Hydroxychloroquine for Rheumatoid Arthritis User Reviews (Page 5)

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2016

"Tried methotrexate twice, and both times it caused chronic ulcerative colitis, so my consultant put me on hydroxychloroquine. Started on 2 tablets a day, but after 3 weeks, I cut it down to 1 as it was upsetting my stomach. It halved my inflammation in about 5 weeks! BUT! After taking it for 3 months, I began to get very constipated, and after 4 months, I had blood when I passed a stool, so I stopped taking it, as I thought my UC was coming back. Now, 6 weeks later, I am suffering from chronic indigestion and have to drink several sachets of macrogol per day to be able to go to the toilet. My doctor's not given me any indication as to how long this will last or if my stomach's been permanently damaged, so I am going to make an appointment to find out!"

• Scy...
• October 1, 2016

"I have Sjogren's and RA, put on Hydroxy 400 mg a day. I've been on it for 3 months and don't notice any difference at all. I do have intense tinnitus, which is now getting almost unbearable. At first, I had stomach pains, but omeprazole helps this, and also I now have terrible constipation. I don't rate this drug very well at all and am coming off it and will try natural methods to help my symptoms."

• ash...
• May 16, 2015

"I started hydroxychloroquine (200 mg 2x daily) Feb 2015. It is now May 2015, and I feel no relief. My rheumy keeps trying to taper me off prednisone, but as soon as I get off, I flare up again. I'm currently pregnant with twins, so my options for treatment are pretty limited. Obviously, everyone is different, but this drug has not given me any relief at all. Dr. will be starting me on methotrexate after pregnancy. I'm 28, diagnosed Nov 14."

• aly...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 5, 2017

"A wonder drug to me when I first took it. Almost all the pain in hand joints stopped within a week - after 10-15 years of continuous pain, which I had just ignored, but couldn't now face going back to. I'm still almost entirely pain-free in the joints - just a shadow of it in the evening when I'm tired. I do have side effects though. Terrible constipation and trapped wind, getting worse at present and making me feel sore inside. Also headaches and irritability in the evening, though these are worth putting up with for the increased clarity of thought in the daytime. The 'horrible' feeling someone talked of - I had just a week of it. Like another body, full of pain, just behind the new one, alternating like an alternating current..."

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2019

"I have been diagnosed with RA. The doctor prescribed hydroxychloroquine, 2 tablets daily, 200 mg. I started with one tablet daily for 2 weeks, then started taking 2, and after 1 day, I developed swollen lips and probably glands, rashes on my hands, feet, and chest. I stopped."

• Olg...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 1, 2021

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) "I have been on Plaquenil for over two years now for my moderate to severe RA. Having tried multiple medications that made little to no difference, I was excited about the drug that finally helped. I am taking it in conjunction with a weekly injection of Actemra. Now I am dealing with vision problems that worsened in the past two years and an uncontrollable irritability and low mood. Things are so bad mentally that I lost all my social connections and am having a very hard time communicating with the closest family members. I am in my late thirties, and I feel like my life is falling apart because of the devastating effects this drug has on my mental health."

• lis...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 5, 2017

"I was diagnosed with RA in 2013. The pain was so excruciating I realized I was dealing with a monster. I wish I could say this drug has done wonders. Quite the opposite. The RA drugs make me physically sick. After methotrexate and Humira and the lung infection that nearly killed me, I realize these drugs have serious side effects. Plaquenil does absolutely nothing for me. Makes me irrational and depressed and unable to lose weight. Guess it's back to biologics. Rheumatologist is pulling out the big guns. Orencia infusions four hours in duration. Read Orencia infusion reviews, which were horrific. But at this point in time, the podiatrist says I will be in a wheelchair by the time I am 60. Turn off my immune system or wheelchair... Hmm."

• Iri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 21, 2017

"I was taking it for about 10 days or so. All pains went away in three days completely. I was very happy. But then, after a week, I got a bad rash on my chest, neck, back, and then face. I called the doctor, and he immediately canceled it. I am very upset because I felt so well under this medication."

