ejvisneskie, Most docs start Prednisone to get peoples symptoms under control and I would think that is what you need to do as it sounds like you are spiraling out of control. Then they start the Plaquenil. The plaquenil takes a long time to kick in but when you sympoms are better the doc would probably taper your prednisone dosage down. The goal will be to get off of the prednisone and just be on the Plaquenil.
The fact that you had the dry eyes when on the plaquenil was probably due to the fact that the med had not kicked in yet and your sjogrens symptoms had gotten worse. The plaquenil doesn't cure but it inhibits a lot of the inflammatory stuff that affects our body. The joints and muscles are usually helped and many people say that the fatigue is better on the plaquenil. The vision needs to be monitored when on plaquenil but any problems is very rare because of the low doses people are put on. Generally an eye exam is needed 1-3 times a year depending on the doctor. Also, the vision problems seem to be reversible when the medication is stopped.
If you are having dry eye problems Restasis is the drop that is prescribed for sjogrens. It does help, but again, it takes time to kick in as in several months. The doc should also order prednisone eye drops to take prior to putting the Restasis in for a certain number of days. This helps decrease the inflammation and helps decrease the burning. The reason our eyes burn when we use the Restasis is because our eyes are so dry and irritated. We also need to use regular drops like Refresh abaut 15 minutes before we put the restasis in and 15 minutes after to help with the burning. The burning gets better as the eyes heal.
Also, many people have been on Methotrexate with good results. The liver function has to be checked every few months and folic acid is also usually given as it helps to decrease the nausea and yukky feeling that can occur. Good luck. Irish
