Drug Ratings for PLAQUENILAverage Rating: 3.3 (567 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added from oldest to most recent Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR PLAQUENIL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 5 | SLE, RA | So far I have had no major side effects. I take 4 other drugs that I have taken for many years and since I started taking Plaquenil I have been getting sleepy after taking my meds, therefore I believe it is the Plaquenil that is making me sleepy. I havent slept very well in a very long time so it had been wonderful being able to sleep pain free. The stiffness in my neck is already easing significantly. I'm looking forwards to being much more active. The benefits exponentially outweigh the side effects. | I get a stomach ache if I take it on an empty stomach, but alot of drugs have that effect. I can deal with it. | F | 42 | 2 weeks | 11/14/2006 | 3 | Lupus, Sjogrens, diabetes | Increase in blood sugar, may be conincidental. No other side effects noticed at this time. | Energy level improved considerably within the first 10 days. No change in dry eyes or mouth. Cymbalta, which I began taking ten months prior to starting Plaquenil, controls neuropathy and joint pain effectively. | F | 38 | 30 days | 11/14/2006 | 3 | Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis | dizziness, stomach upset, vomiting, horrible itching! | My daughter had been taking Plaquenil for 3 years now. It has been the drug that has helped her knees the most, but now she has been experiencing serious nausea and vomiting, evey other day at school, and is missing a lot of school due to the vomiting. She has eye exams every six months, no problems there yet. After she gets out of the shower or bath her legs and arms itch uncontrably, until she is crying, the itching is so intense. The Rhuematologist and Pharmacist keep telling me that these side effects can't be from the plaquenil, but the only other thing she takes is Tylenol, and all the lists of side effects say these are possible side effects. I would be interested to hear from others with the same side effects, especially in kids. I am not sure at her age that the side effects are worth the help for her knees. | F | 35 | 3 years | 11/20/2006 | 5 | Discoid Lupus | This was a god send for my fatigue. However i have lost alot of my hair which really upsets me. Blurred vision, find it hard to focus on things or people. Suffered bad headaches and migraines. Also get brusies and don't know were i got them from. My nails have started lifting but not sure if this was the tablets as noticed this when i was diagonosed with DLE. i was taking 200mg a day but have reduced this amount to 100mg a week. I have noticed a foul body scent as well. I get tiny blisters on my one foot and very itchy soles. My memory is terrible as i can not remember a thing even in my job that i have done for 14 years . i have hardly any concentration. I want my life back. | overall plaquenil has inproved my health back to a 100%. Due the hair loss i have decided to come off them and hope that my hair starts to grow back. I thought i was the only one that suffered from gas and tummy cramps. However i now drink soya milk and cut out dairy products which really helped me. | F | 38 | 5 years | 11/28/2006 | 5 | SLE | slightly naseous and shaky in the beggining | MIRACLE DRUG - I WILL NEVER GO OFF - MY HAIR THICKENED - NO MORE JOINT PAIN OR MUSCLE WEAKNESS - ELEVATED ENERGY THAT I HAVENT SEEN IN 15 YEARS - I GET MY EYES CHECKED EVERY 6 MONTHS TAKE 200 MG TWICE A DAY AND FEEL 100 PERCENT IMPROVED - NO RASHES EITHER! | F | 38 | 1.5 years | 12/11/2006 | 5 | Inflammatory Arthritis (RA?) | Stomach discomfort first week. None at all since. | Add me to the "miracle" group! I feel so much better! No pain and lots more energy. Started working after 3 weeks. Not taking anything else. | F | 45 | 3 months | 12/15/2006 | 5 | SLE | Dizziness, occasional stomach upset | It's a miracle drug! I have a LOT more energy and a lot less joint pain. My aunt also took Plaquenil for Sjogren's and it worked great for her...may run in the family. Eating a full meal eliminates the stomach problems for me. | F | 33 | 1 years | 12/20/2006 | 3 | connective tissue disease | The Plaquenil causes intestinal upset regardless of how or when I take it. Plaquenil does provide some relief for my aches and pains, so I will not discontinue taking it. I am also experiencing trouble getting to sleep at night - a new experience for me. Could this be caused by the Plaquenil? My energy/stamnia has not improved. In addition to the Plaquenil, I take Celebrex for pain. | F | 58 | 4 months | 12/24/2006 | 5 | SLE | Gastro upset, diarrhea. ?Acne | A god send. After 3 years of being crippled by joint pain. Even after 6 weeks I am back at the gym every day and working again full time. Occasionally troubled by GI upset but I believe it may be caused by taking the drug on an empty stomach. Unfortunatley has not improved peripheral neuropathy but low dose steroid may work. | F | 33 | 6 weeks | 1/1/2007 | 4 | SLE / SCLE | Gas indigestion, memory loss-short term, mood swings, Some hair loss. Sometimes I get this feeling that something is caught in my throat but it was in the 1st 4 weeks and has become less frequent | I have been taking Plaquenil 200 mg a day for 3 months.Diagnosed March 06. Did not want to take this med. Told my Rheumotolgist no for months. Prior to taking this med I suffered from fevers, extreme fatigue, rashes, headaches ,and body aches and stiffness almost everyday. There has been a big improvement . I still have some bad days but they are becoming far and few between. Hope my eyes hold out. I do not want to go back to feeling the way I felt 4 months ago.I was barely able to get out of bed. I would recommend to at least give it a try it may work for you. | F | 49 | 90 days | 1/4/2007 | 4 | Blood tests confirmed SLE/shogrens | abdominal gas and gurgling. So far, that's all. (hope it stays that way!) | Joint pain is all but gone. Knees still have some aches and joint popping, but nowhere near what they were. That all over feeling tired and achy is gone! Even tho my Dr. did not see any outward signs of Lupus (tell tale rash, etc) he decided to try me on this and it really has helped. I don't think I even realized how badly I was feeling until I stopped feeling that way. I guess I just thought it was normal. I'm really glad to find out that it is NOT! | F | 51 | 7 weeks | 1/15/2007 | 3 | Lupus, MCTD | Very bad painful large acne cysts on my face. started on my chin and has slowly progressed all over my face. | I started doing yoga and taking plaquenil shortly after being diagnosed and continued to do both for the past 2yrs. I have not had any joint pain since then but was told by my doc that my disease has been very active despite my lack of symptoms. Now I have very bad acne and am considering coming off of plaquenil. I would love to hear of any similar situations and of any possible solutions. | F | 39 | 2 years | 1/21/2007 | 1 | active rheumatoid arthritis | Sore throat, led to not eating much because of swallowing, nausea, food didnt want to stay down. Day of hospitilisation, diahorrea, vomiting, weakness , dehydration. | This is written on behalf of my mother. Have had the arthritis for many years, told it active in October 2006. Saw speciialist Nov 2006. Had notice lumps in fingers starting to disappear in December 2006 but could of been result of other new medication at the same time. Admitted to emergency January 2007, because of weakness and diahorrea. Very dehydrated. Tests completed - small stomach ulcers, and severe Thrush up through chest and throat. Symptons only occurred in a matter of days, sore throat was checked by doctor prior, thought to be inflamed. Severe symptons only come on within two days and led to my death within a week. Was told amount of dosage was too high for this age, 200 mg.( 2 tablets) Dosage recommended for 25 yr old. | F | 76 | 8 weeks | 2/5/2007 | 1 | active rheumatoid arthritis | Sore throat, led to not eating much because of swallowing, nausea, food didnt want to stay down. Day of hospitilisation, diahorrea, vomiting, weakness , dehydration. | This is written on behalf of my mother. Have had the arthritis for many years, told it active in October 2006. Saw speciialist Nov 2006. Had notice lumps in fingers starting to disappear in December 2006 but could of been result of other new medication at the same time. Admitted to emergency January 2007, because of weakness and diahorrea. Very dehydrated. Tests completed - small stomach ulcers, and severe Thrush up through chest and throat. Symptons only occurred in a matter of days, sore throat was checked by doctor prior, thought to be inflamed. Severe symptons only come on within two days and led to my death within a week. Was told amount of dosage was too high for this age, 200 mg.