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The drug that has been called a “game changer” by President Trump has users worried about their own monthly supply.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration approved the use of an immunosuppressive drug to treat COVID-19 under the discretion and supervision of a physician.

Hydroxychloroquine, or Plaquenil, is used to treat malaria, lupus and arthritis, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kati Trejo, pharmD at Community Pharmacy in Springdale, Arkansas, said she is glad the drug has shown positive effects for treating COVID-19, but she said that shouldn’t mean others who need it have to go without or find another option.

“What about the patients who need it for their lupus or arotinoid arthritis,” Trejo said. “For me, this is the one medication that has helped.”

Trejo is a user of the drug to treat her dermatomyositis, which is similar to lupus and she is concerned about the possible hydroxychloroquine shortage due to its demand during and the unnecessary use of it.

In early April, Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin donated 100,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets from ­Amneal Pharmaceuticals to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock to use as treatment for COVID-19 and other chronic illnesses, according to the state.

Trejo said doctors need to slow down and look closely at the medical background of their patients because that can determine if hydroxychloroquine is safe for them to take.

“They’re trying to look at this as a miracle drug,” Trejo said. “I think it’s a really good drug, but along with that there are side effects.”

The drug has shown potential in treating COVID-19 but more information is needed through clinical trials, according to National Institutes of Health.

Trejo said though she is not against using the drug, she thinks there should be more research done before providing it to COVID-positive patients.

“There is a lot of going back and forth on if people agree on it or not,” Trejo said. “It does have some serious consequences. To blindly put your trust in a drug without having evidence seems a little unprofessional in a way.”

Trejo said her friends who tested positive for the virus experienced positive outcomes after being treated with hydroxychloroquine.

Sandra and Gregory Mundis experienced severe cases of the virus, including being put on a ventilator, Trejo said.

Dr. Gregory Mundis Jr., an orthopedic surgeon at Scripps Green Hospital, said in a Facebook post that his father, Mundis, is improving and no longer on a ventilator.

On March 18, Mundis tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated with both hydroxychloroquine and remdesvir created by Gilead Sciences, a research-based biopharmaceutical company in Foster City, California, and was on a ventilator for 34 days, Mundis Jr., said.

“Today, we learned that he is 100% off his sedation and only requiring intermittent help with Tylenol,” Mundis Jr., said. “Each day is suddenly welcoming new facial movements, gentle blinking of an eye, the hint of a smile.”

On March 18, Mundis tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated with both hydroxychloroquine and remdesvir created by Gilead Sciences, a research-based biopharmaceutical company in Foster City, California, and was on a ventilator for 34 days, Mundis Jr., said.

“When they [Gov. Asa Hutchinson Administration] first started making press conference announcements, our pharmacy as well as a lot of others had a lot of call-ins by prescribers trying to do it prophylactically for themselves and their family,” Trejo said.

Pharmacies should exercise caution when dispensing the drug to members of the community and the drug should be restricted to patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been admitted to a hospital, according to Arkansas Department of Health.

Trejo said because there has been an increase in demand for hydroxychloroquine, pharmaceutical companies are increasing their production of the drug and the generic versions of it in order to avoid a drug shortage, assuring all patients who are in need of the drug will have access to it.

“The generic would be the one that is sold more often,” Trejo said.

Some pharmacies ordered the generic version of the drug and have gotten the name brand because there is a shortage of the generic drug, Trejo said.

The FDA said it is continuing to monitor the impact hydroxychloroquine and 18 other therapeutic agents have on COVID-19 patients.