Hydroxychloroquine User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 20, 2019

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "Started taking Plaquenil 5 days ago for bad butterfly rash caused by dermal lupus. I’m extremely dizzy, bad stomach pain, ringing in the ears, etc. I’ll deal with the rash, this is way too harsh. This is why pharma scares me so much. In bed on a beautiful sunny day, can’t even walk my dogs, so dizzy."

• Bac...
• November 4, 2017

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I am a 72-year-old female, diagnosed with RA 6 years ago. I took Plaquenil (200x2) from 2012 to 2016, along with Prednisone to start. Due to the fact that I could not use my hands because of the swelling, I risked the possible vision problems. By 2012, I was symptom-free and still fearful of vision loss, so I stopped the drug. I was pain and symptom-free for one year, but now symptoms have returned, and I have been told to restart the drug (no Prednisone). In the 4 years that I took it, I went from 95 lbs to 85 lbs, lost a significant amount of hair, had cataract surgery, and now have macular degeneration. The decision to restart is extremely emotionally stressful, weighing the benefits against the risks. (Dr. says neither eye problem was caused by the drug.)"

• GoJ...
• October 6, 2017

For Lyme Disease, Arthritis "I have been taking hydroxychloroquine, 100 mg for several years off and on for chronic Lyme, which cranked up arthritis soon after being bitten approximately 50 times on the first exposure. This seems to help once my body has adjusted. Often I can feel that it must be working because it will seem to bring on a Herxheimer reaction now and then, but overall, this drug has worked well for me."

• CTT...
• October 13, 2015

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "I started this med as I have both RA and Systemic Lupus. It did nothing for me, and we added Methotrexate, still no benefit. Added Enbrel, no better. My eyesight was beginning to fail, so I stopped all of them. My weight ballooned up by 25 lbs! I have found no mainstream meds to help and had to turn to Traditional Chinese Medicine for relief. Works great for me. I am still hoping to find something in the regular vein of meds to help and not hurt me. My insurance will not cover the help of the Traditional Chinese Medicine that is helping. What's up with that?"

• Ang...
• April 9, 2015

For Lupus "I was diagnosed with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis four years ago. The doctor told me to take hydroxychloroquine and told me to stick to that medicine or my lupus would return. Ever since then I have been doing great. I do have a few side effects but none of that matters to me because I got my childhood back. - Angel Aguillon 14 years old 04/08/15"

• RA ...
• October 6, 2017

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I primarily treat my RA with CBD paste. While it does pretty good alone, my doctor suggested that Plaquenil might zero out the rest of my symptoms. Even though I have a fairly severe case of RA, the CBD paste manages about 80% of the disease. But I've been taking the Plaquenil for about 3 weeks, and honestly, I think I have more swelling. I've decided to stop for now and am wondering if Plaquenil can actually make the symptoms worse?"

• PBH...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 29, 2014

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "I have been taking 200mg of Plaquenil daily for 2 years now. I still have many days a week when my entire body hurts. My eye doctor cautioned me not to go to a higher dose for the protection of my eyes. Recently, my daughter noticed a film over half of one eye, which I could not see, and my vision is generally not as clear. May not be the right medicine for me."

• Dan...
• September 9, 2015

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I had Lyme disease and a subsequent RA diagnosis. I have been on Plaquenil for 7 months: 200 mg 2 times a day and now 1 time a day. It has helped a great deal. I was also taking collagen and a few herbs for inflammation. I am doing much better and able to do a lot of things I thought I never would again. I have occasional stiffness, but it's hardly an issue. On the downside, I do have bad nightmares-not all the time, but they are something I am not happy about. Anecdotally, they may be correlated to alcohol. I occasionally get nausea and headaches as well, but the headaches are mild and only once a week or so. Fingers crossed that the side effects diminish and that this drug keeps on keeping on. I am 55. Best to you all."

• Tjm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 28, 2019

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "I am African American, 55 years of age. I developed sores on my leg, hearing loss problems, heart rate increased, dizziness all the time, balance problems while walking, mouth sores, weakness of lower legs. I had to use a mobile chair, I became so weak, made quality of life worse."