( 2 tablets) Dosage recommended for 25 yr old. | F | 76 | 8 weeks | 2/5/2007 | 3 | Sjogren's Syndrome | From the 1st hour onwards: total shut down of bowel system, resulting in severe obstipation, water retention, weight gain. Also severe hypotension (extreme cold!). Loss of libido. Painful dry eyes and blurry eyesight after a few days. | The good thing about Plaquenil is, it restored the mucous inner lining of my mouth almost straight off. Salagen worked heaps better and for the first time in years the saliva flow improved. But the other side effects had such a great impact that I halved the dose (from 400 mgs to 200 mgs per day). To no avail, unfortunately. I ended up calling my reumatologist. She thought I was having a severe allergic reaction and told me to quit Plaq immediately. So I've only used it for 10 days. Shame, it was excellent for healing my mouth. | F | 39 | 10 days | 2/12/2007 | 5 | RA | Crazy vivid dreams! No others. | F | 26 | 45 days | 2/14/2007 | 5 | Yes | Crazy vivid dreams too. I also feel a little light-headed. | F | 38 | 2 days | 3/4/2007 | 2 | SLE, Fibroomyalgia, Arthritis, Sjog | no side effects that I'm aware of. | I've been on it @ 6 weeks and have noticed NO difference. I was told such wonderful stories about it, but haven't experienced anything. Taking 200mg BID. See my rheumie in a few days and will ask about it. | F | 55 | 6 weeks | 3/11/2007 | 3 | RA | Plaquenil worked for me since 1989. My eyes were regularly monitored and up until this past August, they were fine. I now have to be taken off the Plaquenil, as I have toxicity in my retinas. I was told in the beginning to just keep having my eyes monitored and I would be fine. My eyes are NOT fine. | F | 42 | 18 years | 3/13/2007 | 3 | RA | Plaquenil worked for me since 1989. My eyes were regularly monitored and up until this past August, they were fine. I now have to be taken off the Plaquenil, as I have toxicity in my retinas. I was told in the beginning to just keep having my eyes monitored and I would be fine. My eyes are NOT fine. | F | 42 | 18 years | 3/13/2007 | 5 | Palindromic Rheumatism | Noisy bowels and slightly loose stool for about a month. Nothing since. | It is a godsend for me. I still ache occasionally, but my bad pains have gone. I am now able to function again like a human being. | F | 28 | 6 months | 3/15/2007 | 4 | SLE | only experienced the nausea once in 4 months. uncomfortable bloating. weight gain (10 lbs in 4 months) extreme fatigue. mood "rollercoaster". | i take 300mg/1 daily of plaquenil and 10mg/1 daily of prednisone. they have helped leaps & bounds for my joint pain and have kept my skin under control. i continue to have severe weight issues which have led to much sadness & feeling like a failure. (round face, jeans dont fit, tops too tight, etc.) i hope by april to only be taking 5mg of prednisone, if at all. *If anyone has any advice on weight management, I would really appreciate it. | F | 23 | 4 months | 3/15/2007 | 2 | sero-neg ra, /PsA (?) + others | Decrease in appetite. Can only eat so much. No nausea tho' or other side effects. | On 200 mg twice a day. After thinking it didn't work very well, was taken off, only to have increase in joint pain. Put back on after a week. It still doesn't address large am't of swelling or inflammation in feet, hands, knee; or the stiffness. A month later - prednisone 80 mg IM, the majority of swelling was gone, along with a good deal of stiffness. Pain still present, tho' much better. Now also on methotrexate, but will be tapering off plaq.as MTX increased. | F | 57 | 4 months | 3/24/2007 | 4 | Sjogrens Syndrome | none | Helps greatly with Sjogrens related fatigue. No effect on dryness. | F | 45 | 18 days | 3/25/2007 | 2 | lupus and sjogren's | Memory loss, lack of