Plaquenil and Rash: What Users Say

• Mot...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was diagnosed with RA after a knee arthroscopy seemed to set it off in 2017. I had pains in both knees, left wrist, hips, groin area & jaw so my Rheumatologist prescribed Hydroxychloroquine. After only 10 days, I developed a terrible lumpy rash on my legs which was hot & itchy. It spread quickly to my abdomen, bottom arms & back, then I got a sore throat & swollen top lip! I stopped the tablets on the 12th day but the rash still spread. My GP put me on Steroids & Antihistamines. Hopefully this will stop the rash. It's amazing they tell you it can take 3 months for hydroxychloroquine to be effective (but only 10 days to cause side effects!)"

• Tay...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 20, 2019

For Sjogren's Syndrome "I’ve been on Plaquenil 400 mg once a day for 6 months now due to Sjögren's. If you are wondering how long Plaquenil takes to work, it took about 3 months before I started feeling better. Now at 6 months, I’m noticing more symptoms. I have a rash on my arms, and my face feels like it’s burning, but I don’t have a sunburn or anything. I’ve also noticed my eyebrows look like I have bleached them."

• lus...
• September 25, 2012

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "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."

• Ros...
• July 23, 2014

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."

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

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!"

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

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."

• C W...
• December 9, 2017

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "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."

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

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was diagnosed with RA just recently in 2019 when I was 32. It started with fingers and toes, then tender hotspots on arms and legs, and upper back pain involvement a month after. I took Plaquenil with full adherence of 300 mg/d dosage, hence a positive effect on fingers and 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 the first 3 months), stomach pain (a few times), diarrhea (persisted during the 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 rheumatologist in coming weeks to discuss my never relieved morning upper back pain."

• Luc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2017

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "I took this medication for only 3 weeks for Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. (Diagnosed 15 years ago, medication-free for the last 11 years). My only active symptom at the time was Raynaud's. I really did not want to take any medication and felt that improving my lifestyle/keeping warm was worth a try, but my (new) rheumatologist pushed it and said he would discharge me if I didn't take it. All my other tests (lung function, heart scan, bloods) were fine. What a mistake. It did not help my Raynaud's but did cause huge hives from my neck to my ankle. My last dose was May 25th, it is now August 9th, and these unsightly hives continue to come and go. With such a long half-life (up to 50 days), it will take over 18 months to fully eliminate it."

• Lou...
• January 28, 2014

For Dermatomyositis "I have dermatomyositis. Plaquenil, along with quinicrine, treated my hand lesions, which were very painful. This took about a year to accomplish. It's been about a year and a half now, and I'm starting to react to one or both of the medications. I have a rash all over my body, and ulcers and lichen planus in my mouth. I'm seeing my doctor shortly to see about this."

• Sta...
• February 10, 2017

For Sjogren's Syndrome "This was not the answer for me. I developed a bad rash and itching over my entire body, and now my ears ring, and that will never go away. Just from taking it for under a month."

• mam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 12, 2018

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Used Plaquenil for 6 weeks until I developed a terrible full-body rash. It was working for the inflammation and pain very well until the rash."

• new...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2014

For Lupus "I experienced a rash over my entire body about 2-3 weeks after starting to take this medicine. I don't really know if it would have worked for me or not."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2020

For Dermatomyositis "I took Plaquenil for dermatomyositis, and it caused me to have pain and rash all over my body. Other than that, it didn’t help me."