Lupus Patients Can't Get Hydroxychloroquine Now Because Morons Are Buying It All Up

They actually need it!

The thing about living in a society, instead of in a vacuum, is that when you do something, it very often affects others. Well, that and you probably have better hair.

When Donald Trump and right-wing media started pushing taking hydroxychloroquine as a way to keep from getting infected with COVID-19, and mean (liberal, probably) scientists kept saying it did not do that, it resulted in the anti-malarial drug becoming a kind of political loyalty test. Some rushed out to get it, while others — namely those running for office — simply cheered Trump on and suggested that people in the media wouldn't criticize his use of it if it didn't work.

You know, because I am totally a science expert and personally know whether medications I've never taken work or not.

.@realDonaldTrump taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus is a kick-ass move that proves why he is the br… https: //t.co/iw94W7GpDY

— James P. Bradley (R) CA-33 (@James P. Bradley (R) CA-33) 1589888369.0 

With the way the media hates President Trump, if taking hydroxychloroquine was truly bad for him, they’d be encoura… https: //t.co/6dWD2bSyzQ

— Lauren Boebert for Congress (R-CO3) (@Lauren Boebert for Congress (R-CO3)) 1589968947.0 

So when alllllllllllll of the Trumpists ran out and got hydroxychloroquine — either because they literally believed that it would keep them from contracting COVID-19, or just as a show of loyalty to Trump and commitment to right-wing stupidity, that meant that other people couldn't get it . People who needed it for their actual health and not just as an ingestible flag pin.

While hydroxychloroquine does not do a damn thing for COVID-19, other than making patients more likely to die, it does help with health issues like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and is frequently prescribed to them under the brandname Plaquenil. When demand for the anti-malarial drug increased seventeen-fold in April — after being added to the FDA's list of drugs there is a shortage on in March — those patients were often the ones who ended up having to go without.

Now, these people are finding themselves not only in a whole lot of pain, but also broke! Because they have to pay more for it now that it's such a hot item:

Life without hydroxychloroquine is hard for lupus patients, who usually suffer from joint pain, severe fatigue, and rashes. The FDA has approved the drug for decreasing flare-ups of the disease. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, about 1.5 million Americans have a form of lupus, and 90% are women.

[Jen] Incandela, 35, said her days are "exceedingly difficult" without her daily dose of two 200 milligram pills. The cost used to be $10 monthly. She's gone without for more than a month because her regular pharmacy ran out, and the one her doctor recommended wanted the equivalent of 13 times as much monthly, according to a document Incandela shared.

Incandela said when she wants to move these days, she relies on her mobility aid — an Alinker walking bike.

"I'm pretty much in bed," she said.

Meanwhile, Trump is going on about how he's taking it, Laura Ingraham has been promoting it relentlessly, and all the good little soldiers have been trying to get their grubby little hands on it. Why? Because they literally do not understand the concept of caring whether people live or die.

Anyway! This is now your open thread! Enjoy!

[ USAToday ]

Wonkette is independent and fully funded by readers like you. Click below to tip us! Also if you are buying stuff on Amazon, click this link !