concentration, blurry vision, my skin changed colors, and diarrhea. The doctor kept on saying that it was not the plaquenil. They wanted to give me namenda (for alzheimer). They said that I had cognitive damage. They sent me to therapy. I knew it was the plaqenil. As soon as I stop taking it, I was able to follow instructions on my job. I do not feel lost. My vision is better. My stomach is practically normal, even with Sjogren's syndrome. According to my doctor today I would be disabled taking more than 10 pills a day. I stop the medication with NEW doctor's approval, and I am doing great. | People should find out if they really do worst without it. Temporary it can be taken, but all the time in a lot of case I do not think that is necessary. | F | 49 | 3 years | 3/30/2007 | 3 | SLE......joints and skin symptoms | itching, face rashes, hair loss, gas and abdominal discomfort | Rheumatologist wants me to continue it long term. I am not sure if these side effects are directly related to the Plaquenil or the dosage I take. I am on 200mg twice a day. I am experiencing less joint pain with the plaquenil and celebrex combination. | F | 62 | 5 years | 4/11/2007 | 3 | Inflammatory arthritis | Bloating, abdominal discomfort, nervousness, anxiety | Finally received benefits from the drug after 10 months but I also need Celebrex. The nervousness and anxiety attacks force me to use anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicines. Does anyone else have this problem? Those problems began about 3 months after I started Planquenil. I still have joint pain, but it has subsided significantly. | F | 36 | 15 months | 4/24/2007 | 4 | SLE | None | Does seem to limit the flares when they come up, although the SLE has spread to brain lupus, I doubt any drug could have prevented that. | M | 38 | 9 months | 4/27/2007 | 5 | RA | None really. I felt a bit more energized and that's why perhaps sometimes have problems sleeping...and sometimes also more vivid dreams. | This medication has really worked for me. I was taking Nabumetone for 3 years, but I'd have flair ups and would feel it and also had terrible stomack problems. Now ever since on Plaquenil I feel great. Only on several occasions I felt a little tingling in my fingers, so I knew that if I wasn't on Plaquenil this would be a painful flair up. No itching, or hair loss. This medication makes skin much more sensitive to sunburn, so maybe, if one is not careful, this can cause sunburn, itching, etc... | F | 40 | 2 days | 4/29/2007 | 5 | RA | None really. I felt a bit more energized and that's why perhaps sometimes have problems sleeping...and sometimes also more vivid dreams. | This medication has really worked for me. I was taking Nabumetone for 3 years, but I'd have flair ups and would feel it and also had terrible stomack problems. Now ever since on Plaquenil I feel great. Only on several occasions I felt a little tingling in my fingers, so I knew that if I wasn't on Plaquenil this would be a painful flair up. No itching, or hair loss. This medication makes skin much more sensitive to sunburn, so maybe, if one is not careful, this can cause sunburn, itching, etc... | F | 40 | 2 years | 4/29/2007 | 2 | Sjogren's Syndrome | Persistent headache, nausea, dizziness, light and sound sensitivity, gastrointestinal disturbance, blotches on the nose, light-headedness, loss of appetite, itchiness, visual disturbance. | Plaquenil has worked well for my sister who has MCTD but it did not agree with me. I am a proponent of 'no pain, no gain' and I understand that sometimes you have to get worse before you can get better but I could not tolerate another day on this medication. | F | 47 | 17 days | 5/5/2007 | 2 | RA | I have been taking 400mg a day and I am about to jump out of my skin. Panic that never goes away, it feels like I am shaking from the inside out all the way to the tips of my fingers. I sometimes feel unstable when I walk. Pain is some what reduced but not gone. I also still take 4 to 6 ibuprofen a day. It does help to drink a few beers at night. | I have RA and this is my second time to take Plaquenil. I was diagnosed with RA in 1990 many meds and 2 years later pain became manageable and I attribute it all to Plaquenil. I have been