I think your girlfriend has bigger problems than just lupus. Maybe you
should visit http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org You might find help within
that site. She's probably doing what is often referred to as
self-medicating. She's using the beer to find relief because her meds are
not doing what they should be doing.
Bev

Steve, first let me say I appreciate you for sticking with her and
caring.  

I suspect she is depressed.  Is her diagnosis recent?  Can you get her
to a health care professional to have her evaluated for depression?  

MsLiz

Steve
Sounds like your girlfriends has a bigger problem with alcohol.  Alcohol is
bad for a "healthy" person and it's not helping her.  She doesn't want to be
sick (none of us do) but we are and have to face it.
Try to coax her into getting help.  AA is a good program for her and Al-Anon
is a good one for you.

By any chance, do you know which medication she was taking?

As for lupus, here's some info
Lupus is very difficult to diagnose at times.  I have been my sickest and
all the bloodwork show that everything is normal..... and have been feeling
good and the bloodwork be all over the place.  There's a certain percentage
of lupus and RA patients that have the disease despite what the bloodwork
shows.

Plaquenil can take several months before it starts working so you'll have to
be patient.
Good luck
I'm in Central CA.
Nicole

Here's some info that'll help
please go to the Lupus Foundation of America site www.lupus.org and read all
the information they have.  It is the most current information available and
you will learn a lot!

Also, either buy or go to the library and get Dr Daniel Wallace's "The Lupus
Book" 3rd Edition and read it cover to cover.

Dr Wallace explains in layman's terms everything you need to know.... just
as the LFA does.  The LFA also offers a magazine called Lupus Now which is
full of great info.

The Arthritis Foundation www.arthritis.org also has a lot of helpful
information, a magazine Arthritis Today.  There are over 100 forms of
arthritis so there's a lot to learn.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
offers FREE publications.  Take advantage.  http://catalog.niams.nih.gov/

There is a wonderful lupus booklet which is completely free.  There are many
other pieces of great info also.

Medline: Lupus

offers links to news and resources about the chronic autoimmune disease in
which the immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes hyperactive and
attacks normal tissue.

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lupus.html

Glean your information from reliable sites such as those listed above.

You have to be your own health care advocate.  Your doctor is not going to
sit down and educate you in regards to lupus, fibro, etc.  He/she doesn't
have time and most likely doesn't even know where to begin.

Nicole