Plaquenil User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• spu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2017

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I am still trying to figure out what this drug is supposed to do because I still get the soreness in the joints and the swelling, especially in the shoulders and hands. Some nights, it's hard to sleep unless I take something for the pain in both."

• Anonymous
• March 15, 2016

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "I was on this medication for one day when I began to have severe vomiting 30 minutes after taking it and stomach bloating and uncontrollable gas. By day six, I called my doctor to tell him I had bilateral muscle weakness in my legs and could hardly walk a straight line without feeling like I was going to fall down. My doctor stopped the medication after six days when I presented with a known severe adverse side effect of this medication: muscle weakness and loss of coordination."

• Bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2020

For Lupus "I started taking Plaquenil about 2 weeks ago for SLE, and if I had been drinking around the time I’m supposed to take my pill, I just wouldn’t take it. I missed about 2 days, and this has been my worst flare-up. No side effects. I’m moody, but that’s just a normal 21 yr old female. Don’t be hesitant to try this because anything is better than the pain of chilblains and joint pain. Will update in a few months."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 18, 2022

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was put on Plaquenil about 12 years ago and was told I could not take it for more than 5 years. I went to my eye doctor every year and was told nothing about the damage, nothing about damage to my eyes. Because I was on this, I was told to come every six months. Then all of a sudden, I was told I had macula degeneration from Plaquenil. I feel like neither my eye doctor nor my rheumatologist was watching out for my eyes."

• Geo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 2, 2020

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was diagnosed with RA just recently in 2019 when I was 32. It started with fingers and toes, then tender hotspots on arms and legs, and upper back pain involvement a month after. I took Plaquenil with full adherence of 300 mg/d dosage, hence a positive effect on fingers and toes and body tenders hit in only on month 6, however, it did not help me with upper back pain at all. AS was ruled out with HLA-B27(-), movement capacity, and clean spine MRI though. The side effects: skin rash (persisted during the first 3 months), stomach pain (a few times), diarrhea (persisted during the first 3 months, now occasionally), and muscle twitches (intensive first month, then milder, and I ignore them, maybe not due to HCQ). Nevertheless, I'm going to visit my rheumatologist in coming weeks to discuss my never relieved morning upper back pain."

• Ray...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 16, 2020

For Lupus "I took Plaquenil for lupus for 4 years. It causes eye pain, chest pain, stomach pain, and gave my face a melasma appearance that is irreversible. It did NOT help with RA or lupus symptoms at all, but my doctor wants me to stay on it or see a different doctor."

• bat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Been taking Plaquenil for RA for around 6 months. Then, about 3 weeks ago, started having muscular pain, not as bad as the joint pain I used to have but enough to be concerned. Muscle weakness, painful, as if I worked out for 2 hours. Praying it is a dosage problem."

• M-S...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 21, 2020

For Lupus "I've had SLE and a host of other related illnesses for over 30 years. After my fourth (or fifth?) battle with pericarditis, my rheumatologist put me on 200 mg of Plaquenil. No real side effects, however, I have always been slightly anemic, and this seems to have increased quite a bit, mimicking the symptoms of narcolepsy."

• Gat...
• August 17, 2018

"I have been on Plaquenil for two years for psoriatic arthritis. I have severe sacroiliac disease and wrist and fingers involved. It has been miraculous. Maybe I am a rare guy, but it worked within days. Whenever I came off it, traveling to a sunny destination or to try only an anti-inflammatory for a flare or even a steroid injection, things were bad until I restarted Plaquenil. Then it was like a switch, boom. Better. Each day, ten percent better. I read there are anti-inflammatory properties. I must have lucked out. This is too good an improvement to put it on placebo effect. Plus, that's not me - I am a skeptical family doctor!!! Definitely worth a first try before methotrexate or biologics."

• SSS...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 27, 2021

For Sjogren's Syndrome "No side effects, but no apparent benefit, either. I quit when my ophthalmologist told me it can cause optic nerve damage and that anyone taking it should be given a retinal examination every six months-which the rheumatologist who prescribed it wasn't doing."

• Ahe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2021

For Lupus "Started Plaquenil a little over 30 days ago. I was so excited because I started to have more energy very early on. About a week in, I did a bunch of stuff at my mother's house — outside!! — and didn’t have to go hide in a hole for 3 days to recover. I started rethinking my whole life again. I thought maybe I could go back to school or work… Life could be normal again? I thought too soon. The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of negative thinking and random outbursts. I rarely get mad at anyone and found myself annoyed at the whole world. The final straw was a visit from my grandson. I was so irritated I could barely watch him. I am not willing to accept this. The trade-off is too great. What’s life if you can’t enjoy family visits? I won’t be taking it anymore as of today."

• Luc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2017

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "I took this medication for only 3 weeks for Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. (Diagnosed 15 years ago, medication-free for the last 11 years). My only active symptom at the time was Raynaud's. I really did not want to take any medication and felt that improving my lifestyle/keeping warm was worth a try, but my (new) rheumatologist pushed it and said he would discharge me if I didn't take it. All my other tests (lung function, heart scan, bloods) were fine. What a mistake. It did not help my Raynaud's but did cause huge hives from my neck to my ankle. My last dose was May 25th, it is now August 9th, and these unsightly hives continue to come and go. With such a long half-life (up to 50 days), it will take over 18 months to fully eliminate it."