telling people about Plaguenil ever since. I was down to 1/2 a plaguenil and had been in remission for a number of months and the doctor took me off in August 1996. I became pregnant right away twice and taking MSM pretty much stayed pain free until June 2006 when my dad got sick. I went to my new Rheumatologist and he put me on 400 mg right away and 3 months into it I am in a constant state of panic. | F | 50 | 4 months | 5/15/2007 | 5 | SLE | Some initial GI upset during the first 2-3 weeks. The first week I had a lot of ringing in my ears about 1/2 hour after taking the plaq but 2 months into it that is no longer happening unless I take it when I am really fatigued. | The Plaq has helped so much! I was starting to feel like I would never be normal again. The pain in my hands, shoulders, neck and feet were making it really difficult to function and the fatigue was extreme! At that rate I expected that I would have to quit my job and try to get disability because I was absolutely at the end of my rope. After about 6 weeks on plaq my hands started to improve and I am doing much better. My ability to think and concentrate is much better which is a huge help to my confidence and my sense of well-being. I am still not "normal" but I feel like I function at about 80% of where I was before the lupus and I am hopeful that I will gain some more ground with the plaq over the next couple months. | F | 30 | 2 months | 5/26/2007 | 4 | mctd | sometimes I do get sleepy in the middle of the day. | if I miss a dose I can tell it the next day,thats how I know it works well | F | 29 | 9 days | 5/29/2007 | 4 | MCTD | loss of sleep, enhanced energy | Advice on weight gain for Prednisone takers - drink lots of water, rely on high-fiber foods (take Beano for gas/bloating - godsend), and hit the carrots/celery before you go for snacky foods. I am successful in controlling the weight and I take 30-40mg of prednisone per day. Get some excercise too. | F | 30 | 3 months | 6/8/2007 | 4 | RA | Very dry eyes, worse vision esp. for reading, stomach aches, mild acne, depression/ansiety. | I take 200 mg 2x a day. It works quite well, but I need about 2mg of prednisone a day pus extra ibuprofren when I experience minor flare-ups. These symptoms came on slowly, the anxiety just worsened. Could be that it is not the medecine. | F | 36 | 2 years | 6/21/2007 | 2 | FMS, CFS, RA | nausea, daytime sleepiness, dizziness, vivid dreams, lack of energy, generally just feeling bad | The dr started me on 400 mg in the am and 200 mg in the pm. I had to reverse it because of the sleepiness. I still just felt so bad. It did seem to help with the pain but isn't worth all of the side effects. | F | 36 | 1 months | 6/21/2007 | 1 | SLE | Started with the stomach troubles (almost like having the stomach flu for 3 weeks). Then the intense anxiety and depression kicked in, which was not relieved by xanax or ativan. Major insomnia, ringing in the ears and heart palpitations. The effects of my lupus were nowhere near as horrible as the side effects from this drug. | I'm not sure many dr's are aware of the awful side effects from this drug. All side effects should be reported to your rheum. I stopped this drug because I thought I was going to go crazy from the deep depression and anxiety. | F | 41 | 2 months | 6/28/2007 | 2 | SLE | gastro upset, reflux, extreme nausea, itching skin, upset stomach, enhanced smell, loss of appetitie | I feel disheartened I am not seeing any clear results yet. Taking 200mg twice a day. Still not pain in hands, wrists,and knee and feet. Hoping this might go in next few weeks. Very hard to tolerate side effects | F | 35 | 8 weeks | 6/29/2007 | 3 | RA | Only side effect - EXTREMELY itchy lips. Also on Celebrex, so I guess this could be causing it as well, although the itchy lips started when I started taking Plaquenil. | So far the RA in my knee is much better. I can really tell when I have accidentally skipped just one dose - the knee pain reminds me. But I don't know how much longer I can stand the itchy lips! The only thing that seems to help is pure Vasoline. But it doesn't help that much. | F | 31 | 2 months | 7/1/2007 | 4 | RA | Mostly good except I had a funny turn today while driving. My