Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis User Reviews (Page 3)

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

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• sunset
• September 6, 2014

"I am a 47-year-old female who has suffered many years from chronic pain in my joints! It's been a long road to finally have a doctor go out of his way to clearly confirm a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. It's not even been a week yet since hydroxychloroquine was introduced as part of my treatment! Wow! I have not conquered this journey all the way yet, but I will. This medicine has improved my ankle and finger joint pain. It's only been a week! Yes, there are some minor side effects, but compared to the pain I was in over a week ago, it's incredible! The rheumatologist is the key! Great care and the combination of two other treatments are improving my life one day at a time! Don't wait! Ask your rheumatologist today what hydroxychloroquine can do for your rheumatoid arthritis."

• sandy
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 23, 2020

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I have been taking Plaquenil for the last 6 months. It has worked so well to reduce my inflammation. Along with methotrexate, I have next to no RA symptoms. Do take this with water or food, as it can upset your stomach. Also, try to eat healthy, as I have noticed increased appetite on this medication."

• Lou
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 16, 2020

"I was diagnosed with hydroxychloroquine for RA in 1996. During the next approximate 12 years, my doctors prescribed hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate (can't recall the timing on each). Then, after those 12 years of meds, I no longer had any RA pain. My doctor agreed to discontinue the meds. It has been 12 years since then, and I remain pain-free."

• Autumn
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 16, 2018

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• Science...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 13, 2015

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I have been on Plaquenil for two months to treat newly diagnosed RA. The duration and intensity of the flares have been reduced, but I am still suffering with aches and swelling in my small joints and elbows. I have had mild nausea and am having my eyes monitored by my optometrist."

• Kat
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 28, 2014

"I have been on hydroxychloroquine for over a year. It has eased the pain in my hands for a while, but the longer I am on this medication, it is not working as well as it did. I am still having stiffness and pain in some joints. This is at 200 mg x 2 daily."

• Anonymous
• December 31, 2008

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I've been on this medicine since I was 12. I'm now 21. I have yet to experience any major side effects. Just recently I've noticed that it upsets my stomach if I don't eat with it, but I guess it's because my doctor just upped the dose because I gained weight."

• unama...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 29, 2015

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I live in the UK and have all treatment under the National Health Service. I have RA, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, blepharitis, and interstitial lung disease! Blimey, I hear you say quite rightly. I say it every day. I take hydroxychloroquine in conjunction with methotrexate and etanercept, and they seem to work well together. However, since my methotrexate was reduced (due to continual chest infections), I have noticed a recurrence of swelling and pain has increased. I am now on 80 mg of morphine (MST slow release) x 2 per day and oramorph (instant effect morphine) for breakout pain. Docs told me that they know the three meds work in conjunction with each other, but they don't know why! Who cares - give me the drugs. Hope this helps."

• Anonymous
• January 9, 2011

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I was diagnosed with RA in October 2010 and have been on Plaquenil (200mg 2x/day) and Celebrex (200mg/day) for 3 months now. I've noticed a slight improvement in my hands and fingers as far as morning/evening swelling goes, but the stiffness and pain still persist. I go back to see the RA doc next week and am hoping he can either increase the dose or add something else to the mix because I'm still not feeling all that great."

• C Wife
• December 9, 2017

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I have been on Plaquenil for about 15 years without apparent side effects until this year. But this year, I have developed severe swelling of the face and a red rash on the upper half of my face. This also includes very difficult itching in odd places on my body, my eyebrows and eyelashes, my earlobes, my lower legs and lower arms, my scalp, and of course where the red rash was. This was twice cleared up with heavy doses of antibiotics and cortisone. However, my rheumatologist took me off all arthritis drugs, and we added them back little by little. When Plaquenil was finally included with the other drugs again, it took about three days, and my face started swelling, and the rash and itching. I can only assume that this was the cause of my allergic reaction, even after all the years of use."

• Grandma
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 8, 2020

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I have taken this medicine for 2 years. It helped my hands so much, more like 100 percent, but I can tell that my eyes are getting bad. I have an eye doctor appointment next month. What I didn’t know was it could cause your hair to fall out - it’s been falling out bad. I just found out yesterday that this is one of the side effects, so I am stopping this medicine. Hopefully, I can take something up. For all of you out there that have no side effects, you are so blessed!!!!"

• kat
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 1, 2018

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I tried this med for mild to moderate rheumatoid arthritis, and after a few days of stomach aches, I started getting severe stomach pain that had me doubled over. I realized it had begun when I started taking the Plaquenil. I called my doctor, and we agreed I should not be taking it. Less than 24 hours later, my pain was gone. Not for me! Never again... it was a terrible experience!"

• spunk...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2017

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I am still trying to figure out what this drug is supposed to do because I still get the soreness in the joints and the swelling, especially in the shoulders and hands. Some nights, it's hard to sleep unless I take something for the pain in both."

• Anonymous
• October 31, 2010

"I had pain in my knees, feet, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Sitting down and then getting up again was quite painful, some days I could walk only very slowly. After 8 weeks of taking hydroxychloroquine and meloxicam, I felt much better, but my joints were still somewhat swollen. My rheumatologist was ready to put me on stronger medication. I asked to give it a while longer before taking that step, since I felt so much improved. After 4 months of tracking my progress, the doctor now says I won't need the stronger medicines. The hydroxychloroquine was just very slow-acting for me. I am very glad my doctor was willing to work with me, and I recommend patience with this medicine. By the way, I've experienced no side effects to date."

