PLAQUENIL Reviews (HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE)

Average Rating: 3.2 (667 Ratings)

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 Type: Rx Drug

  

PLAQUENIL  (HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE):  Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent or treat malaria infections caused by mosquito bites. It does not work against certain types of malaria (chloroquine-resistant). The United States Center for Disease Control provides updated guidelines and travel recommendations for the prevention and treatment of malaria in different parts of the world. Discuss the most recent information with your doctor before traveling to areas where malaria occurs. This medication is also used, usually with other medications, to treat certain auto-immune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis) when other medications have not worked or cannot be used. It belongs to a class of medications known as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). It can reduce skin problems in lupus and prevent swelling/pain in arthritis, though it is not known exactly how the drug works.    (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on PLAQUENIL: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR PLAQUENILCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 2  MCTD At the end if day two, I experienced the worst diarrhea I think I've ever had. It lasted well into the next day. It was very painful and even burned. I'm taking half the prescribed dose. Also have broken out with little pimples on my face, chest and back. 40 3 days
200mg/day
5/13/2013
 4  Sjogren's Syndrome Started with name brand, then switched to generic. After several refills, I noticed that I was feeling like I wasn't taking any all at. My rheumatologist said that some patients do not do well on the generic, so she put me back on the name brand. I've been taking Plaquenil for 16 years, and except for the generic not being effective for me, I've had no problems. If I forget to take it, I can definitely feel it! I've always gone in for twice-yearly eye exams and so far, I'm doing very well and even my ophthalmologist is very surprised. Make sure your ophthalmologist does the "vision field" test every year as problems with peripheral vision is the most likely sign of damage from Plaquenil. F 68 16 years
200 MG 2X day
5/3/2013
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 3  UCTD, fibromyalgia Intially nausea and some gastro upset, but didn't last long. My concerns began after several years. I developed a heart arrythmia that was quite frightening at times. This would take place especially when I was ill or flaring. The other issue on this medication has been the hair loss, which is now pretty severe and loss of hair like I am in chemo. In recent months, have not noticed the benefits that I felt I noticed in the first few years.Now my autoimmune markers are dropping and I have been sent to an oncologist. Oncologists are scratching their heads because corresponding markers for suspect blood cancer are non-existent. The IG-M drop seems to be related to the plaquinel and also in recent weeks I have become susceptible to infections, such as facial cellulitis and so forth. I don't know what else to think except that this is the Plaquinel confusing my immune system. since it is an immuno suppressant. F 62 5 years
200 Mg 2X day
5/2/2013
 1  RA Severe abdominal pain, bloating, constipation. Increased leg spasms @ night. Hair loss, accelerated depression. At the 4th week, itchy, red dots appear along with scalp itching. I have been off plaquenil 3 weeks. Red rash is worse now. Itching driving me crazy! Was hospitalized for admonimal pain @ cost of 20 k all from this drug! This is insane! Have been given 3 rx for RA, after plaquenil....maybe the disease is better to consume me than killing myself with man made POISONING! Now I'm scared. Oh yea, I clearly told Rheumy I am allergic to sulfa and was told the kind and amount in plaquenil would not hurt me.. Patient BE AWARE! F 48 4 weeks
100 2X day
4/1/2013
 4  Sjogrens,Raynauds,Possible RA I am allergic to a long list of drugs. Nurses groan when I take the list of allergies. I did not have a single symptom on the brand name Plaquenil. None, no stomach problems, no diarrhea. I was waiting for the side effects and none occurred. Helped me to get out of bed, decreased fatigue. Not a great improvement but much better. After 3 months my rib pain decreased and knee pain decreased greatly. I thought it would be a cure though. Not so. My mistake. Definitely helps though. I would still be in bed without it. F 54 1 years
200 mg 2X day
2/6/2013
