y ago
Chloroquine is relatively easy to make. I think if prophylactic usage is recommended thousands of tons of the stuff will be produced in very short order.

Cantbekhan 7y ago

Some GPs in some EU countries did decide do take it prophylactically due to lack of PPE. But most around me agree this is a risky and probably bad advice. The current publicly available guidelines do not recommend taking it before you develop symptoms and do not recommend taking it at all if you are asymptomatic and/or very young. And also certainly they do not recommend any self medication without doctor's approval as there can be serious adverse effects with chloroquine (less with hydroxichloroquine). Also this would have a terrible effect and indeed cause supply shortages as another commenter pointed out.

tim333 7y ago

Probably works as a prophylactic. Unproven. I'm actually taking it at the malarial prophylactic dose (500mg/wk). There is some info here from a doctor https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/fbfj0r/covid19_prophylaxis_in_healthcare_workers/ https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/fbfj0r/covid19_pr... There is some evidence that hydroxychloroquine may be better as a prophylactic. Here's medcram talking about it from in vitro results https://youtu.be/vE4_LsftNKM?t=192 https://youtu.be/vE4_LsftNKM?t=192 Re real patients I thought this interesting on lupus patients using hydroxychloroquine at a hospital in Wuhan: >In the early stage of the study group, through the clinical analysis of 178 patients with new coronavirus received by the hospital from December 2019, it was found that none of them was systemic lupus erythematosus. After that, in the consultation of 80 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus treated by dermatology department of the hospital, it was found that they were not infected with new coronavirus pneumonia. https://www.jqknews.com/news/388543-The_novel_coronavirus_pneumonia_has_short_term_curative_effect_on_the_treatment_of_new_crown_pneumonia.html https://www.jqknews.com/news/388543-The_novel_coronavirus_pn... Which suggests it may work in real life. Lupus patient get a pretty high dose but looking at the in vitro stuff it looks like a low dose say 400mg/wk might work. There may be a possibility here to save millions of lives - if this does go full pandemic with 60% global infection, taking say weekly hydroxychloroquine might reduce the effects to something mild flu rather than ICU death. It seems to me enough upside to make it worth doing a serious research effort which I don't think is being done.

jamesblonde 7y ago
My wife was tested yesterday - she has fever sympthoms. The first thing I did was down 500mg of Chloroquine. I am in an at-risk group. Then i took the kids to our country house. Fingers crossed for her today. 36 hrs after she came home from work with a fever i am still fever free.
- hackeerTwo 7y ago
  Don't mix it with hydroxychloroqine. They can cause a heart attack when combined.
  - jamesblonde 7y ago
    prolonged qt interval. Yeah.
- tim333 7y ago
  Good luck.