5 ms·

> We do know that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine can have significant side effects, especially if combined with azithromycin. What side effects? Could you

by blhack 7y ago

> We do know that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine can have significant side effects, especially if combined with azithromycin. What side effects? Could you expand on this for a layman? And at what doses and are there drug interaction requirements to get these side effects? What percentage of people experience these side effects? I’m not an expert on this like you appear to be so my experience is anecdotal. Basically that I know multiple people who take this drug for various reasons. And the claim of it being some dangerous drug doesn’t seem consistent with their experience. Obviously if used improperly that is true, but the same is true for anything, so I’m not sure that that fact rises above the rhetorical noise floor for me.

DanBC 7y ago
Here's a nice document: https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2020/03/27/14/00/ventricular-arrhythmia-risk-due-to-hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin-treatment-for-covid-19 https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2020/03/27... It talks about the hopefulness of this treatment, but also asks for better quality research to happen, and warns against blanket use of an experimental treatment especially in a group of patients that includes people who were often pretty ill even without covid-19. > Basically that I know multiple people who take this drug for various reasons. And the claim of it being some dangerous drug doesn’t seem consistent with their experience. With any medication we do a balancing exercise. "Do the risks of taking the meds outweigh the harm I experience from not taking the meds?" (One of the most important questions you can ask your doctor is "What happens if we do nothing?") We don't really know what that balance is with covid-19 yet, and the only way we find out is by running good quality science. (Downvoting on HN is currently pretty weird. I upvoted you.)

by blhack 7y ago

DanBC 7y ago

Here's a nice document: https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2020/03/27/14/00/ventricular-arrhythmia-risk-due-to-hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin-treatment-for-covid-19 https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2020/03/27... It talks about the hopefulness of this treatment, but also asks for better quality research to happen, and warns against blanket use of an experimental treatment especially in a group of patients that includes people who were often pretty ill even without covid-19. > Basically that I know multiple people who take this drug for various reasons. And the claim of it being some dangerous drug doesn’t seem consistent with their experience. With any medication we do a balancing exercise. "Do the risks of taking the meds outweigh the harm I experience from not taking the meds?" (One of the most important questions you can ask your doctor is "What happens if we do nothing?") We don't really know what that balance is with covid-19 yet, and the only way we find out is by running good quality science. (Downvoting on HN is currently pretty weird. I upvoted you.)