CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Americans are making a mad dash south of the border in search of what President Trump calls a “game changer” – a drug he calls a potential cure for the coronavirus, even as some health experts cast doubt on its effectiveness.

Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria medication known as Plaquenil, is a hot drug here, with more than a dozen pharmacies saying they’ve run out. The demand is so high, that pharmacists said Monday and over the weekend that they’re now requiring written prescriptions from doctors who must state the medicine is for patients with conditions that include lupus and malaria, conditions for which the drug is normally used.

“There have been clients who want to purchase up to eight or 10 boxes of Plaquenil,” said Carmen Teresa Martha Cruz, 39, a counter clerk at Farmacias del Ahorro, a popular Mexican pharmacy chain. “Clients are desperate to acquire the product.”

Prices range between $20 to about $30 per box. The FDA has not approved its use for the treatment of coronavirus.

Trump’s buoyant attitude about the drug has deepened worries among doctors and pharmacists on both sides of the border.

But while Plaquenil tablets can be life-changing for people who suffer, for example, from lupus, clinical trials for coronavirus treatment are only just beginning. Some experts doubt whether it will be an effective treatment for the virus while others, including a group of Chinese doctors who first used it as a coronavirus treatment, say it offers hope.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, warned against “false hope” in the medicine, saying claims of cure-alls can “do more harm than good.”

Along the border, where an array of pharmacies line the port of entry, physicians urged caution. Used improperly, the drug can even lead to sudden death.

“Medication taken without supervision is a dangerous proposition because, if serious side effects happen, the safety of the person is compromised,” said Dr. Juan Herrada, an oncologist in El Paso who’s been monitoring the coronavirus outbreak in his native Spain and has seen demand for the anti-malaria medication grow in Europe and now across the U.S. and along the border.

“Bottom line: Just because you hoarded the meds in the pharmacy does not make it safe to take anything unless a medical provider evaluates you first,” Herrada added.

The partial border shutdown that took effect Saturday – part of an effort to slow the spread of the virus – makes obtaining the drug more complicated for Americans. Only essential travel is permitted. That includes individuals who travel for medical purposes, to attend school or engage in trade.

But the partial closure exposed a long-held secret of border residents on the U.S. side. Many rely on personal domestic workers who crisscross the border weekly to do more than take care of children, the elderly, or clean homes. They bring back goods from Mexico, from fresh bread to medication.

On Monday, a quiet lull fell over Juarez, a city of about 1.4 million people. It’s the latest sign that health and elected leaders here and across Mexico are increasingly growing concerned about the fast-paced pandemic.

There are more than 300 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Mexico, leading authorities from Mexico City to the State of Jalisco to defy the federal government and take measures to restrict public gatherings, emulating steps already taken in Juarez. Local and state officials are demanding more testing even as the federal government continues to embrace a more laissez-faire attitude about the spread of the virus.

Just feet from the international bridge, restaurants and some bars were closed in Juarez on Monday. The only businesses that seemed active were the ubiquitous pharmacies, which are on almost every other corner. Americans were out searching for their so-called essentials, ranging from drugs to tortillas – “essential” to any household, half-joked one pedestrian at the Paso del Norte international crossing.

Leticia Favela, 65, hurried between pharmacies looking for medication, which she declined to identify. She noted, however, that insulin is about $50 cheaper on the Mexican side.

“I need to buy as many as I can now because I don’t know when I’ll be back,” said Favela. “I can’t afford the medication on the U.S. side.”

The rush has been ongoing for days, pharmacists said. At one pharmacy, one client asked for Plaquenil.

The pharmacist, Guillermo Jimenez, 27, shook her head. “Nada,” he said. Nothing.

“We saw the rush, the desperation beginning about two weeks ago,” Jimenez added. “But it really reached a new level last week.”

Asked when new supplies arrive, Jimenez said, “Any day, but we have to limit it from now on because there are people who legitimately need their medication.”

Just hours before the partial shutdown last Friday, Roberto Gonzalez, 69, hurried to buy his medication, which included drugs for a heart ailment and prostate problems. He lamented the loss of his domestic help.

“We often have to sacrifice so that a majority can live,” he said. “This is going to hurt so many maids in Mexico. But we’re all in this together. I admit I will miss her (his domestic worker) very much, but there’s no option, for now.”

At Farmacias Guadalajara, employees like Gustavo Encerrado, 21, have orders to regulate the supply of basic products in order to have products available for people who may really need the medication and cannot buy in bulk.

Americans “arrive with a slightly bossy attitude,” Encerrado said. “We would like for foreigners to be a bit more considerate.”

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