• Pai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 30, 2022

"I have polymyalgia rheumatica and took hydroxychloroquine. Within a few weeks, dramatic relief from joint pain. Minimal stiffness remains in shoulder and fingers. No longer need ibuprofen. Went from inability to function in everyday activities to normal life. Dosage: 200 mg per day. No side effects."

• tja...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 18, 2018

"My RA doctor prescribed Plaquenil just over a month ago. I somewhat reluctantly started taking it a week later after researching the side effects. I was to take 200 mg/2x day. I chose to take 200 mg/day instead due to the worst side effect regarding retina damage. In 3 weeks' time, I had noticed a marked improvement in my pain level and was able to start doing things again. Then came the hives, covered most of my body. Stopped taking the drug, and just over a week later, I'm still dealing with the tail end of the hives. They've just about cleared up. Sometimes you have to be your own doctor; I can't imagine what would have happened at 400 mg/day! Time to try the next Rx......"

• Cho...
• August 5, 2016

"I was diagnosed with RA when I was 30 years old. I'm 37 now. My rheumatologist started me out on Methotrexate, which put me in the hospital for severe flu-like symptoms for an extended period of time. I have just started Hydroxychloroquine, I am on 200 mg once a day and have noticed it leaves me feeling out of sorts, and I often have headaches along with nausea despite taking it with meals. It has caused me to miss work on several occasions. I'm hoping that with time some of the side effects will subside, and I'll be able to enjoy a better quality of life."

• Moo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 16, 2022

"Took 200 mgs, was supposed to build up to 400 mg a day. I stopped day 3, uncontrollable watery diarrhea that would not subside. Nausea all day. Weakness in all muscles. Feeling like you are going to faint. I would rather suffer from RA than deal with these terrible side effects."

• NAN...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 16, 2019

"While taking Plaquenil 300 mg, I was diagnosed with notalgia paresthetica. Later on, I was diagnosed with shingles 6 months after receiving the Shingrix vaccine. I am worried that Plaquenil has weakened my immunity to these problems."

• ric...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 23, 2019

"Initially, I was glued to the toilet for 2 hours after taking it first thing in the morning. Those events became once every 3 days to less than once a week by the time I'd been on HDCS for 90 days. The downside was that I was still getting acute, severe rheumatoid attacks weekly and often more often. I'm not sure if the medication actually worked or not, but I'll try it for a year. If the attacks do not abate to once or twice a month, we'll try something else."

• Gab...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2021

"I am a 74-year-old female who was diagnosed with RA and some other autoimmune disease that I can't pronounce, 3 months ago. I was put on Plaquenil 400 mg once a day, which I decided to divide into 2 doses, one in the am and one in the pm with food. I had such stomach pain, abdominal pain with cramps, and nausea all day, which I thought was my IBS. And yes, my IBS had kicked in because of this medication and actually made it far worse to the point that I had to see my gastro doctor to get tested for stuff, which all returned negative. I got off of the Plaquenil, and everything went away about 2 weeks later. I waited 14 days and started again to see if it truly was this medication, and bingo, the same thing happened. I tried it later again with just 200 mg because I didn't want to give up, but it did the same thing again as it did with 400 mg. It also made my hair fall out and made my joints hurt worse, and caused muscle pain. Go figure. I am off it now, it's not for me."

• tja...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 16, 2018

"I started this Rx just over 3 weeks ago, and upon further research of good vs. bad, decided to half my doctor's daily dose to 200 mg/day rather than 400 mg. This proved to be a wise decision as I broke out in a severe case of hives, going on 3 days now. This damn drug worked really well for RA, though, best I've felt in 5 years."

• Tia...
• August 25, 2015

"Was on this for three weeks when I noticed a mild rash. Stopped taking it, but the rash became much worse after 4 days. I had to go to A and E due to other symptoms. Diagnosed with an allergic reaction and prescribed steroids and to continue with antihistamines. Took over a week to settle. This was disappointing as I was beginning to feel better, stiffness and tiredness were reducing. Now waiting to see a consultant to discuss other options."

• Jos...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 20, 2022

"Hydroxychloroquine worked very well for my RA for the 1st year, but I was getting awful side effects I was not comfortable with, including crankiness and palpitations, which were the worst. So, I stopped it and will ask the rheumatologist if she could order something else. I am on supplements and keto for the time being."

