Plaquenil/Hydroxychoroquine Sulphate & Prednisolone meds

carola

Hello my Friends

I have SLE & Polyarthritis. On 20mg of Methotrexate (initially diagnosed as RA) and just started on Hydroxy and Prednisolone.

Was wondering who else has taken these meds and your experience?

Many thankyous in advance and hope you are all having a decent day today.

Keep smiling, Carol

frogmorton

Hi carol

am on hydroxy and has been ok. Only thing is you need to get your eyes tested regulalry as it can damage them so far no probs and been on it two years.

Have had oarl pred from time to time too and think it's really effective, but only had it in 'courses'.

Love

Toni xx

carola

Thanks for the message Toni.

Yep, been reading about the eye thing.

With the Prednisolone - did your appetitie increase? I am a right feardy cat regarding steriods and puffing up!!

I'm glad you have had good experiences.

Have a smiley day!
Carol

valval

carola wrote:

Hello my Friends

I have SLE & Polyarthritis. On 20mg of Methotrexate (initially diagnosed as RA) and just started on Hydroxy and Prednisolone.

Keep smiling, Carol

hi on hydrox and naproxen working well for me got nagged till had eyes done lol they can see deposits on back of eyes if any start to collect so worth getting done. i have oa and inflimation arther but fingers crossed under control val

frogmorton

Hi Carol

If it's only a course of pred you should be fine - I think it's more a lot of energy you have and the appetite increase is just part of it.

I think if you are on it long term it might be an issue.

Give it a go You can soon stop if it doens't suit.

Good luck


Love

Toni xx

carola

valval wrote:

carola wrote:

Hello my Friends

I have SLE & Polyarthritis. On 20mg of Methotrexate (initially diagnosed as RA) and just started on Hydroxy and Prednisolone.

Keep smiling, Carol

hi on hydrox and naproxen working well for me got nagged till had eyes done lol they can see deposits on back of eyes if any start to collect so worth getting done. i have oa and inflimation arther but fingers crossed under control val

Thanks for that, Val. Glad things are under control for you.
Carol x

carola

frogmorton wrote:

Hi Carol

If it's only a course of pred you should be fine - I think it's more a lot of energy you have and the appetite increase is just part of it.

I think if you are on it long term it might be an issue.

Give it a go You can soon stop if it doens't suit.

Good luck


Love

Toni xx

Hi Toni, I didn't think to ask them how long going to be on the Pred for! Heck, I think I am so prepared as well! Thanks again x

frogmorton

If you say what dose those who are on it regularly might have an idea?

Love

Toni xx

carola

frogmorton wrote:

If you say what dose those who are on it regularly might have an idea?

Love

Toni xx

Good idea, Toni!!

20mg weekly of Methotrexate.
7.5mg daily of Prednisolone
400mg daily of Plaquenil
......... and other pills!

scattered

I've been on hydroxy. for about 3 years, prednisolone for 4 years, MTX for 8 months, although have been on and off oral MTX for the past 4 years.

The hydroxy. bleached all my body hair. I was already blonde, but now I'm even blonder. At one point I looked like I didn't have eyelashes! I have to be very careful in the sun due to the hydroxy. and the MTX as they can both make you burn more easily. I don't go out without a high factor sunscreen on. I don't if the hydroxy. is doing anything because I take it in conjunction with Humira, MTX and pred. I do know that it is far too mild to make any dent in my RA on its own. As people have already said, be sure to get your eyesight checked yearly just to make sure there aren't any problems. It is very rare side-effect. Saying that, I think I'm due for my annual test!

Like I said I've been on prednisolone for 4 years, since before I was diagnosed. I was started off on high doses to try and get the inflammation under control and my disease has never been controlled enough for me to come off it completely. I'm now down to 5mg daily and I'm hoping to cut the further at my next RD appt. Pred, although it is a wonder drug in what it can do for inflammation, is a nasty drug for pretty much everything else. I gained weight on it and I have a moonface. Thankfully my bone density is still good and I only have to take calcuim supplements to try and offset the bone side-effects. The majority of doctors will try not to have to put you on pred if they can help it, and if they do it will be on as low a dose as is possible. It is very rare to be like me and still be on it after four years. I don't like being on pred and my RD doesn't like me being on pred but the only way to get off it is taper down slowly, one mg at a time.

