Side effects of hydroxychloroquine...

buffycat

Hi all.....

I've not been on for a while.....the demands of work and two small (but gorgeous) girls are my priority these days.

Anyway.....I had my consultant appointment recently and due to my RA being very active, and that MTX doesn't appear to be doing much anymore, He's now out me on hydroxychloroquine with a view to putting me onto anti-tnf in the future.

Obviously I've started taking it, but I can honestly say that it isn't helping me at all. If anything, since I've been on it, I've been feeling under the weather....eg extreme fatigue, flu-like symptoms and even oral thrush. Has anyone else had issues with hydroxychloroquine?

Hugs for everyone....
Buffycat
x

tjt6768

Hi Buffy...
I was on hydroxy for a good while before starting a mtx/sulphasalazine combo.. I have to say that the hydroxy didn't help me much but the only side effect I had was loss of appetite. In fact I lost almost three stones in as many months I was wondering if I could rebrand it as a diet pill
I'm sorry that I haven't been much help but hopefully others will add to..

Best wishes and some Yorkshire blokey hugs for you and the girls.
xx

PS, my appetite is still really poor.. :roll:

stickywicket

I've never experienced any side effects with hydroxy and I've been on it for years. It's a mild DMARD. If you're no longer taking the meth my guess would be that the symptoms you describe – with the exception of the thrush - are simply a flare. If the hydroxy has only recently been added to the meth it might not have kicked in yet.

bubbadog

I'm taking Hydroxychloroquine and have been for nearly 12 months. It does take a while to kick in I can't remember how long the Rhummey said it takes I think it may have been 2 weeks? The side effects I've been having are loss of appetite like Tony and increased hair loss. Other than that no side effects I can totally say are caused by Hydroxychloroquine.

tkachev

I recently started taking it again and I felt really well at the start. I certainly noticed the difference. But I took it in the past and I felt it did nothing.

I seem to have a history of meds working really well at the start. May be I should keep changing them?


Elizabeth

tenbury

I am on hydroxy and methatrexate 15mg, I can't say that it does anything for me and I am just thinking of stopping it, I feel that this is why I am so tired all the time so I think I will have a break from it.

stickywicket

Oh tenbury, please don't take such a drastic step without consulting your rheumatologist. It's very easy to feel that the meds do nothing until we actually stop them and then discover, belatedly, that they were doing an awful lot :roll:

If your CRP levels are low then the meds are working. This doesn't mean you'll be pain-free but at least you're in less pain than you would be without them. If you are feeling a lot of fatigue it might mean that your disease is active and you actually need more, not fewer, meds.

tenbury

Oh thank you for your concern s/w and I will heed your advice as you are very probably right, sometimes I don't think rationally I am pain free at the moment so thank god for that, no I won't rock the boat ..