• Ros...
• July 23, 2014

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "This medication worked great for me except for some stomach upset, which I was tolerating because I wanted to stay off Prednisone. However, three weeks into taking the medication, I developed an allergy to it and broke out in hives all over my body. So, I had to discontinue, sadly. Very sorry not to be able to take this medication as it seems the best one for controlling my Lupus with the least side effects."

• Amb...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 23, 2018

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I started on Plaquenil for psoriatic arthritis in 2015 (200 mg twice daily). I didn’t feel too bad, but a huge bout of stress made my symptoms worse. I then started methotrexate in addition to Plaquenil. My rheumatologist suggested once daily Plaquenil, and that seemed okay. After a while, he said I could stop it as he was not sure if it was working. I tapered off the dose, and I slowly began feeling dreadful. The fatigue was awful, and I had weird signs akin to severe fibro. I then started back on twice daily Plaquenil. Within two weeks, I began to feel more human, and six months later, the fatigue is greatly improved. The small joints in my hands and my wrists are less sore, still painful but improved. I can do more now and feel like doing more. I still have some bad fatigue days, and the rheumatologist is still talking about biologicals, but for the moment, I’m happy to see how I go. None of these drugs are perfect, but at this stage, Plaquenil is really helping me."

• Ang...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 1, 2019

Hydroxychloroquine for Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "I have been taking 200 mg of Plaquenil twice a day for 10 years. I get my vision checked every 6 months. I have had some thinning of my hair and can be nauseated in the morning if I don’t eat, but these are minor side effects compared to the symptoms it is treating. Switched to a new rheumatologist (mine retired), and the first thing he did was start weaning me off Plaquenil, saying I’ve been on it too long. I’m down to one pill once a day and absolutely miserable. I’m easily fatigued, achy, and feel exhausted. Started going to bed earlier and earlier but not feeling rested. Don’t want to get out of bed. Now I’m depressed because I felt great on the drug he says I can’t have."

• RIN...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 28, 2019

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I take it for rheumatoid arthritis, it has been good for me, but the generic form of it caused me problems, so I have to take the brand name. The brand name is extremely expensive, and I cannot afford it. I stopped taking it because it is too expensive. I need help in order to keep on taking it, I don't know what to do? Any suggestions?"

• che...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 13, 2022

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I thought it might be helping, I thought I tolerated it well because my eyes were okay. I was wrong. My heart rate went up a couple of years into taking it. Doctors blamed pain, then fatigue got worse to the point that I lived in my recliner. Then I developed more problems that slowly got worse: dizziness, extreme fatigue to the point that I couldn't concentrate on basic tasks, racing heart and near fainting, uncontrollable sinus infections, daily migraines, and my skin was all messed up with rashes and rosacea. I started dropping weight fast, food went right through me. The heart had problems not caused by the heart, the gut had problems not caused by the gut. Finally, the blood doctor's tests showed hemolytic anemia was bad, I was reacting to the Plaquenil in other ways too. Three months off and I'm near recovered. Watch that stuff!! Eight years, GONE, I was near death with doctors blaming RA and misdiagnosing as other things!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2012

For Sjogren's Syndrome "I ignored my doctor for months when he wrote this prescription. I finally started it after an eye doctor lectured me because I was seeing him for an immune response eye infection. He gave me a good talking to and agreed with the rheumatologist that I do, in fact, have Sjogren's. So I started it and I can't believe I wasted those months not taking it! It is the only thing that has helped me! The only issue I have is I have been on 200mg, 2 tablets twice a day for about 6 months, and now they decreased it to 1 tablet twice a day. I'm a little nervous about the decrease because I don't want all that pain back!"

• Dia...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2018

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I've been using Plaquenil for 3 months. It has helped my RA pain subside a lot. While my rheumatologist says I'm in the beginning stages of RA, she nonetheless put me on the Plaquenil. However, my hair is falling out rapidly, so I have weaned myself off of it and will never use it again."

