Lupus Support Group
Lupus is an auto-immune disease in which the immune system cannot distinguish between threats (like viruses and bacteria), and healthy cells and tissue. As a result, the body produces antibodies that inflict cell damage, most commonly targeting joints, skin, kidneys and the nervous system. Join the group and find support for coping with lupus.
First I would like to say hello to everyone here, i am also a part of the Rheumatoid Arthritis group since i have been diagnosed with both, found out about the Lupus after about 4 different doctors..I love this site and everyone is so supportive!
I have started taking plaquenil about a week ago and I am ready to give up on it already..
since i started this drug i have felt sick to my stomach every second of every day- i can't eat and when i do it doesn't stay in my stomach very long..
my eyes have puffed up worse than before and now i think i have a stye- my right eye is almost swollen shut every morning and the eyelid is extremely red..the only time i eat is when i take the medicine and my doctor wont give me anti nasea medicine, so does anyone have any suggestions? before i throw this medication out the window along with any hope of feeling better?
I have started taking plaquenil about a week ago and I am ready to give up on it already..
since i started this drug i have felt sick to my stomach every second of every day- i can't eat and when i do it doesn't stay in my stomach very long..
my eyes have puffed up worse than before and now i think i have a stye- my right eye is almost swollen shut every morning and the eyelid is extremely red..the only time i eat is when i take the medicine and my doctor wont give me anti nasea medicine, so does anyone have any suggestions? before i throw this medication out the window along with any hope of feeling better?
and yes i called him yesterday and he told me how "strange" it was that i was feeling this way..i knew i wasn't the only one feeling this way..
What are you on for your RA? Some people with Lupus are just on Methotrexate, so if you're on that already then you're not going 'untreated'.
Plaquenil made me feel like that at first too. I felt terrible. I had nausea, couldn't eat, dizziness and felt just disgusting. But it improved about 10 days later.
What dose are you on? If you're taking 400mg a day, just start on 200mg, or even split the 200mgs in half and take half in the morning, half at night. If you're going to take the 200mg (without splitting it) take it at night before you go to bed. Take it with a lot of food. Stay on 200mg a day until you stop feeling nauseous, then you could go up to 200mg one day, 400mg the next (this is my usual dose). It takes up to three months to start working so by starting on a lower dose, you're not going to really make any different.
Can you buy anti-nausea medications OTC? I don't know where you live, but where I live you can buy anti-nausea medication over the counter. If your rheumatologist won't prescribe it, can you try your GP/PCP? My GP prescribed me anti-nausea medication for Plaquenil and it helped a lot!
If not, maybe stop the medication and wait until you're feeling a bit better. Give it a week or two and then start back on 200mg a day like I said earlier.
If your RA/Lupus isn't under control, I'd definitely recommend taking this medication. Nearly everyone experiences what you are before taking it.
I'm not sure about your eyes, but it sounds like you're really run down which may be the cause.
I'd speak to your GP, take it easy and good luck!
I have been on plaquenil for a little over 5 years now. When I first started it, I wasn't feeling the greatest all around so it's hard to say if it was the plaquenil or the other meds that were making me sick to my stomach. My Doc had switched me to a long acting pain medication as what I was taking at the time was barely touching my pain and I didn't want to go up in quantity. I will say though that after 10 days there was a noticable improvement- primarily with the awful skin rashes that I had. Nothing, not even prednisone, was touching that! I would take plaquenil over prednisone any day! What concerns me is your eyes:( One of the major things they request with plaquenil users is seeing their eye doctor as the medication could cause adverse reactions. Any time you are put on a new medication the doctor should make note of any changes you are experiencing and discontinue it immediately if the side effect so warrant. I wish you all the best hon. Some days are better than others. Anyone with medical conditions should keep close watch and/or journal to keep track of what triggers a flare-up, etc. Hang in there! xoxoLyn