• Amb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 15, 2015

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "I have been taking Plaquenil for over 6 weeks to treat autoimmune hair loss. My hair and itchy scalp have not improved at all. In fact, it was even worse for a few weeks. Now I'm getting sores all around my eyes, with a cyst on my eyelid and an inflamed blood vessel. I called my rheumy today to ask for a switch. I'm very disappointed because it seemed like the best out of the bunch for side effects."

• Anonymous
• October 10, 2011

For Sjogren's Syndrome "Was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome several years ago and prescribed Plaquenil. While taking Plaquenil, I had no difference in my symptoms. After doing years of research, I believe that I may have been misdiagnosed and actually have a parasitic infection (not malaria)!"

• CLa...
• March 30, 2020

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "Took Plaquenil for two months, had to stop because of the reaction I had. Started getting very itchy. I didn't realize what it was at first, it was just my back that would last 20 minutes. Then, the longer I took it, the worse it got. Ended up with stinging itch all over that was lasting over an hour and a half. Unbearable, nasty drug, I will never take it again."

• caj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2018

For Dermatomyositis "I have dermatomyositis and have been taking Prednisone and Plaquenil. At first, the combo was helping with the muscle pain and rash. After 2 weeks on the Plaquenil, I got a sunburn itchy rash all over my body. I also have bruise-like spots where the old rash was."

• Jus...
• November 18, 2009

For Dermatomyositis "The drug Plaquenil was used faithfully for three months for the treatment of sarcoidosis. My scalp was oozing, flaking, and overwhelmed with hyperpigmented lesions. The hair was approximately 1/4 inch in length due to the severity of the outbreak. My scalp has healed and the hair is now 6 inches long. The Plaquenil allowed my scalp to resume normal hair growth."

• Ole...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 16, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "My wife had sudden onset RA in 2000, and Plaquenil allowed her to go on to finish her military career. Twenty-one years later, she’s able to still work through occasional flare-ups. She gets her eyes checked and has seen no problems associated with some of the side effects. Her ophthalmologist says her eyes look great, and her RA doctor seems to have her RA under control."

• bja...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2022

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I developed sudden paralysis in my right leg about a year ago. After being hospitalized and subjected to a variety of medications, my condition deteriorated until I needed a walker to even stand up and was only staying awake about 3 hours per day. Finally, I asked to be tested for RA. Very positive results. On my first visit to the rheumatologist, she prescribed hydroxychloroquine. I had reacted severely to other medications, so I started with 1/2 prescribed dose - one 100 mg pill with supper daily. Within two days, I could stand and walk independently for short distances. Within a week, I was walking and driving and staying awake throughout the day. This was like a wonder drug...and then I started to get serious cramps in my intercostal muscles so that I felt that I was being crushed and could not breathe. I ceased to be able to feel my hands and feet. It took over two months for this to stop after quitting the pills, and I still show some liver/kidney damage."

• Nig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2022

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have been diagnosed with early-stage RA. Creaky and stiff joints in the knees mainly. Some pain in the wrist joints. After six weeks on hydroxychloroquine, I have been wonderfully surprised with the almost elimination in joint stiffness in my knees. Wrist inflammation has also been significantly reduced. Extremely happy with the results. No side effects as I can report."

• EBa...
• November 21, 2020

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "George: Just read your review and had to reply. Hope you read this. I’m the same age; similar experience with symptom progression over a 10-year span. But with AS, I got a few different opinions (also HLA-B27- but very high positive ANA). My rheumatologist still wanted imaging of my sacroiliac joints. 10 years of doctors never suggested it. It’s different than just your spine/pelvis. If you haven’t had it specifically, look for a rheumatologist who works with a radiology center. Because I’ve had an MRI to check progression; the report came back clean. Luckily, had a rheumatologist who said no way, got the disc, and said it was the worst MRI ever. If it had been the first and trusted report, I would have never known I had damage. Didn’t respond well to anti-TNF (for AS). 3 years ago was diagnosed with UCTD/EDS Hypermobility Type. If you haven’t had a rheumatologist check you for that, find a new one. Changed my life. No cure, but finally have the right treatment team. I really hope you read this and it helps. If you have any questions, let me know; I would love to help."

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

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "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."

• Lou...
• January 28, 2014

For Dermatomyositis "I have dermatomyositis. Plaquenil, along with quinicrine, treated my hand lesions, which were very painful. This took about a year to accomplish. It's been about a year and a half now, and I'm starting to react to one or both of the medications. I have a rash all over my body, and ulcers and lichen planus in my mouth. I'm seeing my doctor shortly to see about this."

• Bac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 11, 2016

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "I took this for undiagnosed non-specific mixed connective tissue myalgia-type issues, and it made the roof of my mouth and teeth ache. I stopped, and the ache went away. I restarted, and the ache came back after a couple of days. Went like this back and forth, and it was definitely the medicine. Also, I started to feel worse while taking it. It could be that the weather is getting colder, and that always makes me feel worse. But we decided I couldn't tolerate an increase in dosage, which was what would have been next on the treatment plan, so we moved on to something else. Still searching."

• ang...
• February 11, 2015

For Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease "For the past 2 years, I have had itching on my head. Can be any area of the scalp. None on the face. I take 50 mg of antihistamine every day, just to keep it mild. But it doesn't stop it. No redness, no dry scalp."