I hope that this combo helps you. Good luck.

carola

Hi Scattered and many thanks for your message - some good info there.

I always say there is a silver lining to every cloud so turning my body hair blonde would be good for me as I was seeing the beginnings of a 'tache haha.

The moonface though would not be welcome. Through my healthy eating I was starting to see the return of my cheekbones so not happy if I balloon! :shock:

Oh well, shall see what happens.

Have a good day today and thanks again.
Carol

tillytop

Hi Carol
I took Hydroxy for a while, along with other meds and had no side effects from the Hydroxy. Not sure how much it was doing for the RA though because I was taking it in combination with other things.

I have taken prednisolone for years at varying doses and the moon-face etc only appeared at much higher doses taken for a long period of time. I think that 7.5mg a day would be considered to be a “maintenance” dose so hopefully you will be fine with it. I took 5mg a day for many years without a problem. The GP told me recently that they try to stay below 10mg/daily because, at that dose, the body can continue to produce its own cortisol/cortisone so side effects are less likely. In my experience oral pred kicks in pretty quickly so hopefully you will see some benefit soon. It may be that the consultant will give you a plan for cutting down once the metho and hydroxy start to take effect.

Mtx didn’t agree with me at all, although it did wonders for the RA.

How is the healthy eating going – is it helping at all d’you think?

Good luck with the nw meds!

Love Tilly x

caprica

Hey there!
I just started on hydroxy a couple of weeks ago - so far so good, no side effects that I can see.. Hope it works for you (and for me!).

dreamdaisy

I've been on oral steroids for much of the past 3.5 years, and have never had moonface. The highest dose ever has been 20mg for a fortnight, then reducing. I have just reduced to 12.5 and am feeling lousy: I suspect a flare is in the offing, deep joy. Pred is a wonder-drug, no doubt about it. I know it only masks things but it does undoubtedly make one feel better and thus more able to cope with the general debilitation that arthritis and its pals brings.

In some ways I wish I'd never been given them - I was prescribed them by my consultant after a three-month spell in bed without any meds of any sort after the mishap with enbrel - it was good to feel better but life without them ain't easy. To mis-quote Brendan Behan (a famous drinker of astonishing dedication) 'One pred is one too many - a thousand is never enough.' DD

woodbon

Hi, I don't have RA, so don't have the same meds, just painkillers, so I can't help.

I do wish you good luck with the medication and hope that they do the trick quickly for you and you'll soon be feeling much better!!
Love sue

carola

caprica wrote:

Hey there!
I just started on hydroxy a couple of weeks ago - so far so good, no side effects that I can see.. Hope it works for you (and for me!).

Good luck on it Caprica

carola

Hi Tillytop

Healthy eating going well. Started eating fish again the other day and felt no bad effects so happy days as not just eating veg and lentils now!!

I definately feel a bit better healthy eating - I should have been eating like this anyway!

Many thanks for your info message and hope you having a decent day today.
Carol

carola

woodbon wrote:

Hi, I don't have RA, so don't have the same meds, just painkillers, so I can't help.

I do wish you good luck with the medication and hope that they do the trick quickly for you and you'll soon be feeling much better!!
Love sue

Many thanks, Sue and have a good day today

carola

Hi DD

What a too true quote!! Yep, I have been thinking about taking the Pred when trying other meds as if I see an improvement, how do we know what one is working?

Have a good day today x

redkettle

scattered wrote:

The hydroxy. bleached all my body hair. I was already blonde, but now I'm even blonder. At one point I looked like I didn't have eyelashes! I have to be very careful in the sun due to the hydroxy. and the MTX as they can both make you burn more easily. I don't go out without a high factor sunscreen on

:shock:

Yikes. I take Hydroxy and MTX too, and so far so good; but every time i come on here to take a look i read about another potential side effect i never know about

crikey, passing under a 60 watt light fixture is enough to give my irish skin sunburn, so delighted to hear that i'm probably even more prone now. Spain holiday = cancelled. Hello Iceland.

page35

Hi
I take hydroxy MTX and sulfa and have very fair skin too. have been ok and not got burnt using the suncream that i used before all the meds.