Hydroxychloroquine and Nausea: What Users Say

• Wil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 16, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I welcome the chance to comment on my personal experience with Hydroxychloroquine (generic). Please keep in mind that these comments are based on my experience only. My rheumatologist prescribed two 200 mg tablets per day. After two months, I discontinued the medication because I was experiencing a number of nasty side effects, which included: dizziness, disorientation (even in familiar places and times), extreme fatigue (slept 16 hours per day), periodic shortness of breath, loss of cognitive abilities, blurred vision, headaches, metallic taste in mouth, excessive itching (but not hives), little improvement of inflamed joints, insomnia, nausea, extreme intestinal disruption, forgetfulness, and overall lack of energy. I realize some with RA praise the drug, and I am happy it works for them. But I found it a nasty, quality-of-life inhibiting drug. Thanks for reading!"

• She...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 3, 2017

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "I've been taking this medicine for 4 days. I have not experienced any negative side effects yet. No nausea or jittery feelings like others I've read about. Since starting this medicine, I've noticed I've slept like a rock. No waking up at all and no problems falling asleep. I just felt I should share this observation since I was terrified to start after reading all these horror stories. Not everyone is negatively affected."

• Kit...
• March 26, 2017

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I've been on Plaquenil for over 3 months now. It works wonderfully! I combine my treatment with Curcumin & Magnesium baths and I feel like a new woman :-) Side effects I experienced: Nausea & dizziness for the first week or two (I found I needed to take it after a full meal to prevent the nausea). I have also noticed since starting the Plaquenil I seem to sweat profusely. It's annoying, but the benefits far outweigh this little problem. I just wear my gym gear about now... which I did mostly beforehand anyhow :-) Also, it take take a couple months for the Plaquenil to kick in & for me to feel the effects! Don't give up, just give it some time."

• osb...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 29, 2014

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "I would recommend this to anyone. I was put on Plaquenil in April of 2012 for Lupus symptoms, constant pain (mostly in my legs), extreme fatigue, and overall ill feeling. Within 2 months of taking Plaquenil, the pain and fatigue had subsided, not completely but has greatly improved over the last year and a half, and my health and immune system have also improved. I went from being sick all the time to very rarely sick. It has been a godsend for me. I wouldn't advise taking the medicine on an empty stomach, it will make you sick and nauseous all day long."

• Hol...
• November 13, 2018

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I've been on a roller coaster for years with Plaquenil for RA/Lupus. I take the name brand to prevent side effects of red, warm, swollen, painful hands, nausea, dizziness, hair loss, etc. Each time I try going back to generic, side effects return immediately. I'm not one to comment but I read so many reviews that sounded like either my ups or downs, so I want to encourage people to stick with this med and try the name brand (though expensive) if having bad side effects with generic. It could explain why some people have such opposite experiences. I get Plaquenil from an international pharmacy and it's much cheaper. It works better than biologics that contributed to or sped up the process leading to my cancer. I'm now 'cancer-free' and refuse to go back on them. I might have to get my vision checked and deal with other mild side effects, but pain and swelling are gone on Plaquenil. Anyway, please hang in there and give your body enough time to adjust to the med before stopping it. It's a risk versus reward scenario with meds."

• Anonymous
• June 11, 2010

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I began taking Plaquenil 6 weeks ago and I am pleased with it. I'm now seeing the benefits and my rheumatologist says that I should continue to get even better over the next 3 months. Honestly, I'm okay with where I'm already at. The biggest surprise is that I'm receiving benefits that I didn't get from 20mg/day of prednisone! The hardest part was when I first began Plaquenil. You initially experience side effects without any benefit, but you just have to hang in there. The side effects start to improve significantly after 2 weeks. My side effects were nausea, loose stools, vomiting, and temporary changes in vision (full eye exam confirmed that everything is fine.) I would highly recommend this medicine!"

