Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Did Plaquenil give you a headache?

salsmypal
salsmypal
In the never ending quest for the right drug combo, I added Plaquenil last week (after 3 months symptom free with MTX) and now find that I have a dull headache every day. It's not bad enough to quit taking it, but so far nothing's budging it -- Tylenol, Advil, and I've got a whole variety of prescription NSAIDs I could try.

My question is, if Plaquenil did give you a headache, did it eventually go away? if so, how long did that take? I know you're supposed to get your eyes checked on this drug, but I've only been on it a little over a week. How soon do you need to start getting your eyes checked? Would potential eye problems be causing headaches already?

Thanks for any insight,
Julie
deleted_user
deleted_user
I had the dull headaches too..they disappeared after a while..didn't last to long.. i had y eyes checked like every 3-4 months or when I thought they may be a change in my sight... eye doc can advise you on that...
RCross
RCross
I've never taken it, but my grandmother does. The doc told her to have her eyes checked when she first started treatment so the eye doctor had a baseline to compare to. Then every 6 months...or soon if symptoms appeared.

She never has mentioned a headache from it...but I'll ask her tomorrow.
littlemac
littlemac
I did not have a headache. And had to have my eyes checked every 6 months per my Rheumy's instructions.
That was quite a few years back. I was also taking MTX and sulfasine or sulfasaladine (don't remember the exact name. This was from about 1999 to 2005 so standards may have changed since then.
lynnedavidson3
lynnedavidson3
It did not give me a headache. I did break out in a rash after about two weeks, and was taken off this medication. This is the only drug I ever had an allergic reaction to!