Give it time....first couple of weeks were the worst for me. After that i could not even tell i was on it. Took it for about four years. Hang in there!

I took Plaquenil for six months and it did work for me. I fetl much, much better. As long as I ate something before I took it, I was okay with the stomach issues. I had to stop it because of other issues...ringing ears and sores on my tongue. Hope it works for you!

V

Hi there:) I took Plaquenil for about four months and it did help with some things, like the stiffness and pain but it seemed to make me feel like I had the flu all of the time and I ran fevers.

Just so you know, I have liver problems too and I started Orencia about two months ago, so you do have other options.

Good luck and hugs!

I took Plaquenil for a few months and found it was helpful. However, I had to stop because of a severe reaction (not stomach issues). I didn't have any other problems with it such as thinning hair etc.
Good luck
Hugs

I have been on generic Plaquenil for two years. I still have some GI issues but nothing to write home about....just a bit of the icks. While I never really attributed my relief to Plaquenil (I also take leflunomide or generic Arava) I am not even going to think about stopping. I have some aches and pains and swelling and ....but I am so much better than I was a few years ago that I have to give some credit where it is due. Give it some time. If nothing else, RA can teach us patience, eh? Peace on you.

thank you all, SO much ! I'm sure many of you know the feelings of despair and of not knowing what to do. I came here to see the responses and now I am going to email my doctor; finally found his email address! yea..
I do so much better to communicate such things , via email than by phone, since when I call , I sometimes get a staff member who asks the questions in a way that just doesn't allow my actual situation to be explained.
So I get the impression from these replies, that it does help people with RA symptoms and the GI issues may pass. sorry for the pun !
VooDooPrincess--may I ask you, the first couple of weeks, was it tummy troubles you had mostly??

Wings of a Butterfly--I will check out that other med later..thanks for letting me know I have options !

And, FYI , I do take it with food. I plan to ask my doc if the side effects are more likely from the Diclofenac or Plaquenil.. I take it all in the evening , after eating something.
and also, just to clarify, this is not simply annoying tummy troubles but 24/7, and often severe pains...I'm thinking maybe gas related.
but i really can notice a difference in RA stuff.
oh and I'm sleepy all day too. I take care of my ex husband, who has Alzheimer's. (long story) which is trying enough. But with me feeling soooo icky and sleepy all day it's becoming a bit of a nightmare.
I even had the 'talk' with God today , about "why ME?" :(
Pity party, I know.

My doctor told me to absolutely not take Diclofenac at bedtime because it sits on your stomach and can cause stomach problems. I was told to make sure I only took it in the morning.

I too took plaquinil, and didn't see alot of help from it, but I believe it was mostly because I was so miserable from the side effects.

Before you ignore my post tho I do have two bits of advice. I was allowed to take the plaquinil at night and it helped......and I also take Savella for Chronic Fatigue, and it gave me similar side effects for about 3 weeks before they eased off and so give your system a chance to adjust.

I wish I could have stayed on the plaquinil and that I had had a good response to it. I am now on med #3 and counting(still horrible side effects and little to no relief).

Hang in there, and good luck with the plaquinil!

Marianne

I have been on Plaquenil for about 3 -4 years now and no side effects, though I usually don't get side effects. Hope you are feeling better soon.

I've been taking plaquenil for about four months. I take 200 mg in the morning, 200 mg in the late afternoon. No side effects that I'm aware of. This med was almost enough, but not enough to totally stop prednisone. Added MTX last night.

thanks again, to all. Marianne, I would not ignore your post ;)
I want insight even if I am a big ole baby , sometimes with unreasonable fears and sometimes my fears are justified.
well I have not heard back from the doc after my email yesterday-it just dawned on me he's going on vacation I don't know if it's now or later in July
the diclofenac is 75mg DR ( I had assumed that stands for delayed release, but just a guess ) and I'm supposed to take it 2 x day.....so he must know I'd be doing it in the evening. He RX'd it in fact, to get me off the Indomethacin my GP had given me, (when I was waiting for my initial RA doc appt. ) as he said the Diclofenac would be less harsh on my tummy than the other.
Not that I'm saying he meant it would not bother someone's stomach at all; just less than the other Rx..
Aggie, I hope the MTX helps you. Is that something that is injection only?

also ( I wish we could just edit our posts so I could avoid my double posting habit, plus it would be nice to be able to see more than one page of replies while typing)
but , I digress.
Marianne, I also wanted to say, I'm sorry to hear you are having a hard time with side effects; I also pray that med #3 is "the one" that will work for you!
I did not realize there is a med for Chronic Fatigue. I will have to inquire about that.
sometimes I wonder, between my (our) RA, fatigue, fibro, etc etc, how do we & our docs, know which is causing what, and b/c so often the meds seem to cause similar problems as the actual RA does....
Christine, does the Plaquenil help you then?

My Rheumatologist put me a Plaquenil and said it takes a while for it to build up in your system. I have been on it for about 3 month's I have Fibromyalgia and early stages of RA. Hang in there but be sure to eat before you take it.