Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis User Reviews (Page 2)

• Motown
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2019

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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 3months for hydroxychloroquine to be effective ( but only 10days to cause side effects!)"

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

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• RA Mom
• March 9, 2013

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• ithas...
• September 9, 2019

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "Hi I am a 63 year old female who was diagnosed with RA after instigating a blood test for it out of desperation 3 weeks a go. My debilitating chronic pain in feet and random knee flare ups has a name. My rheumatologist put me on prednisolone ( reduced doses over in 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 Vit D daily and 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 diarrhoea The prednisolone has been magic for pain free sleep and movement. 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
• July 31, 2011

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• Mrs...
• April 21, 2015

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• EveSa...
• April 29, 2014

"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."

• Mamo...
• September 3, 2013

"I have taken Plaquenil for rheumatoid arthritis for about 6 months now. I take 200mg once a day. I cannot stress enough how much of a miracle this medicine has been for me. It was so good that some days I forgot I had rheumatoid arthritis altogether. I had no pains at all. The only drawback was that I was losing my hair and it became very dry and brittle. Being a woman, that scared me, so I quit the medication only to have the pains come back again. I spoke to my doctor, and he suggested trying to take it 3 times a week instead of every day to see if it reduces the hair loss. What good is a full head of hair if you are stuck at home and in constant pain? I'd rather lose a few locks to be able to live my life pain-free."

• Anonymous
• June 25, 2016

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I have been taking plaquenil for about 4 years 200 mg twice a day . I have been having severe stomach cramps and nausea and vomiting just now realized it's the plaquenil. Because I didn't take it for 3 days because of the n/v just took it again today and got so sick had to throw up. Now realized it's the plaquenil have been to gastro dr and have done all kind of test .will not be taking this med again my Ra is nothing as bad as n/v maybe this will help some one . Don't no what I will take for this Ra pain I feel so sorry for anyone who has this Ra was not diagnosed with this untill I was 65 years old."

• luster
• September 25, 2012

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• Vet...
• May 1, 2015

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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 mom of a 1.5 year old."

• Anonymous
• June 4, 2012

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• Glen
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 19, 2019

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "When first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) plaquinel worked after a couple weeks. I was in remission soI stopped but Dr 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 seems slow. Not sure if it is due to generic that I'm receiving. Also, please get eye checkups. Had a scare but it is fine. This drug has less side effects than others! Good luck."

• RRLE
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 24, 2020

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "This Plaquenil is one of the drugs my arthritis doc put me on. I was told by my eye care specialist that it was damaging my eyes and I needed to stop taking it. My eyes may never recovered I have been off Plaquenil for several years now, and my eyes still have not recovered. I didn't notice any positive results, probably since I took it such a short time, but it didn't take long for it to damage my eyes. DANGEROUS if you value your sight."

• Mike-...
• July 18, 2013

"I developed and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in November of 2011. I went on hydroxychloroquine (400mg 1 x per day), and my bouts of inflammation have dramatically decreased both in frequency and severity. I have experienced no side effects, and I can't say enough good things about this medication. Prior to getting on hydroxychloroquine, the affected joint inflammation was so severe (pain index 10) that I could not move whatever joint was inflamed. After getting on this medication, my pain index during inflammation flareups has been a 1-2. I also take 800mg Ibuprofen, and the combination of these 2 medicines have worked very well for me. At 47 years old, I've been able to play ice hockey and soccer in adult leagues (gotta do it now before this gets worse)."

• Sunsh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 22, 2020

"I've been on hydroxychloroquine for 6 months now for RA and it saved my life from the corona virus. In March I become very sick. Had the chills so bad one night my teeth and body were shaking like crazy. I then started having shortness of breathe and my body was aching everywhere. I was doing breathing treatments almost 7 times a day for what seemed like weeks. My doctor sent me to the emergency room and I ended up having the corona virus. I survived it. Thank God I was already taking hydroxychloroquine."

• Backs...
• November 4, 2017

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I am a 72 year old female, diagnosed with RA 6 years ago. I took Plaquenil (200x2) from 2012-2016, along with Prednisone to start. Due to the fact, I could not use my hands because of the swelling, I risked the possible vision problems. By 2012, symptom free and still fearful of vision loss, 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 taking it, I went from 95 lbs. to 85 lbs., lost a significant amount of hair, had cataract surgery and, now, macular degeneration. The decision to restart is extremely emotionally stressful, weighing the benefits against the risk. (Dr. says neither eye problem was caused by the drug"

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

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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?"

• RA tr...
• October 6, 2017

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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 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?"

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

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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)"

• Amber
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 23, 2018

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I started on plaquenil for Psoriatic Arthritis in 2015. (200mg 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 coujd 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 hand 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."

• Dante
• September 9, 2015

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I had Lyme disease and a subsequent RA dx, I have been on Plaquenil for 7 months. 200mg 2x a day and now 1x day, It has helped a great deal. I was also taking Collagen and a few herbs for inflammation, I am doing much 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 D"

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

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "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."

• Tano
• February 18, 2020

"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 Hydrochloroquine 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."

• Hanz
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 17, 2019

"I've had one of the worst cases of RA. I tried Methetrexate and it started messing with my liver enzymes so the doctor took me off it. I've just been taking Hydrochloraquine for awhile now and it's the magic pills for me. I do take a pain pill for shooting pains and I take Hydroxy Cycline. 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 angles. I'm telling you, I feel comfortable with Hydrochloroquine."