Well my eye specialist suggested I start the plaquenil tomorrow instead of in a weeks time and I am allowed 2 glasses of champagne for my college graduation next Friday. 8)
I will be starting them tomorrow and the chemist suggested getting liver function tests every 3 months!!!! But I see my GP a week on Monday so he will sort that out, he has been fabulous and liaises with my rheumy as my rheumy has a 3 month wait between appointments but at least they communicate and my rheumy phones me if needed.
Anyway, when I went to collect my plaquenil today, the chemist said 'Good luck with them' which of course made me a tad nervous.
So let us have a plaquenil party - who is starting it for the first time?
I am having a nice glass of wine tonight, in readiness for 'D' Day tomorrow!
:P
Not to rain on your party .. but wine/champagne have alcohol and that drys out the mouth and burns ... just FYI. (also have sugar, which is a trigger)
Corella, Congratulations on your graduation!
Congrats on your college graduation!! I started Plaquenil in June or July of this year - I take 200 mg twice daily and the only side effect I've had is scalp itching that lasted for about a week. It has helped with the joint swelling and stiffness in my fingers and has helped some with my joint pain in my knees. My rheumy just told me yesterday that the primary reason aside from the joints that we use Plaquenil is to try to slow down the progression of the disease. I do know that my inflammation markers (SED or ESR or one of those tests) was elevated prior to Plaquenil and now it's in the normal range, so I believe it's doing something good :)
Thanks for your replies everyone.
I am due to have my highlights done next Friday for my graduation, I am wondering do you think I should postpone the Plaquenil until after I have had my foils done, i am worried about my hair turning a funny colour - I cant exactly leave it with the regrowth I have.
Have any of you still been able to colour your hair on plaquenil, or has it changed colour - any tips or advice, I just want to look nice for my college photo that I want to send to my Dad in England.
I do not plan to have grey hair, no way no never and I dont care how vain it sounds but I have heard if you have blonde highlights, plaquenil can make you go ginger? :o
Hi Corella,
I have been on a low dose of plaquenil since feb. I have my hair colored every six weeks. Highlights and lowlights and I have had no trouble at all. I did forewarn my hairdresser though to be aware. She thought the only changes that might occur down the road might be that it would take more or less time to for the hair to get to the right color. Just let your hairdresser know.
Hi Corella,
Congratulations on your graduation! ;D
I'm not very new on Plaquenil, been taking it for 6 months, and have had no problems except the "itchy-head thing" that lasted only a week or two and a tiny stomach upset. Now that I take it with food, no problems.
I also still color my hair and have seen no trouble. I'm one of those "kitchen beauticians" and do it myself. ;) Jellyb has a good suggestion to let your hairdresser know.
Take care,
Melinda
Horray for you! Happy graduation!
My only suggestion for Plaquenil is to take it with food and make sure it goes all the way down. The brand name has a slick coating, but the generic is very dry and has a tendency to get stuck and sizzle away. Not good.
I also color my own hair, and I haven't noticed anything different.
Congrats on your graduation. I'm not new to plaquenil. I've taken it for years. I've colored my hair before with no problems. I've never had a problem with having a few drinks while taking it either. Drinks don't mix to well with gabapentin, tramadol and hydrachodone though...just saying..
Go ahead and have your foils done so you look great when you want to. I've been on Plaq for 5 years, dye my hair, get foils and the whole 9 yards. Do not drink though and I think you should celebrate your graduation. Congrats. Lucy
Congratulations on your graduation. It is so important for the future.
Regarding your hair, I have read (on this forum) that Plaquenel can make your hair more brassy. I believe this is true. If you are going a brown color, you might want to have your hairdresser put more auburn in the mix. I don't know about other colors...
Congratulations upon your graduation as well!
And I too have my hair done every 4-6 weeks and it just takes my hair longer to get the color right/to get it to take a color than before, but thats about it.
Patze
Congrats on the graduation.
I hope the Plaquenil works for you. Tried it twice and broke out in such a rash all over the palms of my hands, head, and other places. Itched like crazy. My doc took me off of it after a month or two-- but it can stay in your system for some time. I also may have affected my peripheral vision-- hard to belive that, but my eye doctor said that technically I failed the test, so he seconded the motion to stop it. I wouldn't let me experience sway you though. I am allergic to everything. Some people say plaquenil is a magic bullet, so maybe it will be for you. I wish I could have stayed on it. :-\
Enjoy that champagne!!!
I dont mind saying I am really nervous, I cant take any sleeping tablets or anything for anxiety as I am allergic to them and it brings on my asthma, so I am scared of trying it. Sometimes I wish I didnt know about the side effects.
