Hydroxyurea can stop many sickle cell disease problems.

If it works:

• You will not have a pain crisis as often, but you can still have pain.
• You will not get acute chest syndrome as often, but you can still get it.
• You will not need as many blood transfusions.
• You will not need to go to the hospital as often.
• It may slow down new organ damage from sickle cell disease, but it will not fix any organ damage you already have.
• You should not have as many short-term or long-term medical problems from sickle cell disease.

Hydroxyurea is not a cure.

There are risks and costs to consider.

Time

• It does not take a lot of time unless problems happen.
• You take it daily in pill or liquid form.
• You can still have sickle cell disease problems that make you go to the hospital. This happens less if you take your medication every day.
• You can have side effects from Hydroxyurea, and you may need to have extra visits to the doctor to adjust the amount you take.

Risks

• It does not stop all problems from sickle cell disease.
• You can still sometimes have a pain crisis.
• It does not fix any organ damage you already have, and you can still get new organ damage.
• Your doctor needs to figure out how much Hydroxyurea is safe for you. If you take too much, it can cause big health problems.
• Even with the correct amount, there are side effects.

Cost

• The financial cost is different for everyone, but Hydroxyurea is usually cheap.
• It can be covered by your health insurance.
• There might be a co-pay or deductible cost.
• You can ask your doctor and your insurance company about the cost.

Mental Health

• Mental health challenges are different for everyone.
• You will still have sickle cell disease problems sometimes.
• You will still have hard days and good days.