I can't remember the last week that's gone by without a patient asking me about Ozempic or Wegovy. Used to be strictly about weight. Now it's just as often about their joints. Could this help my RA too? My lupus? My psoriatic arthritis?

Let's start from the beginning.

A cheap, low risk medication my patients ask about a lot. Here's what I've seen in clinic, and what the research supports.

Hydroxychloroquine is a cornerstone treatment in rheumatology that modulates the immune system to quiet inflammation without actually suppressing your body's defenses. It is so effective at preventing flares and protecting long-term organ health that it serves as the foundational, pregnancy-safe anchor for conditions like lupus and RA.

While online searches for methotrexate often bring up alarming terms like chemotherapy, the low weekly doses used in rheumatology simply signal your immune system to calm down. Backed by decades of safety data, its side effects are highly manageable with routine labs and daily folic acid.