I finally was just started on it 5 days ago. Can everyone tell me everything u know bout this med or how u feel about it?
Hi Monique,
If you can keep with taking plaquenil it's sound for DLE/SLE it's a none steriod drug and it caused me to lose some weight which is another side affect.
I take 200mg daily mainly to help my skin and i've been on it several years now...some members have side affects and other's don't but this happens with all patients taking new meds.
Have you been passed by an opthamologist to take it, as checkups every 6mths is necessary.
To me it's a great med and usually takes upto 6mths before working but i felt the difference at nearly 3mths, some members have add it earlier.
You'll get some replies on this as so many members are on it Monique.
The two links below explain the drug in great detail.
((Hugs Terri)) xxx
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/hydroxychloroquine-side-effects.html
I started this med 2 weeks ago - so far have felt no different.
After reading the links that Tez 20 posted, Im a bit nervous .
Have my first rheumy appt today. Guess this will be on the agenda to discuss.
I’m on it and my pain is pretty much gone. I take 200 mg. There were side effects at first such as anger, stomach problems, and blurry vision, but they are gone now and my body has adjusted to the medication. I don’t have any more side effects. I did see an ophthalmologist for a thorough eye exam before taking it. Also, don’t forget to eat something before taking it, so it doesn’t upset your stomach. Medication affects everybody differently, so don’t be afraid to try it. It might not affect you in the same way, negative or positive. You won’t know until you try it.
Most important is to make an appointment with your eye doctor. You should see your eye doctor ideally just before starting it, but get in there as soon as you can so the eye doctor can get a baseline of your eye health. You should go every 6 months for an eye check-up as Plaquenil/hydroxychloroquine can be toxic to your retinas, especially in high doses. My rheum told me that the general guideline to prevent toxicity is 6mg per kg of body weight. If you're over what that guideline formula says your maximum dosage should be, then you're at a slightly greater risk for retina damage. Retinal damage is rare, but it can happen so just make sure you get your eyes checked routinely.
I've been on Plaquenil since February and I love it. I noticed a difference in my fatigue level within a few weeks. It can take a few months before you notice anything, but everyone processes medicines differently. I have only had minor flares while on it, but the flares had all occurred from stress. No medication is going to stop stress, but what would have lasted two months, only lasted 3 weeks so I've been very thankful for that.
Only side effect I had was when I first started taking it, I had menstrual spotting. Rheumy said that Plaquenil has some anticoagulant properties and certain individuals are sensitive to those properties. I just happened to be one of them. It went away within a few weeks though and I haven't had anything else related to that. Quite often, mild side effects will go away after a few weeks, once your body has adjusted.
My dad has had different experiences with Plaquenil. He still has some fatigue, but he rarely has a flare. He never had any side effects either. We're both on the same dosage (400mg... 200 in the morning, 200 at night) so it's interesting to see how differently we respond to it. Gender, race, other meds, can all play a role in how we metabolize and respond to medications.
I hope some of this information helps. Wishing you the best response to the medication!
Hi Tez (:
If it would cause me to loose weight that would be a blessed side effect for me cause the steroids ive been on have caused me to gain lots an lots of weight ): They have started me out on 400 mg a day. I did have to go to the eye dr first to be approved to take this med. Turned out the eye dr said my eyes were extremely worn out and severe light sensitivity too my eyes as well. So I got the privilege to get glasses. Which I don't mind wearing them its just the cost of it all. He has put the transitional stuff in the lenses with the reflection stuff in em also. And I had to get the transitional kind that cost a little more of coarse cause I needed the kind that turn the half darkness when u get into ur vehicle. the regular kind does not do that. These were optional but he had a good point. My eyes are so severely sensitive to where I cant hardly drive anymore. So frames lenses and all were right at $600.00 And im on Medicaid and well over the age 21 so they do not pay for any kind of eyewear whatsoever. I called places for over a week I found online trying to get help with them but had no luck. Im on SSI so I only make 626.00 a month for my daughter and me.
What was the symptoms of your lupus that this med helped with after a few months?
Thank you Tez for taking the time to chat with me (:
Tez_20 said:
Hi Monique,
If you can keep with taking plaquenil it's sound for DLE/SLE it's a none steriod drug and it caused me to lose some weight which is another side affect.
I take 200mg daily mainly to help my skin and i've been on it several years now...some members have side affects and other's don't but this happens with all patients taking new meds.
Have you been passed by an opthamologist to take it, as checkups every 6mths is necessary.
