Plaquenil | Arthritis Information

 

Has anyone taken this drug?   Dr just prescribed it for me but am afraid to start taking it yet.  

I was on it years ago, but only took it for a few months. It can effect your vision field, and its important to get them done on a regular basis. I had the initial one done, and when I had the next one done, it showed changes. So I had to come off the Plaquenil. Did not have any other side effects though. [QUOTE=Doreen]I was on it years ago, but only took it for a few months. It can effect your vision field, and its important to get them done on a regular basis. I had the initial one done, and when I had the next one done, it showed changes. So I had to come off the Plaquenil. Did not have any other side effects though. [/QUOTE] I've been on Plaquenil for about a year and have had no problems. The literature on the drug says it can effect your vision and you should have an eye exam two months after you start it and then at least once a year while on it. I've have the one year follow up and everything is fine. The Plaquenil has helped with the RA but I'm also on Medrol and trying to get off that. Doc wants to add another something but waiting until some other medical problems resolve before adding anything. I want off the Medrol but I can feel the pain increasing as I'm slowly reducing the dose. Has anyone had any experience with Remicade? Doc mentioned that as a possibility. Somehow an infusion scares me more than a pill! Makes no sense!Karen - I think it is probably a good idea to wait just a little bit until you get your rash, etc. under control.  When I started plaquenil (Dec. 08) I broke out in hives.  The doctor had me do a medrol pack and the hives went away.  Aside from that I have been ok on the drug.  However, it hasn't helped.  Then we added methotrexate.  It  has helped some, but  not much.  We are considering Remicade.  I should know in a couple of weeks.  I'm having blood work done this week and see the Rheumatologist in 2 weeks.  It all depends on my numbers and how I'm looking and feeling.  I don't feel too bad right now, so we will see.  I am on prednisone and have been for almost two years.  I take 5 mg/day and would love to get off it now.  My doctor feels that is the only thing keeping the inflammation down.  Time will tell.  Mary, I'm not sure about Remicade either.  All these drugs....I never liked taking much to begin with.  Look how far I have come!!!!  One day at a time.  Good luck and let usknow how things go.... 2 Rheumatologists and an ER doctor has told me this is one of the safest drugs to be on out of the others to choose from. Just get your eyes checked 1-2 times per year, they will catch anything if they see anything funny. I've heard its rare. I was on Plaquenil for over a year, I did very well on it. My RA was pretty much under control. I stopped it myself because i kept getting dizziness and happened to get very sick for a good 4-5 weeks around the time I stopped it...very weak, fatigued, couldnt do anything but lay down. The doctors have said they dont think it had to do with Plaquenil because again, its a pretty mild and safe drug used for RA.  I really dont know if it had to do with my Plaquenil, or stopping it suddenly (which the docs said was ok to do) or if I just have something else going on. I'm still working through that now , still not even 80% better, RA has come back hard and have not gotten back on  plaquenil, switched to methotrexate. If i knew 100% it wasnt the Plaquenil I'd go back on it because it really did work for me. I've been taking plaquenil for 17 years now and I've never had any problems with it.  I did have a slight rash when I first started it, then went off for a bit, but started it again and have been on it now without any rashes or any other problems.  Make sure you have regular eye exams to catch any problems (It's VERY rare) My opthamologist has only seen one case were plaquenil has caused any problems with the eyes. A far as helping with the RA...for me, it didn't help on it's own.  Works well for me.  I experienced a couple months' nausea in the beginning, and dropped perhaps 5 pounds.  I was also pretty itchy.  Those issues all went away around the time it started working to subdue pain and inflammation (2-3 months). I took it in the early years and it did help. Over time like many of the other medications used to treat RA it wasn't as effective as it was in the beginning....but I had good luck with it for a while and can't remember having any side effects. [QUOTE=karens85ss]Has anyone taken this drug?  I just started this drug again.  It was one of the first I took when I was a teen in combo. with MTX.  Now, due to that "questionable" lung ct, I am off the mtx and back on the plaquenil.  It is in combo with sulfasalazine. Plaquenil is the  first drug I started on.  I've been taking it since 2004 with no problems at all.  I get my eyes examined once a year.  My eye doc says my eyes look so good, he hates to have me come in on a yearly basis.  He also says the eye problems from Plaquenil don't usually pop up until after the 5 year mark and are extremely rare.  The only problems I've had was nausea for the first  week and a half.  Thank you all for your replies.  I think I am going to wait to start the Plaquenil until I am completely done with the MRSA treatment.. II've been on Plaquenil for over 10 years after not tolerating MTX.  I remember having a rash at the beginning and a couple of weeks of bowel problems.   I see an opthamologist once a year (it was twice a year for several years) and have never had a problem with my eyes.  At about the 5 year mark I decided to stop taking it because it wasn't doing any good.  Man, was I wrong!  After about two months off of it I was miserable and went back to taking the Plaquenil.   I think I was fortunate that it began working again. There isn't a whole lot to fear with this medicine. Meme-Ksa: ann1026
Thank you very much
I have been on it for 7 years with zero side effects.  It put me into remission for 3 years.  Now, I continue to take to take it along with other drugs.  My body can feel the difference if I don't take it for a few days. P.S.  Eye exam once a year plus a field test.
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com