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

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I thought it might be helping, I thought I tolerated it well because my eyes were ok. I was wrong. My heart rate went up a couple years into taking it, Drs 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 & near fainting, uncontrollable sinus infections, daily migraine, my skin was all messed up with rashes and rosacea. I started dropping weight fast, food went right through me. Heart had problems not caused by heart, gut had probs not caused by gut. Finally the blood Dr's tests showed Hemolytic Anemia bad, I was reacting to the plaquenil in other ways too. 3 months off & I'm near recovered. Watch that stuff!! 8 years, GONE, I was near death w/Drs blaming RA & misdiagnosing as other things!"

• Kittyp
• April 24, 2009

"I was diagnosed with sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis in 1998. Plaquenil quickly helped the swelling and pain in my hands, wrists, and elbows. After 4 years, a new doctor questioned whether I really had RA, and she took me off Plaquenil. Less than two years later, my hands seemed to freeze up, and I actually wore splints because of the pain. A new rheumatologist quickly put me back on Plaquenil. I have my eyes checked by a retina specialist twice a year. My only pain now is osteoarthritis in my knees and back, and I exercise and take occasional anti-inflammatories for that. I am grateful to Plaquenil when I remember how bad my pain and the swelling were before Plaquenil."

• JC071
• November 15, 2015

"Diagnosed with RA 3 years ago, was put on hydroxychloroquine 200mg 2x daily. After 4 months, nearly all my symptoms had gone! Then the hair loss started, and about a year from onset, I began to look like I had the mange; so, being a complete peacock, I took myself off of the medication. Not a good idea, 2 years of being symptom-free, and I had forgotten how badly RA sucks! Four months passed, and all of my symptoms returned, accompanied by a new symptom of chronic joint popping (and more discomfort and pain) in nearly every joint in my body! So, back to the hydroxychloroquine and hoping for the same relief acquired initially. I'm not ready to go Vin Diesel, so maybe I'll just invest in some baseball caps."

• George
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 2, 2020

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I was diagnosed with RA just recently in 2019 when I was 32. It started with fingers & toes then tender hotspots on arms & legs and upper back pain involvement a month after. I took Plaquenil with full adherence of 300mg/d dosage hence positive effect on fingers & toes and body tenders hit in only on month 6, however it did not help me with upper back pain at all. AS was ruled out with HLA-B27(-), movement capacity and clean spine MRI though. The side effects: skin rash (persisted during first 3 months), stomach pain (few times), diarrhea (persisted during first 3 months now occasionally) and muscle twitches (intensive first month, then milder and I ignore them, maybe not due to HCQ) Nevertheless I'm going to visit my rheumo in coming weeks to discuss my never relieved morning upper back pain."

• Anonymous
• November 13, 2012

"This is the fourth medication I have tried for rheumatoid arthritis. I took it for one week and developed headaches and severe diarrhea. I had blood in my stool. I have had similar experiences with other medications."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 18, 2022

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I was put on plaquenil about 12 years ago and was told I could not take if for more than 5 years. I went to my eye doctor every year and was told nothing about the damage nothing about damage to my eyes. Because I was on this was told to come every six months. Then all of a sudden was told I had macula degeneration from plaquenil. I feel like neither my eye doctor nor my rheumatologist was watching out for my eyes."

• LisaS...
• September 19, 2016

"Better than the biologics or methotrexate that caused my lungs to burn up. However, after 7 years of 200 mg b.i.d., I think the time has come to quit this too. I have been experiencing nausea and liver pain for the last few weeks, and just recently, vomiting and hives followed by four hours of dry heaves. My liver (under and just beneath my right rib cage) feels painful and swollen. The biologics are nasty too, and my internist said 10 years is max on them as they are known to cause kidney/liver failure in his experience (42 years as an internist). I am not sure where to go from here. This is an awful disease. Diagnosed at 48. The only thing I know to keep the pain at bay is to get up and move and don't stop until it's time for bed."

• batr
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2019

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "been taking Plaquenil for RA for around 6 months then about 3 weeks ago started having muscular pain, not as bad as the joint pain I used to have but enough to be concerned. muscle weakness, painful, as if I worked out for 2 hours praying it is a dosage problem"

• Tribme
• July 5, 2015

"I was diagnosed with RA in 2014, put on Plaquenil in 10/2014. I delayed starting it out of fear. In March, when I finally saw an actual RA doctor and received answers that made sense and felt reassured, I started taking 200 mg 2 times a day. Took as prescribed for about 2 months, during which time, I began having the worst constipation! Severe enough where that pain was unbearable! I am a regular person when it comes to BMs, always 1 time a day, sometimes 2! But when I went to 3 days and no movement, just cramping and sitting on the toilet praying this would be the day I get relief. To top it off, I was not feeling any better with my RA. I had no relief from pain, aches, stiffness, numbing, fire, inflammation, it wasn't working."

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2010

"I have been on hydroxychloroquine 200 mg for 4 weeks. I can't believe how good I feel. I have rheumatoid arthritis. The tired and aching joints and welts on my body have subsided. I feel like dancing. I still have a dull pain on top of my head. I have not felt this good in 2 years. Good thing."