• lan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 28, 2015

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "Started Plaquenil 8 months ago - 200mg 2x/day - to treat Psoriatic arthritis and Sjogren's. Learned to NOT take it in the morning with my Meloxicam 15mg because of strong nausea. If I take one after a big lunch and one after dinner, I have no problems at all. Joints and hands, wrists are doing so much better. One worry is that I am too tired to do anything at all. If I do laundry, I sweat. If I cook dinner or rake the yard, I sweat. I seem to even have trouble sleeping on my side at night because of trouble getting enough air into my lungs. Weird, I know. I rated it an 8 because I do not feel sick after taking it and it does seem to work. The last but not least worry is heavy hair loss. I have thin and fine hair anyway, but it comes out like crazy."

• Ste...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2014

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was diagnosed a month ago with rheumatoid arthritis. My doctor started me on Plaquenil 2 weeks ago. 300 mg 2x a day. I had to stop taking it after a week because it upset my stomach, causing vomiting, nausea, and extreme diarrhea. My doctor tried lowering my dose to 150 mg 1x a day to no avail. I'm hoping that she can put me on something that will work better as I have been in extreme pain for over a year. I am 30 years old."

• Cas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 27, 2017

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "I'm in Australia, only just started this medication a week ago but I feel less fatigued already. I was stuck in bed most days, but now I can go longer without needing to go to bed or feeling like I'm going to collapse. I haven't noticed any bad side effects yet either which is good! As I get nauseated and dizzy on meds easily and haven't found that to be the case! I just wanted to point out that some people hear a lot of bad things that aren't necessarily reported or true. Like I noticed a woman on here said she needs to stop taking it because of the tinnitus side effect means she might go deaf. But deafness hasn't been reported, just tinnitus as a side effect whilst taking it. Don't be so afraid if it's going to give you your life back."

• Eve...
• April 29, 2014

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in June 2013 at 39 years old. The pain was unbearable and debilitating. I started taking hydroxychloroquine 200 mg twice a day, which didn't sit well in my stomach, I experienced extreme burning in the esophagus. Once I started using the brand name form of Plaquenil, I no longer experienced that side effect. I had bouts of loose stool, nausea, and headaches for a few months, but they have gone away. Plaquenil has done wonders for me. It does take a few months to really feel the benefits, but hang in there, it's worth the wait. My fingers don't feel like they are going to break off, I don't have pain all over my body, and hurray, no morning stiffness. I feel like a new woman."

• Lou...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 2, 2020

Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus "At first, it made me very sick and nauseous all day, but I figured out that I could take it with peanut butter, it coated my stomach enough to make me not nauseous. It took about 3 months to start helping with joint pain, and it has continued to help more the longer I’m on it. I still get joint pain flares here and there, but they last for much shorter time frames."

• Sjo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 23, 2013

Hydroxychloroquine for Sjogren's Syndrome "I have been on Ranbaxy generic Plaquenil for 11 months now. I don't think it helps me very much, but I continue to take it because I am not experiencing any side effects. My condition is not well-controlled with this drug alone, and I will soon start an additional DMARD after recently finding out I am intolerant of MTX. My battle with Sjogren's has been so much more than glandular issues. It has attacked my biliary system, causing me to lose my gall bladder and have complex issues with the pyloric valve, lower esophageal sphincter, and sphincter of oddi. This causes a variety of symptoms such as bile and acid reflux, bile salt diarrhea, nausea, vomiting up bile, and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. I have signs of kidney disease too."

• Anonymous
• June 25, 2016

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "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."

• 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."

• 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."

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

Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "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."

• Jul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2020

For Lyme Disease, Arthritis "I started on Plaquenil 400 a day, about 10 days ago. Mild nausea after the first dose, but no side effects since. Slept well for the first time in weeks yesterday and actually felt rested afterward for the first time in months, with pain all but completely gone. I am weaning off steroids slowly while it gets in my system. Optimistic!"

• Jue...
• January 11, 2020

Hydroxychloroquine for Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "Horrible drug for me. I was on it for about three days when I noticed a spotty rash everywhere on my face. On day six, I was out and about when I started sweating, lost hearing, got very nauseous, and then collapsed. I started convulsing on the ground. Fortunately, this happened right outside of an allergy clinic, and they were trained in first aid and had supplies. I had a cannula for a saline drip put in right there on the hallway floor, an oxygen mask put on my face, and they tried to intubate so that I could breathe. I had very low blood pressure and heart rate when the paramedics arrived. There was so little blood pumping that their finger heart rate monitor couldn't pick it up, and they had to do it manually! On the way to the ER, my glucose levels were very low and heart rhythms wonky. After hours in the ER, they determined it was an allergic reaction/adverse effects from Plaquenil. Disclaimer: This was just my experience and was a fairly experimental choice of treatment in my case!"

