Since the US president, Donald Trump stated that Chloroquine, is effective for the treatment of Covid-19, many Nigerians have cleared it from the shelves of pharmaceutical stores near them.
There are even reports of some pharmacy store owners threatening to hike the price, once they restock.
However, a Nigerian doctor, Dr. G Onyedikachi writing for Health Hub Africa has given advise on the adverse effect of the drug.
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According to him, not only is self-medication very dangerous especially when the dose and how to take the drug including when to stop it is unknown — the drug in question has some dangerous side effects
He says among the adverse effects are;
â–« Itching
â–« Nausea/vomiting
â–« Abdominal cramps
â–« Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar)
According to him, the user’s blood sugar becomes dangerously low and can lead to death, seizures, hemolysis (breakdown of RBCs), in G6PD deficient people.
It can also lead to “Cardiomyopathy which can lead to heart failure, this means your heart literally cannot work well and pump blood, he said.
He said also that Retinopathy (destruction of retina which can lead to blindness)*Â in prolonged usage can also occur.
The doctor, therefore, advised that people must wait for the professionals to ratify the drugs regarding the use of the drug if and when it is adopted for the treatment, and not prevention of COVID19.
