Plaquenil
Plaquenil is a hydroxychloroquine tablet used for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and malaria, sold here as 200mg and 400mg tablets in packs of 10 to 360.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200mg | 10 tablets | $11.90 | $1.19 |
| 200mg | 20 tablets | $21.20 | $1.06 |
| 200mg | 30 tablets | $29.70 | $0.99 |
| 200mg | 60 tablets | $53.40 | $0.89 |
| 200mg | 90 tablets | $73.80 | $0.82 |
| 200mg | 120 tablets | $85.20 | $0.71 |
| 200mg | 180 tablets | $109.80 | $0.61 |
| 200mg | 270 tablets | $153.90 | $0.57 |
| 200mg | 360 tablets | $190.80 | $0.53 |
| 400mg | 10 tablets | $19.50 | $1.95 |
| 400mg | 20 tablets | $35.60 | $1.78 |
| 400mg | 30 tablets | $48.30 | $1.61 |
| 400mg | 60 tablets | $88.20 | $1.47 |
| 400mg | 90 tablets | $120.60 | $1.34 |
| 400mg | 120 tablets | $146.40 | $1.22 |
| 400mg | 180 tablets | $189.00 | $1.05 |
| 400mg | 270 tablets | $248.40 | $0.92 |
| 400mg | 360 tablets | $288.00 | $0.80 |
- Category
- Antiparasitics · Autoimmune Support
- Active ingredient
- Hydroxychloroquine
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet
- Strengths
- 200/400mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Rheumatoid arthritis · Lupus · Malaria
- Therapeutic Class
- Antirheumatic, Antimalarial
- Pharmacological Class
- 4-Aminoquinoline
- Minor Side Effects
- Nausea, Abdominal pain
- Moderate Side Effects
- Headache, Skin rash
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Sanofi
- Onset Time
- Weeks for efficacy
- Duration
- Continuous
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature away from children.
- Drug Interactions
- Digoxin, Cimetidine
What you will receive
Plaquenil is the originator brand name, made by Sanofi. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Plaquenil.
- The same active ingredient (Hydroxychloroquine) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Plaquenil strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Plaquenil pages list 200mg and 400mg tablets. You can order packs of 10 to 360 tablets, depending on the strength. This is generic hydroxychloroquine, not the original Plaquenil. Larger packs cost less per tablet.
How is Plaquenil delivered to Hong Kong?
Plaquenil parcels can be sent by standard airmail, which takes 14 to 21 business days, or 30 at most, and is untracked. Every order arrives in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing outside about the contents. If a parcel does not arrive within the delivery window, it is sent again free, or refunded if that is not possible.
Does Plaquenil have other names?
Plaquenil is a brand name of hydroxychloroquine, which is also sold as HCQS. Here, hydroxychloroquine can be bought online as generic Plaquenil, and also as hydroxychloroquine tablets. These are generics, not the original brand.
What is the difference between Plaquenil and generic hydroxychloroquine?
The medicine is the same, as both are hydroxychloroquine tablets at 200mg and 400mg. Plaquenil is the original brand name, and a generic may use different fillers or coating around the drug.
How long does Plaquenil take to work for lupus or arthritis?
For lupus or arthritis, think in weeks. Stiff, painful joints or a lupus rash start to settle after a few weeks of daily tablets and go on improving for months. Against malaria it works much faster, within days.
Should Plaquenil be taken with food?
Yes, with a meal or a glass of milk. An empty stomach makes nausea and cramping more likely, and the first few weeks are when the stomach complains most. Once the tablets suit you, keeping to the same daily routine makes them easy to remember.
How long do I need to keep taking Plaquenil?
For arthritis and lupus it is long-term treatment — months to years rather than a short course. Hydroxychloroquine holds the condition in check only while it is being taken, so symptoms usually return after stopping. Malaria courses finish within a few days.
Does Plaquenil affect eyesight?
It can, slowly, after years of use. Hydroxychloroquine can damage the retina, the layer that turns light into signals for the brain, and early changes are easy to miss. Eye checks at the start of treatment and at intervals afterwards are how problems are spotted.
About Plaquenil
What Plaquenil is used for
Stiff, swollen joints that will not settle, or a lupus rash across the cheeks and arms: hydroxychloroquine is one of the tablets used to quieten an immune system that has turned on the body's own tissues. Plaquenil is the brand name for it. Malaria is its other use, where it works on the parasite rather than the immune system, and those courses are short.
In arthritis and lupus it is a disease-modifying drug — it changes the course of the illness over months rather than dulling pain within the hour.
How to take Plaquenil, and how long it takes
Arthritis and lupus doses are usually one or two tablets a day, swallowed with a meal or a glass of milk; food takes the edge off the nausea that catches many people in the first few weeks. For malaria prevention, one tablet is taken weekly on the same day each week, starting before travel. A treatment course opens with a larger dose and follows with smaller ones over the next two days.
Hydroxychloroquine leaves the body slowly, so it builds up in the blood and the benefit arrives gradually. Some people notice a change after a few weeks; for most, the full effect takes a few months of steady use.
Side effects worth knowing
An upset stomach, nausea, loose stools, headache, dizziness, itching or a rash are the common complaints, and most of them settle as the body adjusts. Hair can lighten and skin or nails can darken. Rarer but serious are damage to the retina (the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye), muscle weakness, ringing in the ears or hearing loss, low blood counts and changes to heart rhythm. Blurred vision, flashing lights or halos around lights that come on suddenly need urgent treatment. Long courses go with eye checks, because retinal changes are picked up there first.
Other medicines, and storing the tablets
Antacids and other indigestion remedies built on magnesium or aluminium keep the tablet from being absorbed, so leave about four hours between them. Insulin and diabetes tablets can hit harder while hydroxychloroquine is on board, and it adds to the rhythm effects of some heart drugs. Store the tablets in their blister or bottle, somewhere cool and out of direct light.
Plaquenil or generic hydroxychloroquine?
The two listings carry the same active ingredient at the same strengths, 200mg and 400mg. What differs is the name and the inactive ingredients around the drug: Plaquenil is the branded tablet, our hydroxychloroquine listing the generic. How the ingredient works is covered on the hydroxychloroquine page.
Sources
- Hydroxychloroquine: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) - symptoms, causes, complications and treatments - Healthdirect — Healthdirect Australia