HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE FDA MedWatch Voluntary U.S. Reports Summary

These tables and charts are created from 155 U.S. reports for HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE (HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE) voluntarily reported by individuals directly to the FDA via the MedWatch Reporting System from 2004 through July 30, 2026. Events listed on this page represent serious and often rare adverse events reported to the FDA, and often do not represent typical side effects for the medication. Find common side effects on the most recent official drug label.

For a summary of adverse events including mandatory reports submitted by pharmaceutical companies (all countries and all reporter types) to the FAERS database, View FDA FAERS HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE Report.

Top Adverse Events Reported with HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE (from U.S. FDA Medwatch Reports)

	Side Effect	# of FDA Reports
1	NAUSEA	14
2	SHORTNESS OF BREATH	13
3	JOINT PAIN	11
4	DIZZINESS	11
5	DRUG INEFFECTIVE	11
6	VOMITING	11
7	RASH	9
8	DIARRHEA	8
9	ELECTROCARDIOGRAM QT PROLONGED	8
10	FATIGUE	8
11	HEADACHE	8
12	ITCHING	8
13	JOINT SWELLING	7
14	PAIN	7
15	PRODUCT SUBSTITUTION ISSUE	7
16	ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT	6
17	PALPITATIONS	6
18	LACK OF STRENGTH AND ENERGY (ASTHENIA)	5
19	DRUG DISPENSING ERROR	5
20	RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS	5
21	THERAPY CESSATION	5
22	THERAPY CHANGE	5
23	THERAPY INTERRUPTED	5
24	VISION BLURRED	5
25	VISUAL IMPAIRMENT	5

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HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE Total Medwatch Safety Reports by Patient Sex

Male	Female	Unknown	Total
25	118	12	155

Medwatch Reporter Type	Count
Consumer	52
Physician	14
Pharmacist	26
Other Health Professional	43

Top Indications

Product used for unknown indication
LUPUS
Rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus
COVID-19

Type of Outcome Reported
Serious: 94
Not Serious: 61
Note: A serious outcome means the adverse event resulted in death, a life threatening condition, hospitalization, disability, congenital anomaly, or other serious condition.

Suspected Role
Primary Suspect: 155
Concomitant Drugs: 114
Note: A single MedWatch report can list more than one drug. This summary includes HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE identified as the suspect drug or as a concomitantly taken drug.

FDA Safety-Related Labeling Changes

Hydroxychloroquine (HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE) Rx Drug:
FDA Safety Communication

FDA cautions against the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems Drug Safety Communication

PLAQUENIL (HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE) Rx Drug:
FDA Safety-related Labeling Changes

Have experience (good or bad) with PLAQUENIL? Rate PLAQUENIL at Ask a Patient.

For serious adverse events, report them to the FDA by contacting the drug manufacturer or report directly through the MedWatch voluntary reporting form.

NOTES

This report, created by AskaPatient.com, is derived from U.S. drug-related adverse event cases that were reported directly to the FDA using the voluntary MedWatch online or paper reporting system. MedWatch is the voluntary FDA system for consumers, physicians, and others to directly report adverse reactions. The Medwatch initiative was launched in 1993 as a voluntary reporting program for consumers, physicians and other healthcare practitioners.

After processing the received forms, the FDA adds the MedWatch reports to the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System(or FAERS database.) Click here for the complete FAERS report summary, which includes mandatory reports submitted by pharmaceutical companies (worldwide) combined with the MedWatch reports. MedWatch Reports only represent about 5% of the FAERS database. For more, read "Does the FDA's Rapidly Growing Database of Adverse Events Improve Drug Safety?"

The data in this report was obtained from Open FDA. Data was last updated to include reports through January 27, 2026. The reactions, side effects, or "adverse events," represent up to the 20 most frequently occuring events in the database for a drug related to the event.

Open FDA states that it only includes the most recent version of a case report. It also adds the disclaimer: "Do not rely on Open FDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated."

FDA uses the "MedDRA" classification system to describe reported adverse reactions. MedDRA is a standardized medical terminology that facilitates sharing of regulatory information internationally. In some cases, "patient friendly" terms for the layman designated by MedDRA have been substituted for medical jargon. Please contact us with questions about this report.