Q: Is it safe to take Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate (200 mg per day) along with Methotrexate (7.5 mg per week) for Psoriatic Arthritis?

A:While each case of psoriatic arthritis has to be treated as required, generally hydroxychloroquine is given early on while methotrexate is reserved for severe cases with extensive skin lesions. It is known that chloroquine interacts with methotrexate and reduces its blood levels and hence efficacy. Therefore one should avoid giving them concurrently. Hydroxychloroquine belongs to the same group and one would expect it to behave similarly though no studies have been done to our knowledge.