Hi All
started taking plaquenil a week ago. All was well until today when I started with slight nausea no appetite dont know if its the plaq. or something else. For those of you who had stomach problems from plaq. when did yours start, how bad did it get and how long did it last?
Hope everyone is having a great weekend! ;D
Mine started right away - lterally every day, 30 minutes after my dose, my tummy bloated, grumbled, twisted and begged for mercy. Unfortunately for me (and probably nobody else :o ) it lasted the whole 3 month trial. The doc said no sense continuing since I saw no benefit at all. I amy have gotten worse on it. Then again, I have that crazy body chemistry that responds like no one else's...
Sounds promising that it happened well after your first few doses and is rather mild, right?
Good luck!!!
KellyG
angels04 - do you take you medicine with food? That might make a difference for you if you haven't been. Quite a few members take theirs with yogurt.
Bucky
Mine started on the second day, I have been on them a week, have reduced the dose and the diarrhoea has got progressively worse with me being unable to leave the house. I take it with food, have tried eating gut friendly live yoghurt, the pain is so intense and it has got to the stage where even water hurts my tummy and I am now so dehydrated and weak that I have contemplated going to hospital.
I know it is not a stomach bug - I know that for a fact, I know it is the plaquenil so today will be the day I stop taking it. I am looking for work, but these tablets have made me feel so bad in the week that I have been on them, it is not practical for me to work whilst running to the toilet and clutching my belly.
Seriously, today I am really bad - weak and shaky, food lasts 30 mins max in my tummy and then it is out and I totally refuse to give this any more time to work because I will end up in hospital and nothing is worth that.
I will be seeing my GP tomorrow to inform him, I am very tablet sensitive anyway, always have been but had high hopes for this. Perhaps it is just the sjogrens but my muscle weakness since yesterday has been appalling, my vision is blurred on/off and I am itching like heck, the smell of food makes me nauseous.
Nothing and I mean nothing is worth taking when it gives you those side effects. Seriously, I have a lot of groundwork to do to get my health back.
I really hope it works for you, I know it isnt for everyone but I keep my fingers crossed your side effects can be tolerated till you get some benefit.
:-[
Hi Angel,
Funny you should ask...I am up now because of my last Plaquenil dose. I had a low energy day and stayed home. I forgot to take my Plaquenil 200mg dose earlier so I took it around 10pm. Now I have an upset stomach/very crampy and the related issues :o that go with it. I should have taken a piece of toast or something small but I ate late (7pm) and wasn't hungry so I thought I was still "safe".
Last Jan, my rheumie started me on 200mg/day then after a few weeks raised it to 200mg at 2x/day. To be fair, I have been taking this medicine almost a whole year and tonight is the worst my symptoms have ever been.
Which is not a bad thing really because I have always taken it with some food in the past and then my initial symptoms were mild (lasted a few weeks) and weren't too bad. I know this is true because I share a very small office space with another woman in our dept. at work. The tiny office has just enough space for our two desks, small table and a wall cabinet (no windows). There is no way I could have gone or stayed at work with an upset stomach, running to the ladies room and my personal favorite, ahem --> gas.
Today, I have no side effects ;D when I take this in the morning with toast or a small scone on my way to work and again later after dinner in the evening.
Hang in there, there is a lot of good, well tried methods in handling the symptoms and the medicines to be found on these web pages.
Take care,
Sadie
I have taken the prednisone about 3 months I think, I can't even remember, guess I need to check my books of health notes.
Anyway, I think it was the second or third day when I started having nausea and stomach issues with some loose stools but no actual diarrhea. I also had a lot of gas. I started out taking it in the morning with my other pills and decided that was not going to work.
Many times if a person can take a pill alone the bothersome side effects will be less. I had thought that I was going to have a lot of issues ongoing with the pill, but after I changed the dosing time to 1 PM or right after I ate lunch I did much better.
If I ever forget it I take it with a substantial amount of food--like a piece of toast, etc. I have nausea most days anyway as part of my general illness or possibly relating to my GERD or other meds. Some days the nausea is bad but it is so much better than it used to be that I don't hardly give it a thought anymore. Some things you just learn to live with.
I also have food aversions all the time anyway and my appetite is usually pretty crazy. Best thing I can eat is cold cereal. Hope you all can settle the tummy issues with the Plaquenil. I am on the 200 mgm and I don't know if doc plans on raising the dosage. I have the sensitivity to most meds so he doesn't want to push it. Good luck. Irish ;D
Hi Angels,
Welcome to the site! ;)
I'm sorry you've had a bit of stomach upset. As you see from the replies, some do have some stomach issues from it, but many of us don't. I only had a slightly upset stomach and IBS problems for about the first 2 weeks. From then on, I was fine.
I make sure I eat something when I take it; that seems to be important. Even if it's a bite of peanut butter and a cracker.
I hope you begin to see some benefit from the drug shortly and have a short time with the stomach issues.
Keep us posted.
Take care,
Melinda
I truely wonder if some people may have food allergies or intolerances that also increase their chances of having plaquenil upset their stomach?
I know that I couldn't tolerate much until I went gluten free & stopped eating other foods that I found out I was allergic to but was consuming.
I still can't tolerate a lot of different kinds of meds. though & I know we are all different.
What about the makers of the pill you are taking? I use Mylar & have done well with plaquenil.
I understand some people cannot take it & I feel really bad about that. I put it off for a year but it has given me my life back & so much want relief for others too.
My integrative doctor also does/did accupuncture while I hold the food or substance that irritates me (allergy ellimination) & I believe that is the other reason I can tolerate plaquenil.
Just some ideas. Good luck, Carie