vision kind of went all wobbly - like I was on a boat in rough weather?? It lasted about 10 mins and afterwards I felt really tired/and scared!! Please email if you have experienced anything like this. I have only been on it for 21 days at 400mg per day | I'm not sure if this is a side effect or not. I feel great in every other way. The plaquenil has helped with joint pain so much and I haven't had any probs like other people. My doctors are no help and are only interested in prescribing loads of medication - some of which I am not taking eg: prednisolone. | F | 38 | 22 days | 7/4/2007 | 3 | RA | mild dry eyes | I have been taking plaquenil for almost 2 months along with 10mg of prednisone. I stopped the prednisone for about a week and had my symptoms return with the same severity as before medication. Still waiting for it to kick in. | M | 38 | 8 weeks | 7/13/2007 | 4 | SLE | none that i can think of | i started taking plaquinel about 9 years ago.. it really helped control my lupus..i never really noticed any side effects in fact sometimes i forgot i even had lupus.. however last year my doctor took me off of it because i wanted to get pregnant and within 3 months of being off of it i went into a horrible flare up that i am still fighting after a year. i am since back on the plaquinel (200mg twice a day) as well as steriods and imuran (which i never had to take before) after all this i found out it is safe to take plaquinel while pregnant. so now not only am i not pregnant i had to start imuran which you are not allowed to be pregnant on. overall i have had a good experience with this medication.. and once you are on it i don't recommend going off of it! | F | 29 | 9 years | 7/19/2007 | 3 | rheumatoid arthritis | Nausea, feelings of nervousness, itchiness | I am on 800 mg which is a high dose. When I was on 400 mg daily, I didn't have side effects after the first few weeks. | F | 39 | 8 months | 7/28/2007 | 4 | Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome | Dry eyes, migraines if I miss one or two doses, some spots in my vision, ringing in ears with severe loss of hearing in left ear. | I take 200 mg once a day, usually at night with numerous other pills (Ibuprofen, aspirin, claritin, lipitor, prilosec) and do not have any gastro-intestinal problems. I am wondering if I should be worried about the ringing in my ears and hearing loss although that can also be caused by my syndrome. | F | 59 | 9 years | 7/30/2007 | 3 | SLE Lupus | Extreme nausea and diarreha. Constant stomach upset. Some vision changes. Fatigue and vivid dreams. Although having gastro intestinal problems, my joint pain has been at a minimum. | The first time I started taking Plaquenil I took 200mg twice daily and had severe diarreah and stomach upset. Doc took me off for a couple of weeks then started at 100mg once a day and still experiencing stomach problems, but relief from joint pain. | F | 44 | 3 weeks | 8/14/2007 | 2 | sjorgren's syndrome | severe hair loss, depression | notice massive hair loss after taking it for a week. Now I stopped the med but the hair loss continues, although to a lesser extend. If I were to continue taking it, I would be bald by now. | F | 58 | 7 days | 8/15/2007 | 5 | Rheumatoid Arthritis | No noticable side effects, but recent increased hair loss which may or may not be attributed to Plaquenil | Thank God for this drug. Plaquenil has made a huge difference to my life. Before treatment I was virtually housebound and in severe pain throughout my body with extremely painful feet that left me unable to walk. After 3 to 4 months of 200mg twice daily I saw a vast improvement. I now lead a relatively full and active life with occasional managable flares. | F | 48 | 6 years | 8/20/2007 | 3 | Lupus | EXPLOSIVE flatulence! I almost couldn't go out in public and stopped taking the drug as a result! | It did seem to control the lupus, but that was a side effect I just could not tolerate! | F | 37 | 3 months | 8/23/2007 | 2 | Lupus & Sjogrens | Nausea & stomach cramps, ringing in ears, increase in anxiety which has been very much under control for 18 months. Very tearful for little or no reason Slight blurring of vision. | Disapointed as I thought this would be the