Side-effects?

[momomom]

I have now been on Plaquenil and Prednisone for about a week. I keep getting headaches that get really bad by evening. My head feels so hot and I just feel weird and out of it like i am dreaming or running a fever. I kind of feel this buzzing vibrating feeling in my body (not the good kind of buzz). Last night was so bad. I layed on the floor with ice packs on my head and a fan blowing on me for six hours. Maybe the medicine feels worse before it starts making you feel better? The only improvement I have noticed so far is that my eyelids are a little less swollen and i haven't had a nose bleed in days.

[inga]

Given you started two drugs at once, it is hard to figure out if it is one or the other, or some synergistic effect between the two, or between any other drug you may be on.  Hope you feel better soon.

[lynnmarie219]

I hope you feel better too....maybe a call to your doc might help so that the dosages could be adjusted into smaller ones or at different times and you can work your way up slowly to bigger dosages.

Also, are you taking your medications with food?

[Cheryl]

Momomom,
  Prednisone makes me buzz and makes me hot (along with other side effects,) but we are all different.  You need to find out whether you need to discontinue one of these drugs.   Your pharmacist can probably tell you which is more likely to cause the headache.  Your doctor will decide about changing your prescription, if needed.  Good luck!
Cheryl

[Poochie]

You also might want to try taking them at different times if you are now taking them together.  Also try splitting the Plaquenil up into 4 doses instead of 2.  I use to break mine in half and take half in the morning with breakfast, half at lunch, half at dinner, and remaining half at bedtime with a small snack.  Eventually I could tolerate the full dose and have no problems now. 

I hope you find a way to feel better soon.  A call to your prescribing doctor would probably be a good idea too.

Pooh

[Babs659]

You don't say what dose of Prednisone you are on, and is it Prednisone or Methylprednisolone?  I think some doctors like to start patients out on high doses---especially if there is a serious problem---and that could give you bad side effects.

[momomom]

You don't say what dose of Prednisone you are on, and is it Prednisone or Methylprednisolone?  I think some doctors like to start patients out on high doses---especially if there is a serious problem---and that could give you bad side effects.

Prednisone 5mg 4 tablets daily for 2 weeks, 3 tabs 2 weeks, 2 tabs daily after.
Plaquenil 200mg- 1 tab twice daily

I stretch the doses out over the day. I have a pill box now to help me remember all the meds and vitamins that are supposed to help. I make sure to eat before taking my meds. I have an appointment with a doctor next week. I planned to mention it then if its still bad.

[Babs659]

Well, I think 20 mg of prednisone could give you side effects.  I'm on a maintenence dose of methylprednisolone of 4mg per day and the only side effect has been weight gain

[kim31072]

Hot flashes,irritability,euphoria,mania,and lots of other things are side effects of pred. these effects become more noticeable if you are breaking your dose up instead of dump dosing all 20 at the am.You may be noticing this.I am currently on a taper down from 40 and I take all mine in the am.I have had the doses split(please remember to the people that respond to this that taking them this way is different than a "dose pak")and definately notice more symptoms than taking them together(face rounds quicker,more sugar cravings)I have been on split 20/20/20 doses and I know the dr told me he didnt like to do that as it caused side effects to be noticeable quicker but was using it to control inflammation and fevers(didnt work-went with imuran)

The best thing to do is call the dr and explain your symptoms-I would say that by splitting the dose you are constantly keeping a higher level of cortisol and see what he suggests.The plaq is a slow uptake med and I have never had any issues with it other than an upset tummy for the first few weeks after starting it.

Also expect to feel a little like mild flu when you start the taper off of the pred..it s called steroid withdrawal and for me lasts about 3-5 days every time I drop. http://arthritis.about.com/od/prednisone/f/withdrawaltaper.htm    Dont just stop taking it-even if you are feeling off-talk to the dr and let him decide what avenue to take.I have been on high/low and everwhere in between in the last three years so I know how you feel.

hope you start feeling better soon

Kim

[momomom]

Thanks Kim! I had never thought of that. Maybe I should be taking all of my daily dose at the same time. Before i started the pred. my blood work showed that I had elevated cortisol levels. I wonder how prednisone is affecting my already elevated cort. level. I hope that's not a bad thing. I guess my doc knows what he's doing though, right?

[Epson]

Prednisone can definitely cause some strange side effects and there not always the same each time I take it, but It's worth taking when I have a bad bout of sciatica.