How to best assess Plaquenil Toxicity: Briefly
There is still much confusion of how to follow patients who are on Plaquenil. All eyeMDs are scared of missing such toxicity but there
A. Check Patient’s Dose:
1. REAL Body Weight: Latest research (below) recommends to calculate dose based on REAL Body Weight.
2. No more than 6.5mg/kg/day
3. If dosing is calculating 300mg/day: alternate-day dosing recommended: Average dose over 2-3 days.
B. Assess Retinal Toxicity:
1. Baseline Screening within 1st year of use
2. Annual screening after 5 years of use:
Humphrey Visual Field: HVF White 10-2: yearly after 5 years (sooner if high risk patient–see below or suspicion of early toxicity). Have a low threshold for an abnormality and retest if abnormality is present. When in doubt, refer to Retina Specialist with Multifocal ERG, FAF (below).
2. Annual screening after 5 years of use:
Humphrey Visual Field: HVF White 10-2: yearly after 5 years (sooner if high risk patient–see below or suspicion of early toxicity). Have a low threshold for an abnormality and retest if abnormality is present. When in doubt, refer to Retina Specialist with Multifocal ERG, FAF (below).
3. Spectral Domain OCT: Annually especially if HVF is defective.
4. Multifocal ERG: (usually requires visit to eye hospital like Mass Eye & Ear, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, etc). Recommended if any suspicion of early damage. Thought to show any damage earlier than visual field loss.
5. Fundus Autofluorescence (info below): Recommended if any suspicion of early damage. Shows damage earlier than visual field loss. (usually requires visit to eye hospital like Mass Eye & Ear, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, etc).
Higher Risk:
1. Kidney disease
2. Taking Tamoxifen Citrate also
Prevalence of retinal damage
1. Plaquenil: 4.0-5.0mg/kg daily = 2% within 10 yrs
2. = 20% after 20 yrs
3. Only 20 cases reported of retinal damage with a dose <6.5mg/kg (Lee. Br J Ophthalmology 2005; 89: 521-522)
References:
The Risk of Toxic Retinopathy in Patients on Long-term Hydroxychloroquine Therapy.
Importance:
Objectives:
Design, Setting, and Participants:
Exposure:
Main Outcomes and Measures:
Results:
Conclusions and Relevance:
Clinical Update: Retina Screening
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Rx Side Effects: New Plaquenil Guidelines and More
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Academy members: login to read or make comments on this article.
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Drug-induced ocular side effects are back in the spotlight, thanks to the Academy’s revision of its recommendations on screening for retinal toxicity from chloroquine and its analogue hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil).1
There are hundreds of drugs with potential retinal toxicity—so many that the
The Plaquenil Problem
“Plaquenil toxicity is very distinctive,” said Michael F. Marmor, MD, professor of ophthalmology at
Plaquenil, widely used to treat lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory and dermatologic conditions, is very effective, and “the risk of toxicity in the first five years for someone without special risk factors is very low,” Dr. Marmor said. However, risk increases with duration of use, and the guidelines call for annual screening after five years, or sooner if there are “unusual risk factors or a suspicion of early toxicity.”
Anne E. Fung, MD, a retina specialist at Pacific Eye Associates in
Dr. Fung’s case involved a 48-year-old woman with lupus. Nine years after discontinuing medical therapy, the patient had new scotomas, difficulty reading and progression of bull’s-eye maculopathy. Plaquenil’s long half-life in the body can cause irreversible and progressive damage, Dr. Fung said.
Similarly, one study reported that 16 women who’d taken hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, or a combination of the agents, showed no improvement seven years after stopping drug therapy, and progression occurred in six of the cases.2
The Revised Guidelines
The Academy’s new guidelines represent “a paradigm shift from subjective to objective measures,” said Dr. Fung. “It’s a new algorithm, very much a new concept in Plaquenil screening.” Some points to consider:
Preferred screening methods. 10-2 visual fields, but not Amsler grids, are still acceptable for screening if read with caution. Dr. Marmor said, “We also recommend use of objective tests such as spectral domain OCT, multifocal ERG and fundus autofluorescence.” He added that older time domain OCT units lack enough sensitivity for Plaquenil toxicity.
Go by ideal, not real, weight. Dr. Marmor stressed the importance of not overdosing, which greatly accentuates the risk of toxicity. Therefore, the new guidelines suggest using a person’s height as a dosing factor. By the old standards, obese people, if dosed by their actual weight, could be overmedicated, Dr. Marmor said. If you’re short, the standard prescription of 200 mg of Plaquenil, twice daily, is too much, he said.
The recommended dosage is no more than 6.5 mg/kg/day, using the standard known as “ideal weight,” which factors in height. Dr. Marmor suggested calculating this as follows:
What if the ideal dose is 300 mg/day? Both Drs. Marmor and Fung suggested alternate-day dosing. “It’s possible to average a dose over the course of two or three days,” Dr. Fung said. “Take two one day and one the next.”
Unfortunately, prescribing doctors often don’t consider the ocular threshold, said Dr. Fung. “I have had many patients on doses above the safe ocular threshold. So ophthalmologists are doing our patients a disservice if we are not vigilant.”
Beyond Plaquenil: Other Drugs, Other Problems
If you’re looking for a comprehensive assessment of drug reactions that relate to the eye, Dr. Fraunfelder and his father, Frederick T. “Fritz” Fraunfelder, MD, along with Wiley A. Chambers, MD, literally wrote the book.3
“So many drugs can cause ocular side effects that if you’re trying to make a point about which drugs to watch out for, you can’t really pick [just] one,” Dr. Fraunfelder said. However, he has narrowed the list for a course he teaches at the Academy’s Annual Meeting and for a published review of adverse ocular drug reactions.4
Here are some drugs to watch out for, based on recent reports.
Final Thoughts: Quick Tips
Some quick tips to consider when you are diagnosing and managing ocular toxicity:
Dr. Fraunfelder: “One of the main rules, but not a hard rule, is if it’s a drug toxicity, it usually is bilateral.”
Dr. Fung: “I’m always concerned that the prescribing doctors are not completely aware of the dose-related toxicity of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. So I always check and calculate the dose. Also, communication with the prescribing doctor is very important. I have a form letter where I fill in the current dose, weight and goals.”
Dr. Marmor: “Stop the drug [Plaquenil] if you detect parafoveal thinning. But you do have to discuss this with the patient and his or her rheumatologist to be sure you’re not affecting the medical care. I’ve had a few patients continue because they think the drug is so critical for their quality of life. But the vast majority is happy stopping. There are alternatives.”
___________________________ 1 Marmor, M. F. et al. Ophthalmology 2011;118:415–422.
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A. Check Patient’s Dose:
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