Heart rhythm disturbances, severe arrhythmias ... the consequences of taking hydroxychloroquine without medical advice can be serious. For several days, the debate has raged among health professionals on the supposed effectiveness of this antimalarial drug to fight against the coronavirus. While the ARS of New Aquitaine reported this Monday "cases of cardiac toxicity (...) following self-medication" of this substance, Dr. Jimmy Mohamed takes stock in the "Big evening newspaper "from Europe 1, on the risks linked to this treatment.
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Cardiac complications
The problem with hydroxychloroquine is that it "can cause heart rhythm disturbances and severe arrhythmias," says the doctor. Especially since in "the protocol proposed by Professor Didier Raoult", the first in France to have certified the effectiveness of the process, "we must combine it with another antibiotic, azithromycin, which can also increase the risk of heart complications ". "Which means that the combination of these two drugs can increase the risk and therefore, that it is imperative to have strict medical supervision before, during and a little after taking it," insists Jimmy Mohamed.
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Treatment reserved for serious cases
"It is important not to take this treatment without medical advice, you expose yourself to major risks", insists the specialist, who then specifies that this medicine "is no longer available in town", and that it is therefore " no need to ask pharmacists. " And to recall that France authorized the administration of this molecule against Covid-19 "only for severe forms, hospitalized or in intensive care".