Plaquenil for Rheumatoid Arthritis User Reviews (Page 2)

• RA ...
• March 9, 2013

"I have been taking Plaquenil for about 2 months. I started out with 200 mg/1x a day along with Prednisone to treat my RA, slowly tapering off the steroids. Now I am just on Plaquenil. I have to say that the pain is still there, especially in the morning and late evening. Sometimes it is difficult to fall asleep, but I gave it a 6 because it is nothing like before when I took no medication. Perhaps it works better for others? I still have the swelling and stiffness in the mornings, but, as I said, nothing like before. It also only gets a 6 because the headaches I get while taking it are debilitating. I sometimes wonder if the trade-off is worth it? They start about 30 minutes after taking it and last until I manage to fall asleep. Sigh."

• Mrs...
• April 21, 2015

"Feel so much better since being on Plaquenil since 2013. Always have regular eye tests. My inflammation level is only a 2 now and it was 39. Still feel a little tired now and then but I blame it on working 30 hours a week. Hope this drug helps you too."

• Anonymous
• July 31, 2011

"I have been on Plaquenil for 11 months. It took 6 months to the day for it to start working and then, heaven set in. The pain diminished significantly. I have a flare up now, for the first time and wondering what to do. I've taken Aleve, but no luck. I only seem to have a flare up during that particular time of the month, maybe something to do with water retention or hormones. Only side effect so far is upset stomach, take with food and in the middle of the day and much better."

• ith...
• September 9, 2019

"I am a 63-year-old female who was diagnosed with RA after instigating a blood test for it out of desperation 3 weeks ago. My debilitating chronic pain in feet and random knee flare-ups has a name. My rheumatologist put me on prednisolone (reduced doses over 3 months) until the methotrexate starts working (once a week of 15mg for 2 weeks, 20mg once a week indefinitely). Plaquenil 300mg daily. I also take Vitamin D daily, 5mg folic acid once a week, plus curcumin and fish oil. I have been taking it all with breakfast for the last 8 days. I have had stomach cramps but no diarrhea. The prednisolone has been magic for pain-free sleep and movement. I will see in 2 months' time with only the latter 2. Trying to stay positive with yoga and strength exercises. Drugs, vitamins, anti-inflammatory supplements, eye tests, and blood tests, and maybe a nice wig are now part of my new reality."

• Anonymous
• June 25, 2016

"I have been taking Plaquenil for about 4 years, 200 mg twice a day. I have been having severe stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. I just now realized it's the Plaquenil because I didn't take it for 3 days due to the nausea and vomiting. I took it again today and got so sick that I had to throw up. Now, I realized it's the Plaquenil. I have been to a gastroenterologist and have done all kinds of tests. I will not be taking this medication again. My rheumatoid arthritis is nothing as bad as the nausea and vomiting. Maybe this will help someone. I don't know what I will take for this RA pain. I feel so sorry for anyone who has this RA. I was not diagnosed with this until I was 65 years old."

• lus...
• September 25, 2012

"I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in February 2012. Plaquenil has been the second medication we've tried. I've only taken it for 1 week and have a horrible rash on both arms and on the backs of my legs. It has caused diarrhea and headaches. I have stopped taking this medication and am currently waiting to see what medication we will try next."

• Anonymous
• June 4, 2012

"I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 11 years and have been taking 400 mg a day. It is now causing skin discoloration in my lower shin, now grayish black. I will be going off this. Have had no eye problems while taking this medicine."

• Vet...
• May 1, 2015

"I started this medication a week ago and have had very vivid dreams. I used to wake up with rib and hip pain/stiffness. I also couldn't relax and lay in bed because my body just felt restless. I would say that on day 2, I woke up almost completely relaxed and nearly no stiffness. I also started taking Celebrex on the same day, so I'm not sure if it's the combination of the two or one or the other, but I feel so much better. I am a 31-year-old female and a mom of a 1.5-year-old."

• Gle...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 19, 2019

"When first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Plaquenil worked after a couple of weeks. I was in remission, so I stopped, but the doctor was upset as he said it was important to keep damage to joints down. Anyway, the RA flared, and I'm back taking one a day. Hoping to feel better again, but it seems slow. Not sure if it is due to the generic that I'm receiving. Also, please get eye checkups. Had a scare, but it is fine. This drug has fewer side effects than others! Good luck."

• Bac...
• November 4, 2017

"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.)"

• RA ...
• October 6, 2017

"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?"

• Dan...
• September 9, 2015

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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

"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!"

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

"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."

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

"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

"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)."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

• C W...
• December 9, 2017

"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."

• Anonymous
• December 31, 2008

"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."

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

"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."

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 8, 2020

"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!!!!"