• Tor...
• October 6, 2018

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "Hydroxychloroquine has been a miracle drug for me. I've been on it for 6 years. I first got sick in 2010. I struggled with strange, debilitating symptoms for 2 years before being put on Plaquenil by a rheumatologist. I had a high positive ANA (antinuclear antibody test), positive rheumatoid factor, and low complement levels. My symptoms were Raynaud's, extreme sensitivity to cold, all-over body pain (muscles, joints, skin, tendons, everything hurt), GERD, migraines with aura, heart palpitations, nausea and diarrhea, flu-like feelings, fatigue, dizziness and weakness, and tingling and numbness that would come and go. I was barely managing to function. I was put on Plaquenil finally when my rheumatologist looked at my nailfold capillaries-they were abnormal in a way that suggested connective tissue disease. Within 3-4 months, I started to feel better. I got better and better over the next 6 months. By the time I'd been on Plaquenil for a year, I felt almost normal again with only the occasional bad day."

• Lis...
• September 19, 2016

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "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."

• GCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2016

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Plaquenil was the first RA medication I was put on. It did not go well. I was on it for a total of 3.5 weeks, and during that time, I have never been so sick in my life. The nausea got worse the longer I was on it. I developed severe vomiting at about two weeks on it. I was debilitatingly exhausted all the time. I lost over 10 pounds in this short time because I couldn't eat and was getting so violently ill. It also gave me a horrible headache that lasted from day 1 until my rheumatologist discontinued it. After I stopped taking it, the side effects cleared up in about a week. Now that I am off it, I can tell it was helping the RA pain and swelling, however, the side effects were just too much for me."

• Ban...
• May 14, 2016

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "My RA doctor prescribed 200 mg 2X per day - approximately 1 month ago. I feel a great difference in the improvement of pain relief! But, I do have to eat prior to taking, or I get nauseous. Also, I get very sweaty - dripping sweaty, it's terrible! But the RA pain is so much worse than being sweaty and nauseous, so I will continue to take this medicine! Aside from the 2 side effects I mentioned, Plaquenil has relieved my pain substantially!"

• EJa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 15, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have RA. Diagnosed back in January of 2019. Taking hydroxychloroquine for a month. I started with one a day for the first two weeks. I had really bad diarrhea the first three days. I was very nauseous for the first week. Once I went up to two a day, I became a little lightheaded after taking the medication. Have to take with food. My RA symptoms seem to be irritated right now. I have left hip pain more regularly and right and left shoulder pain. My fingers have been swelling, which I never experienced before. I am finding this difficult, but I really hope that sticking with this drug will help in the long term."

• Kil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 14, 2017

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I am a 54-year-old female, just diagnosed with RA two months ago. I also suffer from fibromyalgia. Started taking Plaquenil exactly one month ago, along with Lyrica. Had only been taking the Plaquenil for two weeks when I had a severe reaction: dizziness, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Was hospitalized for 4 days and am still recovering from drug-induced vertigo. This is week three of vertigo, I can't drive or work and have no benefits. I was hopeful this drug might help me, now my future is uncertain because I can't work and have no income. It's Thursday, and tomorrow my mortgage and other bills are due, and here I am literally spinning out of control."

• Lal...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 25, 2016

For Sjogren's Syndrome "I have Sjögren's and subcutaneous lupus. I took this drug 10 years ago, no side effects, but really no effect. I tried it again 10 years later. Huge difference and not in a good way: severe nausea and dry heaves, no energy, could stay in bed all day, complete weakness. Now that I've gone off of it 4 days ago, still extreme nausea. I've lost 35 pounds and was told by the pharmacist it would take 2 months to no longer be nauseated. The other immune drugs have scary side effects, almost worth waiting for a flare and dealing with steroids, then the side effects of the immune suppressants and Plaquenil, name brand and generic, not worth the constant feeling of vomiting. There has to be something that works without major life-threatening side effects."