Covid-19 & Your Medications

As we have written previously, it is not clear whether Covid 19 creates additional risk for the biologic medications our patients take for inflammatory diseases.  Most rheumatologists are not telling their patients to stop their medicines unless they have an infection.   This advice has been given for many years.  One unexpected medicine we especially want patients to continue if they are already on it is Plaquenil, (hydroxychloroquine). This drug, used for lupus, Sjogrens and rheumatoid arthritis, is  a cousin of chloroquine. Chloroquine in studies done in China ( for whatever that may be worth) may be beneficial in treating Covid 19. There is not enough data to tell people to take Plaquenil for Covid 19, but if you are on it, talk to us before considering stopping it.