 2  primary sjögren's syndrome I had a lot of gastrointestinal upset the first few weeks-heartburn, diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, bloating and excessive flatulence. F 25 2 months
400mg
1/31/2013
 3  discoid lupus Last 3 weeks, I started having a mild swallowing problem, like something is stuck in my throat. The feeilng comes and goes during the day even when I'm not eating anything. I'm also noticing that when driving at night, my vision seems less sharp. Is anyone else having unusual symptoms from taking generic of Plaqenil?? This is the only medication I take, so I believe it may be starting to cause some problems for me. I take 4-5,000 units of Vitamin D, 600-1,200 units of Calcium, and 1-2,000 units of Vitamin C daily - I don't think those supplements would cause any swallowing problems. I was prescribed generic Plaquenil for a scalp condition that was attributed to discoid lupus in April 2012. The scalp condition cleared up, but my doctor wanted me to continue with the medication because I have very high ANA readings with no other symptoms that indicate any systemic illness. I had also developed wrist pain temporarily -- I was told to wear a wrist brace at night and the problem cleared up, so maybe the wrist issue was not due to the medication. I'm getting regular checkups by an opthamologist to monitor any vision changes, but I feel like it might be starting to affect my vision, although the opthamologist said there were no meaningful changes from my last checkup. I concerned that I'm developing negative side effects from this drug and will speak to my doctor about this at my next checkup. F 60 8 months
300 1X day
1/6/2013
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 2  Autoimmune disorder I would be walking normally, then I would just fall forward. I went through many tests including a spinal tap. It is a very rare side effect of Plaquenil I was told. Since stopping it I have not fallen. F 53 90 days
1X day
1/1/2013
 3  Sjorgren's Syndrome Having issues with swallowing and feeling like food is stuck at the back of my throat? Has anyone else had this issue? F 44 1 weeks
200 mg
12/20/2012
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 4  MCTD, Sjrogren's Syndrome I have loss of appetite, but no nausea. My hair color seemed to lighten and my skin looks more tan-doctor said pigmentation changes aren't unheard of and not be concerned as long as no visual changes. My body seems to tolerate this medication fairly well. Definetely feel better on this medication than off it. It took about 6 weeks to work, but once it did, I noticed a world of a difference. My hands were once so swollen I couldn't wear my rings anymore, I was in constant pain, sleeping very poorly, and had absolutely no energy. After 6 weeks, the swelling went down. At two months, I started sleeping through the night and the pain had faded to a dull ache. Now I am virtually pain-free. I'm a preschool teacher, and I have more energy than my students! F 25 3 months
200 2X day
12/2/2012
 3  Lupus/UCTD/spondylitis At first was very difficult - not sure what was my illness and what was side effects. Low blood pressure and low blood sugar, shakiness, nausea, diarrhea. Lots has gotten better and plaquenil has really helped with my chest pain and joint pain - they still get red/swollen but don't hurt like before. Did make my blood work a bit wonky at the start. Make sure to get your eyes checked - my ophthalmologist said the people who have to worry are short people. I have had periods of easy bruising, hair loss and mouth ulcers but it's likely just my illness. I have had troubles sleeping and with nightmares. F 24 4 months
400mg/day
11/23/2012
 1  Possible autoimmune disease Migrating joint pain, itchy tiny rash with barely visible fluid apex, burning mouth, gastritis, malaise, a couple of welts on upper abdomen that I thought were boils brewing. I've tried to take this three times and I give up. I feel much more healthy not taking it. My primary complaint is fibromyalgia or possibly Lyme disease with a large side of IBS. F 57 3 months
200mg 2X day
11/22/2012
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 1  Connective tissue disease Nausea, severe stomache pain, tongue raw, gums swollen, sore, bumps on the roof of my mouth, my knee pain is better but side effects are intolerable not able to eat have lost weight F 47 2 months
200 mg
11/9/2012
 2  RA I have always taken this drug with food and have never experienced any side effects. About a year ago, I was diagnosed with both Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. At first I was put on 12.5 mg. of Methotrexate per week but didn't really notice any relief. Plaquenel was added about 6 months ago, and although I haven't experienced any negative side effects, I also have not had any joint relief. I saw my Rheumatologist yesterday, and he now thinks I am only dealing with OA...Not RA. I feel like I am living from appointment to appointment and have e-mailed my doctor today requesting a referral for a second opinion. I definitely want to get off Plaquenel ASAP but don't know if I can just "quit" or if "tapering" is better. I would love to get some input from somebody who has gone through this. Many thanks...Nancy F 70 6 months