• RA ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 5, 2021

"I’ve had ANA positive, speckled, homogenous, and positive RA 14.1 for 10+ years. Everything is a mystery, everything is borderline. So, it’s considered undifferentiated connective tissue disease. Bottom line: everything hurts. And knuckles hurt with swelling that I can no longer wear my rings. When first diagnosed in 2008, I was put on 200 mg of brand name Plaquenil (dosage I believe it’s prescribed by patient's weight-I was 127 lbs at the time), there was no improvement with pain, so we discontinued. New doctor and now positive for scleroderma, but no symptoms. I am now back on HCQ 400 mg, 200 2x a day. I am taking Dr. Reddy manufacturer. I have no rash. Doctor did say some manufacturers give rashes. I would like if people here would disclose what manufacturer their medication is. Some are inferior. I usually like Teva, but that is hard to get. I also take meloxicam every once in a while, huge help, and tramadol every day, which allows me to do my everyday activities. It’s a miracle worker for me."

• poo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 2, 2015

"I just got prescribed this medication and I'm scared to take it the side effects are scary I'm 35 had RA most of my life but just got diagnosed with it 7years now and I don't take pills I like natural treatments Smh"

• Tay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 16, 2024

"I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at 15 and placed on methotrexate, which, by itself, didn't do much. After about six months of the medication not working, I was prescribed 200 mg of hydroxychloroquine daily to take with my weekly methotrexate. When I tell you this worked wonders! After about two weeks of taking this medication, my arthritis pains were essentially gone! I've now reached full remission and could not be happier. I personally experienced no side effects from this medication, although I had intense methotrexate side effects, so it's possible that I just didn't notice them. Either way, I would definitely recommend this as a booster for methotrexate, it helped me so, so much :)"

• TxM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 17, 2021

"In 2019, several weeks after starting my first RA drug (diagnosis delayed +10 years apparently), I began hydroxychloroquine and felt no side effects. At the same time, I had a too-fast heartbeat (thyroid related), and my cardiologist did my routine 3-month EKG to follow up. We were very surprised the EKG showed a long-QT abnormal heart rhythm for the first time! Long-QT sufferers can do fine, but sudden death from sudden heart stoppage is also possible (my layman’s terms). Since hydroxy can cause long-QT problems, the cardiologist advised stopping it immediately. I did after rheumy agreed. Luckily, 3 months later, a new EKG showed my heart back to normal rhythm. If I hadn’t had my routine EKG, the long-QT could’ve gotten worse, and who knows what could have happened. So hydroxy users should consider a screening EKG to protect themselves (I had no heart problems other than my rapid heart rate due to poor thyroid disease treatments). I am lucky I got the EKG!"

• Khe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 3, 2016

"The first time I took hydroxychloroquine was last year in March. I was swelling, and after taking the drug, 200 mg for a few days, my swelling subsided, and I was feeling normal again. I found it best to take after lunch, but I had to take it every day. I did try to skip a day or two a few months after that, but I can see and feel the swelling come back. After that, I tried not to skip taking the drug. I was only able to stop taking this medication last August of this year when I was determined to be happy and accomplish what I wanted to learn. I accomplished that and went on without the drug until the end of October (2 months). I gave up hope, learning that topic and feel RA coming back now. I will try not to give up on that topic so I can stop taking the drug."

• win...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 25, 2017

"Hydrochloroquine has been a 'lifesaver' for me for my extreme inner thigh muscle cramps at night! Five years ago, my inner thigh cramps were so bad and lasted so long, every night, that I could not reach the phone to call 911 for help. I literally could not move until they dissipated. My leg muscles were very sore the next day. Over-the-counter medications and/or prescriptions did nothing to help. I read an article that said quinine might help. My 94-year-old grandfather said that when he was young, the doctor prescribed quinine to be put in coffee to help his leg cramps. So my doctor prescribed hydroxychloroquine. I have a cramp now about every 4 months, and it is short and manageable. I have no side effects, and my eyes are checked every six months."

• pla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 7, 2018

"I was taking this along with sulfasalazine. Within a month, I had a severe reaction with neuropathy. My hands and feet grew more numb the longer I took it. After I went off of it, the symptoms went away."