It works by calming your immune system. This helps reduce swelling (inflammation) in people with autoimmune conditions, where your immune system attacks your own body. For example, it helps reduce the inflammation that causes swollen and stiff joints in rheumatoid arthritis. Hydroxychloroquine is not a painkiller.
It can decrease the pain and swelling of arthritis which can prevent joint damage leading to long-term disability. Hydroxychloroquine is in a class of medications that was first used to prevent and treat malaria but today is the standard drug in lupus. It can be used in many other autoimmune diseases.
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.
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an antimalarial drug with an immunomodulatory effect widely prescribed in patients with pSS reporting extraglandular manifestations, such as fatigue, arthralgia, arthritis or myalgia.
Joint pain and swelling also decrease. Over time, Plaquenil helps reduce inflammation around the heart and lungs and improves symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and cognitive dysfunction. And patients report more energy because it's a mild stimulant.
Plaquenil may cause certain problems with sleep, such as nightmares. And with nightmares, you may be unable to sleep well, leading to fatigue. (With fatigue, you have a lack of energy and feel tired.) It's not known how many people have had sleep problems while taking Plaquenil.
It works by calming your immune system. This helps reduce swelling (inflammation) in people with autoimmune conditions, where your immune system attacks your own body. For example, it helps reduce the inflammation that causes swollen and stiff joints in rheumatoid arthritis. Hydroxychloroquine is not a painkiller.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are the most common side effects of hydroxychloroquine. And some people may also experience stomach pain.
Avoid taking an antacid or Kaopectate (kaolin-pectin) within 4 hours before or 4 hours after you take hydroxychloroquine.
This medicine may cause muscle and nerve problems. Check with your doctor right away if you have muscle weakness, pain, or tenderness while using this medicine. Hydroxychloroquine may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors.
Hydroxychloroquine doesn't work immediately. It may be 12 weeks or longer before you notice any benefit. Because it's a long-term treatment it's important to keep taking hydroxychloroquine unless you have severe side effects: even if it doesn't seem to be working at first.
Hydroxychloroquine acts by suppressing Toll-like receptors to trigger important immunomodulatory effects. Hydroxychloroquine is a well-established and effective therapy for systemic and cutaneous lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
Keep taking hydroxychloroquine until your doctor tells you to stop. Do not stop taking it just because you feel better. If you stop, your symptoms may get worse again.
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.
After patients respond well to the medication, medical providers will reduce the dose to 200 to 400 mg once daily or divided into two doses. This is a maintenance dose. The dose shouldn't exceed 600 mg or 6.5 mg per kilogram of body weight, whichever is lower.
Hydroxychloroquine is generally safe at normal doses, but higher amounts can damage the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, and could result in partial or complete blindness.
Plaquenil and alcohol
Plaquenil isn't known to interact with alcohol. However, certain side effects from Plaquenil could be worsened by drinking alcohol. Examples of these side effects include headache, nausea, and dizziness. (For information about Plaquenil's side effects, see this article.)
Hydroxychloroquine can be taken with other medications – NSAIDS (Celebrex®, ibuprofen, naproxen), prednisone, Enbrel®.
Safety variables at 6 month were within normal physiological ranges and did not differ in groups (p>0.05) indicating that both methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine were effective and safe to use in rheumatoid arthritis. The difference in the incidence of adverse effects, total or individual, was almost nil.
Loss of appetite, tiredness, weakness, or headache are uncommon side effects and typically go away over time.
If you're late taking a morning dose, you should still take the second dose at the right time.” Dooley says time of day also matters less with Plaquenil® (hydroxychloroquine). But, it's best taken with food.
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.