BREAKING NEWS: Donald Trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine because ‘good things are being said about it’ and calls string of research warning it is dangerous ‘phony’
- President Donald Trump said on Monday he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine for about a few weeks
- Trump has touted the drug to help with symptoms of the coronavirus
- Trump said he does not have the disease
- He also said he’s taking the z-pack antibotic
- Was prescribed medication by White House physician
- Hydroxychloroquine has potentially serious side effects, including to the heart
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
President Donald Trump said on Monday he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine for about a few weeks now after being prescribed it by the White House physician.
‘I happen to be taking it. I happened to be taking it,’ Trump said at an event at the White House.
The president repeatedly has touted hydroxychloroquine, used to treat malaria, lupus and other diseases and the antibiotic azithromycin, often sold under the brand name Zithromax, or as a”Z-pack,’ to be used to treat the coronavirus.
Trump said he is taking both medications but has tested negative for the coronavirus.
‘I have been taking it for about a weekend for about a week and a half,’ he said. ‘Every day. I take a pill every day.’
‘At some point I’ll stop,’ he added.
He said many frontline workers also take it.
‘You’d be surprised at how many people are taken and especially the frontline workers before you catch it, the frontline workers many, many are taking it,’ he noted.
President Donald Trump said he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine for about a few weeks
Hydroxychloroquine has potentially serious side effects, including to the heart
He said he’s confident in the drugs because he’s heard good things about them.
‘Here’s my evidence. I get a lot of positive calls about it,’ he said.
Hydroxy has potentially serious side effects, including altering the heartbeat in a way that could lead to sudden death, and the FDA has warned against its use for coronavirus infections except in formal studies.
‘So far I seem to be okay,’ President Trump noted.
But recent studies, including one out last week, shows patients received no benefits whether they took just hydroxy or paired it with the antibiotic azithromycin.
Early studies suggested that hydroxychloroquine might have antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects that could help people sickened by coronavirus.