To me it's a great med and usually takes upto 6mths before working but i felt the difference at nearly 3mths, some members have add it earlier.
You'll get some replies on this as so many members are on it Monique.
The two links below explain the drug in great detail.
((Hugs Terri)) xxx
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/hydroxychloroquine-side-effects.html
http://www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pages/MedicineOverview.aspx?condi...
Hi flutter do u have SLE or cutaneous lupus? Please let me know what your Rheumy had to say today! If this med don't work I wonder what would be the next step? And what mg did they start you on?
Flutter said:
I started this med 2 weeks ago - so far have felt no different.
After reading the links that Tez 20 posted, Im a bit nervous .
Have my first rheumy appt today. Guess this will be on the agenda to discuss.
Lol yes I learned the hard way to make sure and eat before I take it. I got so severely sick when I too it the first night without eating first. So I guess what im wanting to know is has this med helped with all symptoms of lupus that you were having?
Keepkeepinon said:
I'm on it and my pain is pretty much gone. I take 200 mg. There were side effects at first such as anger, stomach problems, and blurry vision, but they are gone now and my body has adjusted to the medication. I don't have any more side effects. I did see an ophthalmologist for a thorough eye exam before taking it. Also, don't forget to eat something before taking it, so it doesn't upset your stomach. Medication affects everybody differently, so don't be afraid to try it. It might not affect you in the same way, negative or positive. You won't know until you try it.
Hi Thank you for your reply! My Rheumy wouldn't even give me my prescription until I went to the eye dr an she got the report. So is your dad on the same med for Lupus or something else?
Ballerina8876 said:
Most important is to make an appointment with your eye doctor. You should see your eye doctor ideally just before starting it, but get in there as soon as you can so the eye doctor can get a baseline of your eye health. You should go every 6 months for an eye check-up as Plaquenil/hydroxychloroquine can be toxic to your retinas, especially in high doses. My rheum told me that the general guideline to prevent toxicity is 6mg per kg of body weight. If you're over what that guideline formula says your maximum dosage should be, then you're at a slightly greater risk for retina damage. Retinal damage is rare, but it can happen so just make sure you get your eyes checked routinely.
I've been on Plaquenil since February and I love it. I noticed a difference in my fatigue level within a few weeks. It can take a few months before you notice anything, but everyone processes medicines differently. I have only had minor flares while on it, but the flares had all occurred from stress. No medication is going to stop stress, but what would have lasted two months, only lasted 3 weeks so I've been very thankful for that.
Only side effect I had was when I first started taking it, I had menstrual spotting. Rheumy said that Plaquenil has some anticoagulant properties and certain individuals are sensitive to those properties. I just happened to be one of them. It went away within a few weeks though and I haven't had anything else related to that. Quite often, mild side effects will go away after a few weeks, once your body has adjusted.
My dad has had different experiences with Plaquenil. He still has some fatigue, but he rarely has a flare. He never had any side effects either. We're both on the same dosage (400mg... 200 in the morning, 200 at night) so it's interesting to see how differently we respond to it. Gender, race, other meds, can all play a role in how we metabolize and respond to medications.
I hope some of this information helps. Wishing you the best response to the medication!
It has helped me tremendously. The only thing it didn’t help with is the brain fog and low grade fevers which I still get occasionally. I recently began taking fluoxetine and my brain fog is gone.
moniquecrader said:
Lol yes I learned the hard way to make sure and eat before I take it. I got so severely sick when I too it the first night without eating first. So I guess what im wanting to know is has this med helped with all symptoms of lupus that you were having?
Yep, he's on it for lupus too. Glad to hear that your rheumy is on top of things with the eye exam!
moniquecrader said:
Hi Thank you for your reply! My Rheumy wouldn't even give me my prescription until I went to the eye dr an she got the report. So is your dad on the same med for Lupus or something else?
Ballerina8876 said:Most important is to make an appointment with your eye doctor. You should see your eye doctor ideally just before starting it, but get in there as soon as you can so the eye doctor can get a baseline of your eye health. You should go every 6 months for an eye check-up as Plaquenil/hydroxychloroquine can be toxic to your retinas, especially in high doses. My rheum told me that the general guideline to prevent toxicity is 6mg per kg of body weight. If you're over what that guideline formula says your maximum dosage should be, then you're at a slightly greater risk for retina damage. Retinal damage is rare, but it can happen so just make sure you get your eyes checked routinely.
