In some people, HCQ may cause gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, cramps, or diarrhea. These may occur for the first few days a person takes the drug while the body adjusts to the medication.
Gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, such as ulcerative colitis (UC). Plaquenil can cause side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. If you have a GI condition such as UC, you may be at higher risk for these side effects. Plaquenil may also make symptoms of your condition worse.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are the most common side effects of hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil). Skin rashes are also possible.
Serious side effects
muscle weakness, cramps, stiffness or spasms, or changes in how your skin feels such as tingling. frequent infections with a high temperature, sore throat or mouth ulcers. bruising that happens more easily than usual.
You may want to limit your consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice during treatment with hydroxychloroquine. Grapefruit juice can significantly increase the blood levels and effects of hydroxychloroquine, which may result in an irregular heart rate or other conduction disturbances.
Using Plaquenil for a long period of time may harm the retina, causing serious vision loss. People with retinal damage from Plaquenil are not aware at first that they are losing vision. Unfortunately, once they lose a severe amount of vision loss, it is permanent.
They also found medications played a role in the diversity and abundance of gut bacteria. People with lupus who took hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil®) or high doses of glucocorticoids (a type of steroid drug, like prednisone) were more likely to have imbalances in the makeup of their gut microbiomes.
No clinical trial has reported that Hydroxychloroquine can make you gain weight. However, bloating or weight gain can be experienced by some people because of water or fluid retention in the body. You should inform your physician if you experience severe or unusual weight change.
Safety profile of hydroxychloroquine
Patients report frequent side effects such as loss of appetite, flatulence, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, nausea, weight loss or unusual tiredness. These symptoms occur mainly during the first weeks of treatment.
Hydroxychloroquine is a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). It regulates the activity of the immune system, which may be overactive in some conditions. Hydroxychloroquine can modify the underlying disease process, rather than simply treating the symptoms.
Plaquenil works very slowly. In 1 to 3 months you should start to feel better. You may continue to get better for up to 1 year. Most people who take Plaquenil also take other medicines for pain and stiffness.
The most common side effects are nausea and diarrhea, which often improve with time. Less common side effects include rash, hair changes, and muscle weakness. Rarely, hydroxychloroquine can lead to anemia in some individuals.
Weight gain or weight loss
For some people, Plaquenil may cause weight loss. This is because the drug can decrease your appetite, which may lead to the weight loss.
Take this medicine with meals or milk to lessen stomach upset, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Keep using this medicine for the full treatment time, even if you feel better after the first few doses.
This light sensitivity can cause inflammation, squinting, burning, excessive eye watering and can make going outside — even for a few moments or while it's overcast — difficult and painful. Hydroxychloroquine, for example, is one medication that can cause significant sun sensitivity in the eyes.
Another is hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) which can also cause sleep difficulties. Your doctor may recommend you take these medications early in the day to try and reduce the impact on your sleep. You may still experience sleep problems even if your PsA is under control.
Loss of appetite, tiredness, weakness, or headache are uncommon side effects and typically go away over time.
Hydroxychloroquine may cause a condition that affects the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). QT prolongation can rarely cause serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away.
How long you take hydroxychloroquine for depends on why you're taking it. For some conditions, if hydroxychloroquine works for you then you may need to take it for several years, or even for the rest of your life, to control your symptoms.
Plaquenil and other anti-malarials are the key to controlling lupus long term, and some lupus patients may be on Plaquenil for the rest of their lives.
People may need to stop taking hydroxychloroquine because of side effects. They should not stop taking the drug on their own without the help of their medical provider. Plaquenil stays in the body for around three months and it may take a while for side effects to go away.
This medicine lowers the number of some types of blood cells in your body. Because of this, you may bleed or get infections more easily. To help with these problems, avoid being near people who are sick or have infections.