• Sjo...
• May 27, 2015

For Sjogren's Syndrome "Before starting this medication, I felt deathbed tired. In my forties, I was ready to go home to heaven, that's how awful I felt. After starting on 200 mg, within a few months, the joint pain was almost completely gone, and fatigue was somewhat better. Doc bumped me up to 400 mg, and now I'm still tired, but I don't sleep 16 hours a day anymore at least. It's a lifesaver. (My other doctors are freaked out by the medicine and think it's the cause of my problems, but they should have seen me before I was on it. I thank God for this medication!)"

• Aut...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 16, 2018

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "When first diagnosed 3 yrs ago, my rheumy wanted to try Plaquenil first. He did tell me that some people develop allergies to the drug. Sure enough, three months in, I developed hives all over my body. Had to stop the drug. Now I have Kenalog injections every 5-6 months, which have worked well for me. No side effects, and I am returned to my pre-RA self. Plaquenil is a great treatment for many; just not for me. Every person's physiology is different. My GP has also been researching some older drugs that he thinks were back-burnered due to new biologics. I'm researching as well."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2016

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I'm 18 and was told I have arthritis about 10 months ago. Plaquenil worked after the first couple of weeks, but one major side effect is mouth ulcers, and at times I've been in so much pain with them I couldn't eat. But then the alternative one said it could make my hair fall out (and that is not an option at my age)."

• One...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 29, 2013

For Lupus "Male, 66, who has been on this drug for 10 years. Without it, my life as I know it would be gone! It took about 3 to 4 months to fully work and change my blood chemistry back to normal as it was way out. The dsDNA rate last check was down to 70. Now I travel the world in remote areas, walk more than 5 miles in the jungle heat, and feel like my old self (well, as much as I can being another decade older) ;-)"

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2016

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "I had only had a mild SLE flare about 30 years ago. I had plenty of the discoid lupus symptoms, but they were easily controlled with avoiding the sun and using sunscreens, especially in the last 20 years. I developed another autoimmune problem about 15 years ago (gluten intolerance or possible CD). I ate the 'gluten-free' Cheerios when they hit the shelves about 6 months ago and almost killed myself, as they were not gluten free. This touched off a SLE flare of unbelievable proportions! Practically every joint in my body was hurting so badly, and I had fever and fatigue and did not respond to NSAIDs. Plaquenil has been my lifesaver! Adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet for a month helped, also. The price-worth it."

• Tan...
• February 18, 2020

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Hydrochloroquine (Plaquenil) has been a blessing for me. It took about 5 weeks to take effect, but my RA is basically a non-factor now. I do occasionally experience dry eyes and a little scalp itch, but asserting that it's caused by hydroxychloroquine would be anecdotal at best. Have my eyes checked twice a year, and so far so good. After 5 years, I consider myself fortunate that this drug has worked wonders for me."

• Sew...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 22, 2016

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I'm a 30-year-old mother of 2. I have been taking Plaquenil for about 2 years now. Initially, it helped a great deal. I'm noticing my pain levels rising, and now I've developed tinnitus. I'm told that Plaquenil can cause permanent deafness. So I'm going to have to seek other options. Methotrexate is not an option due to the damage to my lungs pre-diagnosis. I'm honestly scared about the cancer risks of other medications, but now I don't have a choice."

• Han...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 17, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I've had one of the worst cases of RA. I tried Methotrexate and it started messing with my liver enzymes, so the doctor took me off it. I've just been taking Hydroxychloroquine for a while now, and it's the magic pill for me. I do take a pain pill for shooting pains, and I take Hydroxycycline. The combination seems to do well. It's not a cure, but I'm able to walk, and there is no swelling except for my ankles. I'm telling you, I feel comfortable with Hydroxychloroquine."

• Jes...
• November 16, 2010

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "The only reason I gave Plaquenil a 9 instead of a 10 is because I still need Imuran as well. Plaquenil is a great medicine, but it's important to have your eyes examined every 6-12 months to check for a RARE side effect of eye damage."