I was on plaquenil for awhile. Great for pain relief.  It  is an anti
malarial drug  and YOU DO NEED an EYE screening before ever starting this
drug.

Just call an eye doc and ask if they do a simple test to screen for
plaquenil. They should know what you are talking about.  Plaq will damage
eyes but once it is stopped it is reversable, they say.  You will get a
chart to take home after you have the doc examine your eyes.  You will then
test yourself.  they tell you what to look for.

I certainly wish I could of taken it, but I developed a severe rash an
blisters, which can happen if you are allergic to it.

You may also experience diarrhea from it at first but it will pass....And
if you develope an itch with nothing to show?  Call the doc about it, some
people have it all the time, others have to stop the drug.  Just call the
doc.

IT is a good drug and good for pain control with joint trouble.  I was
really upset when I HAD to stop it.  It takes about 6 weeks to really see
results so be patient, and if diarrhea, ask the doc but some take immodium
to help. ask the pharmacist please.  Never never take drugs unless your doc
approves it, over the counter or NOT.

good luck
janers

I have been on Plaquenil for about 5 months now.  Unfortunately it hasn't
worked at all for me, although I have had no side effects from it except
that my hair has faded in colour a bit, lucky I dye it anyway :)

I started on 2 in the morning and now I'm on one in the morning but im
really just waiting until I can try Methotrexate (you cant take methotrexate
if your trying to get pregnant) which sounds like its much more likely to
work then the Plaquenil.  Until then I have to rely on small doses of
Prednisone to control my pain unfortunately.

My dr said that Plaquenil is one of the "nicer" DMARDS but only seems to
work in 50% of cases.  He also told me it can take up to 3 months to work at
all.

Good luck with it I hope it works for you.

Kim

I have rheumatoid arthritis and have been on Plaquenil for about 6 months.
It has significantly reduced my need for anti-inflammatories. But my RA was
caught very early in the disease process, before any damage has been done to
the joints.

As for the eye stuff - according to my Ophthalmologist, in the early use of
the drug, it triggered eye problems. That was before they learned what
dosages were needed to be effective. Now that the dosages are much lower
than they use to be, eye problems are extremely rare. Still, they advise a
baseline ophthalmology exam before starting the drug, and a re-exam every
six months to see if there are any changes. My appt happens to be Thursday.

Adelle

What type of arthritis do you have?  Plaquenil isn't given just for knee
pain or osteo arthritis.  Did a rheumatologist prescribe it?

The drug is very old.  I've been taking it for almost 10 yrs.  *a lot* of
people use it.