200 mg 1X day
10/3/2012
 3  RA, Sjogren's vomiting, diarrhea,rash that itches, sun sensitive, return of menstrual cycle after 5 yrs. After this short amt of time I have less pain. My fatigue hasn't gotten better yet. My dr says it may take up to 3 months before it helps all my symptoms. F 48 26 days
200 2X day
9/2/2012
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 3  Mixed Connective Tissue Disease Still have deep pain throughout my body, have taken with Predisone, pain worse without Plaquenil, going to a Nutrionist and Endocrinologist because Metabolism is not working properly, have some symptons of Lupus, Just want to feel normal again; every joint in my body hurts F 54 7 months
200 mg 2 x
8/28/2012
 3  RA Severe stomach pain, it has gotten better but still has not gone away after 3 months, Headaches and itching. I have small itchy bumps all over my body. Plaquenil has really provided tremendous relieve from the pain, but the side effects make it almost impossible to tolerate. F 47 3 months
400 2X day
8/28/2012
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 5  Lupus I have been taking this for more than 20yrs. If you give it a chance barring side effects it does work. I got a little diarrhea at beginning but calms down. Best to start slow then increase. I have tried not to take it and my joints get very bad. I am faithful about eye exams. Very satisfied. F 56 10 years
200 2xd
7/18/2012
 2  Rheumatoid Arthritis Stomach & eyes seemed to tolerate it well, but I did get shingles, a complex breast & axillary (arm pit) cyst on the opposite side most affected by the shingles & a nasty bronchitis-type infection I'm still fighting off a month after stopping it. I'd never had bronchitis before that I recall. Seems like my immune system just couldn't handle it. My hair color changed from blonde to brunette (friends & family asked if I had my hair dyed - I didn't, and have quite a few gray hairs now I didn't before & hair loss too.) It did help the RA pain quicker than I thought, so getting sick, the breast issue (which seems benign, but we're not sure if it's a benign cyst or cancer, which in some women apparently this drug can cause - I suspect because it can suppress your immune system? I'm not sure, but I still have breast swelling, itching & a fairly large cyst(s) - my right breast is heavy, chest wall is painful, itchy at times & red. Antibiotics didn't do anything to h This drug seems to work well for the RA pain & it's my understanding it helps slow or even halt the bone damage, but the problems I had clearly outweigh the benefits, so my rheumatologist took me off it. I also have hepatitis C, which was likely from blood I was given during surgery as a child, which is why the doctor couldn't give me methotrexate (MTX) and many other RA drugs, I had Graves' disease as a child (thus the surgery, that involved quite a bit of blood, that in those days wasn't screened for hepatitis C & although my levels of hep. C are very low, may be why I didn't tolerate this drug. After about 2 weeks I did notice a bit less joint pain & by the 3rd week it was very clearly starting to help (the rheumatologist said it could take 6 months for it to work, but I'm VERY sensitive to many things & I did notice a change for the better for the joint pain until I got sick, then it was far worse. The 4 rating on this site says, "This medicine helped", 3-"Somewhat Satisfied - this medicine helped somewhat" yet a 2 says, "this medicine did not work to my satisfaction", thus my rating. This medicine worked for the RA, yet because of the complications, it clearly wasn't worth it for me. My sister had similar problems, so it may have to do with this medication and genetics. Hopefully some day they'll be able to test genetics in advance, IF that is the cause of the problems (she doesn't have hepatitis, or other problems F 48 37 days
200mg 2X day
7/18/2012
 1  tendinite polimialgia diverticol vista appannata , sonnolenza , 2 incidenti auto ho avuto 2 incidenti auto e problemi agli occhi . sparito pene , problemi vita sessuale a zero per il pene sparito . il beneficio mi sentivo bene calmo e guidavo auto da cinque a venti kilometri ora per paura e tutti dietro a suonare clacson . vorrei smettere prendere plaquenil M 62 22 days
20 2X day
7/6/2012

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