Interaction

I was visiting my grandfather at one time, when he had to take his medication. He took out a small serving-tray, filled with so many bottles, it made my head spin. He opened several and took out a pill, laying it on the tray. After being done, he took them all in his hand and as he was about to take them, he saw the puzzled look on my face, because of all those pills.
He smiled and said:" Yep, I have to take all of these each day. Some in the morning, some after supper, some at night."
He held out his hand with the pills and as he pointed at some of them, he explained what they were for: "This one is for this disease, that one for that and that one for this. All the others are to fight the side-effects caused by these medications. It ain't right, you know!"
It may not have been right, but at least they kept him alive and without pain!

Drug-interaction has a very negative ring to it. But there is the "other side of the medallion" as well. Sometimes they support each other to yield better results. I still have to take a combination of meds for my RA. One of them is Plaquenil. And... inquiring minds like to know, hehe.

"Plaquenil is used to treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis such as swelling, inflammation, stiffness, and joint pain. It is also prescribed for lupus erythematosus, a chronic inflammation of the connective tissue and as a prevention and treatment of certain forms of malaria. In those with systemic disease, it has been found to particularly relieve skin inflammation, hair loss, mouth sores, fatigue, and joint pains. It has also been found helpful in preventing relapses of active disease. To treat RA, it is taken in combination with other medications and it will take several weeks for beneficial effects to appear.

One advantage of using the drug is that it is usually well tolerated by people taking it, with few side effects other than mild nausea. In rare cases, there are two types of eye problems that can occur when you take Plaquenil:

~In one, deposits of the drug form in the cornea (the outer covering of the eye) and may cause you to see a blurry ring when you look at lights, particularly at night. The problem typically occurs during the first few months of treatment, generally goes away and doesn't progress to cause vision loss.

~In the other, more serious type, deposits of the drug may accumulate in the retina (the back of the eye where the image is registered), causing small blind spots near the center of your vision. If allowed to progress, deposits in the retina could potentially cause blindness. If caught in time through regular eye exams, however, the problem can almost always be reversed.

Thankfully, damage to the retina is a very, very rare complication of Plaquenil and occurs in less than one in 5,000 people who take the drug. Anyone taking Plaquenil should have eye exams every six months (or as frequently as their doctor recommends).

Patients who are genetically deficient in a certain enzyme, called G6PD, can develop a severe anemia resulting from the rupture of red blood cells. This enzyme deficiency is more common in persons of African descent, and can be measured by blood testing.

Side effects:
when treating patients with lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis are not common. The most serious reaction can involve the eyes, as described above. Other reported reactions include irritability, headache, weakness, hair bleaching or loss, nausea, and itching. Rarely, hydroxychloroquine can affect the bone marrow. In patients being treated for malaria, temporary headache, dizziness, and stomach upset can occur.

If Plaquenil is taken with certain other drugs, the effects of either could be increased, decreased, or altered. It is especially important to check with your doctor before combining Plaquenil with the following:
Any medication that may cause liver damage
Aurothioglucose (Solganal)
Cimetidine (Tagamet)
Digoxin (Lanoxin)

Juvenile RA side-effects:
After a long period, Plaquenil may interfere with color vision. Child should see an opthamologist every six months while taking the medication. If eye problems are detected early, they should go away when medicine is stopped."

Sometimes, it's not bad at all for medications to interact with each other. The same goes for interacting with our brothers and sisters in Christ. However, to interact is important and encouraging, but let's not forget our "Inner-action" with Our Lord! :-)

Ephesians 3:16
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,