Ok, some of you know the trouble i am having with finding it's muscles and not the joints.
Well, she put me on plaquanil and refuses to try other stuff since this is the least toxic. I started it yesterday and so far no reactions. The other drugs act up within 2hrs so... so far so good.
Just hope it works :)
Anyone else on this drug? How is it working for you?
I'm on plaquinil, but it is for my arthritis. I had minor side effects for about a month. Mainly, it made my stomach fell queasy and had me runnig to the bathroom. After about a month this calmed down and it doesn't bother me at all. Hope this helps.I've been on Plaquenil since August 2004. I was prescribed 200 mg once a day for the first week and then 200 mg twice a day thereafter. For the first two weeks, I experienced waves of nausea. It took about two months to kick in and was a great drug for me. It worked so well that after a couple of years, my rheumy and I decided to try and cut back to 200 mg once a day. That was a mistake and I wished I hadn't tried that.
Bottom line - it worked great for me, it just took a couple of months before I felt the effects. You have to be patient with this drug!
Best of luck.
Hi, I took plaq for a couple of years, but got migrane headaches, that I'd never had before. It seemed to work on the RA though, then I went to methotrexate. Good luck, sarahIt's a DMARD; and it takes a while to build up in your system to your. You won't see much difference for a while. I've never heard of it prescribed for muscle problesm though.I completely missed that this was prescribed for muscle problems. What was your diagnosis? This is confusing because Plaquenil can cause muscle weakness as a side effect.My diagnosis was "we don't know what's wrong with you" lol.
I have had all tests including blood clot tests, muscle tests etc. and they are stumped (family doc included).
I don't have a known disease but do have a rehumatoid factor so they are going to work with using Rheumatoid treatments for my inflammation.
They put me on a prednisone taper last week to see if it works which it did nicely so they know that this type of medication will help (immune medication). Since methotrexate screamed at me, and arava caused my breathing to stop, they are trying to plaq in hopes it will like me.
What i have is inflammation in my muscles and skin. But don't have the diseases that it goes with. IT's believed to be a chemical reaction to pollution, pesticides, gas fumes, additives in food etc. and since there aren't proper testing etc. on that subject, they are trying to do what they can to help me.
My heart, lungs, kidneys etc. swell too, they said it's because all my muscles are open to inflammation.
I have eliminated being stuck in bed by removing most toxins from my home. When I go out, I am prepared for a flair as the pollution etc. will get me.
I can't eat at a Japan themed restaurant (my favorite) or one pizza joint as i get horrible sick from them.
But, just like with RA, elimination is the key. Whatever causes each one to have a reaction, we can help ourselves by eliminating things.
I just wish they would test more on what the chemicals are doing. We believe that my body is just weak so i can't handle the amount of toxins going in my body daily.
Thanks for the information, i have my fingers crossed as so far i am not swelling with this so i am praying it will be a great answer :)
God bless and thanks for all the advice and chats.
bubbagump, is it possible you have environmental illness?Bubba...can you get a 2nd opinion? Many alternative treatment docs believe in environmental illness and can help you out with that in a natural way without adding anything even more toxic to your system. A lot of them also believe in FM. Check with your insurance for coverage and docs in your area.
I feel we can really be allergic to a lot of things in our environments and it make us really really sick. Even tho asthma is sometimes considered auto immune...I know a lot of environmental things trigger the need for my resuce inhaler.
Bubbagump, as I was reading through your post about your illness, you reminded me of a friend of mine who has fibromyalgia. It's sad your doctor doesn't believe in it. I agree with grammaskittles. If you can, get a second opinion.
My friend with fibromyalgia was in pain for many years. They couldn't find anything that helped until Cymbalta came out. She got her life back with this drug. You might think about trying it. I'm really sorry you have been through so much. I pray you find your answer soon.
bubbagump, GET A NEW DOCTOR. That's like not believeing in diabetes.