I've been on Plaquenil since February and I love it. I noticed a difference in my fatigue level within a few weeks. It can take a few months before you notice anything, but everyone processes medicines differently. I have only had minor flares while on it, but the flares had all occurred from stress. No medication is going to stop stress, but what would have lasted two months, only lasted 3 weeks so I've been very thankful for that.
Only side effect I had was when I first started taking it, I had menstrual spotting. Rheumy said that Plaquenil has some anticoagulant properties and certain individuals are sensitive to those properties. I just happened to be one of them. It went away within a few weeks though and I haven't had anything else related to that. Quite often, mild side effects will go away after a few weeks, once your body has adjusted.
My dad has had different experiences with Plaquenil. He still has some fatigue, but he rarely has a flare. He never had any side effects either. We're both on the same dosage (400mg... 200 in the morning, 200 at night) so it's interesting to see how differently we respond to it. Gender, race, other meds, can all play a role in how we metabolize and respond to medications.
I hope some of this information helps. Wishing you the best response to the medication!
Hi Flutter,
Please update we on how your appointment went please.
When i first started it i was taking it at 2pm in between other meds and i was bad, pulpatations, feeling enclosed in and i did panic, headaches and more but with how my head is now i can't remember i did pull myself off it, which i should'nt have done had the shakes bad...saw my rheumo again and he wanted me on it and i was advised to take it at night before bed which i did and had nausea for about 4-5days and i had nothing after but not all patients feel any side affects what so ever :)
Flutter said:
I started this med 2 weeks ago - so far have felt no different.
After reading the links that Tez 20 posted, Im a bit nervous .
Have my first rheumy appt today. Guess this will be on the agenda to discuss.
Hello Monique,
Well i hope it does make you lose some weight and the drugs ok with you because i soon saw the weight loss and steriods mate are lethal the weight gain is unreal.
Well i'm pleased you saw the eye specialist and as long as you take the plaquenil you should still attend every 6mths and being told you need glasseswill help your eyes also but it is an expensive game..my eye vision is pure i have to wear reading glasses besides for long distance and they go tinted dark brown in the light as i have muscle damage besides other issues.
Good god mate that's alot of money to pay for spec's...to have two pairs for myself and the lenses tinted as mentioned besides choosing frames the highest i pay is £250.00.
Monique the plaquenil was to help me with my SCLE/SLE, Raynauds Phenomenon, Psoriasis, Scleroderma, the other's i have are dealt with other meds....it's getting to the stage now though that it's not so affective and this can happen with some patients but i've been told there's no help because there's to much overlapping going on and last time i saw my rheumo i asked him for methetrexate as i've got well i've add enough at times an would stick my signature to any med mate...it sounds well but it gets you down.
Please update we regular on this discussion to let we know how your feeling each day.
my friend :) xxx
moniquecrader said:
Hi Tez (:
If it would cause me to loose weight that would be a blessed side effect for me cause the steroids ive been on have caused me to gain lots an lots of weight ): They have started me out on 400 mg a day. I did have to go to the eye dr first to be approved to take this med. Turned out the eye dr said my eyes were extremely worn out and severe light sensitivity too my eyes as well. So I got the privilege to get glasses. Which I don't mind wearing them its just the cost of it all. He has put the transitional stuff in the lenses with the reflection stuff in em also. And I had to get the transitional kind that cost a little more of coarse cause I needed the kind that turn the half darkness when u get into ur vehicle. the regular kind does not do that. These were optional but he had a good point. My eyes are so severely sensitive to where I cant hardly drive anymore. So frames lenses and all were right at $600.00 And im on Medicaid and well over the age 21 so they do not pay for any kind of eyewear whatsoever. I called places for over a week I found online trying to get help with them but had no luck. Im on SSI so I only make 626.00 a month for my daughter and me.
What was the symptoms of your lupus that this med helped with after a few months?
Thank you Tez for taking the time to chat with me (:
Tez_20 said:Hi Monique,
If you can keep with taking plaquenil it's sound for DLE/SLE it's a none steriod drug and it caused me to lose some weight which is another side affect.
I take 200mg daily mainly to help my skin and i've been on it several years now...some members have side affects and other's don't but this happens with all patients taking new meds.
Have you been passed by an opthamologist to take it, as checkups every 6mths is necessary.
To me it's a great med and usually takes upto 6mths before working but i felt the difference at nearly 3mths, some members have add it earlier.
You'll get some replies on this as so many members are on it Monique.
The two links below explain the drug in great detail.
((Hugs Terri)) xxx
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/hydroxychloroquine-side-effects.html
http://www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pages/MedicineOverview.aspx?condi...