flare up with sjogrens../trying plaquenil

[jenny2008]

hey there. thanks so much for your post and advise..i really appreciate it...
may i ask why you stopped taking it after 2.5 years?
i know there is only a slight chance it could my eyes.. of course i am leary and scared to take it again.. the first time i tried it i took 2 pills at once-200 mg.. horrible body aches and tiredness for 2 days.. dont recall my dreams being odd but i take melatonin every night so i tend to get vivid dreams anyway.. sometimes they are great and fun and sometimes downright frightening!!!

you can PM me re: your experiences as well.

again. thank you.. it helps having this board as an outlet.. whenever i have true 'flares' it makes me realize i shouldnt complain on my 'normal' days..

[calli66]

Plaquenil Post

Hi jenny

Sorry you're having a big flare! I took Plaquenil for 2.5 years and quit this past February. And yeah, it's best to start with very small doses and work your way up.

It's a long-term thing---usually takes 4-5 months to start to moderate your immune system. So you probably won't notice it helping symptoms in the moment but you can look forward (hopefully) to fewer flares if you can stay on it for awhile.

What to expect in the beginning of Plaquenil? It varies, I guess, but for me, I had a small amount of dizziness, a little ringing of the ear, both of which went away after a few days.

One side effect can be very VIVID dreaming, so don't be surprised if you have a big screen, 3-D type extravaganza personal movie when you sleep! My eye doctor worked for awhile in Africa, and he and his colleagues took Plaquenil doses every Sunday night (it's a malaria preventative). He said everybody came to work the next day talking about all their wild dreams.

Another side effect is some nausea or gastrointestinal distress, usually of the loose variety, but people say this goes away as you adjust to the medication. I found that is helps to eat lightly and fairly bland until you know how your belly will respond.

Some people do have allergic reactions, so by all means, read the package insert information and watch out for hives, rash, etc.---means you should quit taking and see the doctor.

Don't be scared to take it; it really seems to help with the Sjogren's---although not so directly on the dry eyes and mouth---which is what we all wish it would do immediately.

Calli

[jenny2008]

ok.. i just needed somewhere to post this -to people who understand.. i was prescribed plaquenil about a month ago-tried it-took the full dose (too much at once ) and got sick.. so now after having a horrible sjogren's dry eye flare up today-my eyes feel like they could pop out -so dry- i hvae decided to try plaquenil tonight when i go to bed.... my rheumotologist advised me to take 1/4 of the dose and see if i can tolerate it.. according to her several of her patients with dry eye and mouth benefit from it....here we go.