Its awful that your vision was affected so quickly, is it reversible? I would be upset if it stuffed up my eyes for good. :-[
Quote from: kwolfsheimer on November 19, 2011, 04:23:21 PM
Congrats on the graduation.
I hope the Plaquenil works for you. Tried it twice and broke out in such a rash all over the palms of my hands, head, and other places. Itched like crazy. My doc took me off of it after a month or two-- but it can stay in your system for some time. I also may have affected my peripheral vision-- hard to belive that, but my eye doctor said that technically I failed the test, so he seconded the motion to stop it. I wouldn't let me experience sway you though. I am allergic to everything. Some people say plaquenil is a magic bullet, so maybe it will be for you. I wish I could have stayed on it. :-\
Enjoy that champagne!!!
Congrats on your graduation!!! I graduated with a teaching degree in '08...I am an assistant with 4 kids, so I don't teach, but HEY..I have a degree...LOL. :D I am on Plaquenil..have been since March, 2011. I don't drink..since then...and have my hair foiled by my stylist friend without a problem!
I am most peeved to say I have a rash across my cheeks from my little walk I did yesterday around the lakes. Looks like a malar rash but I dont think I have lupus, just sero neg sjogrens.
Do any of you get a rash on your cheeks? I hope it goes by saturday as I look like a dolly with painted cheeks. :(
Yes, I have Primary Sjogren's...no Lupus Dx. And I do get the strange malar/butterfly rash. The Rheumy I see says I "will eventually have RA or Lupus"...I'm not counting on it....
A rash across my face that looked like a moth sent me to find a rheumy. The quick Dx was lupus. after a couple of years of tests I was told Sjogren's.
Quote from: Corella on November 21, 2011, 05:55:43 AM
I am most peeved to say I have a rash across my cheeks from my little walk I did yesterday around the lakes. Looks like a malar rash but I dont think I have lupus, just sero neg sjogrens.
Do any of you get a rash on your cheeks? I hope it goes by saturday as I look like a dolly with painted cheeks. :(
My mother has acne rosacea and also gets the exact same rash when she goes out in the sun, so I think there are several different possibilities for malar rashes besides Lupus. Her rash can be treated with mild topical steroids like Desonide or hydrocortisone - since they are anti-inflammatories, I wonder if they would work for rashes caused by AI disease as well?
I have been on Plaquenil since February of 2011.............it has been a God sent....my flares have been far and few since...I think I had one in June! My knees don't ache in the morning and my joint pain has subsided immensly! (Fatique is still a problem) Anyhow, Congrats! Hope it works as well for you!
I started Plaquenil 13 days ago. I have been offered it for years and always turned it down due to the fact that I have horrible side effects to darned near every medication that I try. The doc finally decided that it's time to give it a try. Knock on wood.. I have had no side effects and hope it stays that way. The only thing different that I have noticed is that I am constantly burping, but I think I read somewhere that gas can be a side effect until your body gets use to it.
I take 200mg twice a day, but can't swallow pills. So...I crush it up and put it in yogurt. I have to say, it is VERY bitter that way, but it's the only way I can.
I haven't had any alcohol with it yet because I was finishing up an antibiotic recently. I do like a white russian a couple of times a month when we go out to eat. I'm hoping that it won't interact with the Plaquenil.
Good luck to you !!
I don't think the Plequenil affected my vision that quickly-- don't know. The problem was that my eye doc didn't do a baseline BEFORE starting the Plaquenil, so I may have just had bad peripheal vision before taking it. But he was very quick to tell me to get off of it. I was in the throws of other side effects so it didn't take much convincing. You do have to go in to see an eye doc on a routine basis with this drug so if your rheumy didn't tell you, set up an appt and make sure that you tell the eye doc that you are taking Plaquenil. He/she will do a baseline color vision test and a peripheal vision test. There have been cases of retina detachment, so you want to go in every three- six months for a check.
The rash that I had all over my palms was very noticable. Seems to be a side effect, but one that my rheumy said was a side effect that warranted taking me off.
I wish I had something for the joint pain -- so hold fast on the Plaquenil.
I had my baseline test done with the eye specialist at the hospital, he wants me to get another one done in 6 months and then every year. I have an open appointment with him as he has said he will cauterize my tear ducts if my plugs fall out.
I went for a walk this morning, its so hot today and I have come back feeling all weak, tired and dizzy. :(
My rheumy ges booked up months between appointments, but always phones if I need to speak to him and he tells my GP what bloods to run and what to do.
But I have so many questions to ask, in fact I wouldnt mind saying 'I dont want this illness, you can have it' But I guess that doesnt work.
Countdown till Plaquenil day! I am nervous of the gas and diarrhoea, I am having visions of total embarrassment here. (if you get my drift)