answer to painful joints & fatigue. | F | 41 | 2 weeks | 9/9/2007 | 3 | Lupus, Sjorgren's, Auto Cirrhosis | Bloating, intestinal gas pain, dizziness, mild headaches, lowered energy level, insomnia. | Currently taking 200 mg a day. They are trying this after lowering my Prednisone from 30mg to 20mg. They say the long term side effects will be better with Plaquenil but I felt better on Prednisone. | F | 61 | 3 days | 9/12/2007 | 2 | Vasculitis | Fatigue, nausea, and recently a severe rash on legs, abdomen, chest and back. | F | 39 | 30 days | 9/15/2007 | 3 | RA | Massive fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, hair loss (could be from Leflunomide) | I've taken it with Leflunomide, prednisone, Meloxicam, Fish oil and Fosamax. 200 mg twice a day Plaquenil. The knuckle on my right pinky seems to be smaller. | F | 37 | 13 days | 9/18/2007 | 5 | SLE and arthritis | Nausea, but the pain is so decreased I will accept nausea in its place for the rest of my life if that is the way it works out. | A bit scary about the eyes, however I was assured by my doctor and eye doctor that it is not a common occurence and to just be aware of changes, also my eye doctor has me on a four month routine just to stay on that possibility. I feel soooo much better and seem to be getting my life back! | F | 54 | 1.5 months | 9/19/2007 | 4 | RA | Slight blurring of vision, hair thinning | Initially I was very afraid to try it. After 6 months, I was totally asymptomatic. I thought I was in a remission so I quit taking it. In about 4 months, I had a terrible "crash". Realized I felt so good because Plaquenil was working. Back on it and am feeling so much better. | F | 52 | 1 years | 9/19/2007 | 3 | Connective Tissue Disorder | Gas, hair loss/thinning, lack of sleep, fatigue, vivid dreams, bouts of depression | I'm worried about my eyes after reading all the comments. I had a baseline eye exam and all was well. I have noticed my muscles in my thighs are much better in the morning. I still have muscle weakness and pain. I'm also taking 20 mg of prednisone daily. I'm on a low fat, lower sodium diet which is helping keep the weight down, but I still feel fat. | F | 37 | 1 months | 9/25/2007 | 4 | SLE | Gas,Tiredness,Dizziness,Wieght loss. | I have gotten alot of relief from joint pain by taking this medication. I can deal with the side affects if I can just get rest at night from the joint pain. Im a mother of 2 boys I need all the rest I can get, LOL. | F | 32 | 1 months | 10/9/2007 | 1 | I was on plaquenil for Raynauds. | I took Plaquenil for 10 years. I was not told about the eye problems it could cause. I have very severe eye problems--can't drive at night--very hard to read--have been to several Ophtamoligists and eye specialists here and abroad...nothing can be done. There is severe damage to both eyes caused by this drug.I am now on Tracleer which is helping Raynauds much better--and can cause no further damage to my eyesight. | If you use it--please have your eyes checked regularly by a specialist. | F | 74 | 10 years | 10/18/2007 | 5 | UindifferentiatedCTD & Fibromyalgia | Initially, in the first two weeks I would develop a severe headache, my nose would run like a tap and from time to time would bleed. Occasionally my vision blurred. All symptoms would last for around an hour and no benefit was noticed for around two months. | I found it took about two months to kick in but when it did the results were worth the few side effects I had experienced. Most of my symptoms disappeared almost completely. | F | 48 | 3 months | 10/22/2007 | 2 | SLE | Have had severe dry eyes, blurred vision. Started seeing zigzaggy flashing lights...went to the eye doctor and he said it was an ocular migraine...did lose hair for a while but that seems to be lessening. | I keep asking the doctors if the ocular thing and the dry eyes and vision problems are from the plaquenil...they all keep saying probably not....;don't they read things like Webmd???? I'm going to try stopping it. As far as pain relief...I don't know because I still have flareups regularly and only have a day or two a week where the pain is minimal...maybe I'd be the same without it...I'm going to find out. | F | 52 | 7 months | 10/24/2007 |