Plaquenil dosage?

[belovedchaos1]

Hi everyone,

Not too sure if this has been mentioned before or not, but I had a question to you all if you are comfortable sharing about your Plaquenil dosage?

I see my Rheumy next week so I'll be asking them about my dosage then too, but do any of you have "skip" days on your plaquenil? The intern prescribed me a 6/7 day dosage... and I don't find it's enough. I tend to flare pretty bad on the off day each week. Do any of you take a full 7 day dosage, and if so how had that worked for you?

Thanks so much as well for everyone's continuous support. This forum is a place of sanctuary for me, and you all are angels in my eyes.

[Scottietottie]

Hi 

I no longer take Plaquenil but I took it for about six and a half years. I started on 200mg per day and 6 months later was switched to 400mg per day.

I weaned onto it slowly and always took it with food. Was advised to do so.

Take care - Scottie 

[SunshineDaydream]

Dose depends on your height/ weight. Plaquenil dosage guidelines are attached.  http://www.lupus.org/magazine/entry/vision-quest

[warmwaters]

I took it daily @ 400mg for several years. I started lower, and worked my way up to the dose. It's long enough ago, I don't remember the details of the rampup

[belovedchaos1]

Thanks to everyone who has posted so far! Aparently my weight is what they went by... but I'm also pretty tall. There is hope yet in a dosage change!

[Kathy57]

Hello,

I was started out at 200 mg twice per day and have always taken it with food.  If I take it on an empty stomach,  it upsets my digestion.

I have since cut myself down to 300 mg per day and my Rheumatologist said that was fine.  I feel pretty good at 200mg in the AM with breakfast and 100mg with supper.

It has truly helped with my fatigue and pain.  Also, I think I get weird autoimmune rashes and the Plaquinil has made this less so.  I still get a "few spots" but they are fewer and far between, so I think Plaquinil has actually helped my skin some. 

I have never been told to take a day off or to skip a day.  Good luck to you and I hope you find some good relief from your symptoms.

Kathy

[Navigator]

Skipping a day sounds odd. Bring it up with your doctor. If you are tolerating it well every day is the idea.

[Guing]

Its been awhile for me since i was taken off plaquenil but i know it did help me when I  was first diagnosed with sjorgens 10 years + ago. I have gotten better, joint pains tolerable and sometimes even non existent.  Sorry i cant remember my dosage but pe patient, take them as prescribed.  Good luck and my wish for you is that they eventually take you off it when the right time comes.

[deniselb]

I take 400 three days a week and 200 the other days. When I tried 200 every day my symptoms returned after a while, but I'm doing well on this regimen. I think I'd feel better on 400 every day, but I may want to take it forever, so I'm trying to stay at the minimum dose that works well enough.

I'm surprised that you would feel the difference in one day at the lower dose. Plaquenil stays in your system such a long time that I don't think you should be able to perceive a change that quickly. Even when I stopped it entirely, it took two months before I felt a lot worse.

[belovedchaos1]

My pain and symptoms were very severe by the time I went into the doctor.... I was getting flares that lasted 3 days causing me to bed ridden. The plaquenil has helped tremendously but that off day I can really feel it. Only been on it for a month and a half though.

Thank you all again for your input, it truly means a lot. I'll ask the rheumy about the dosage when I see them.

[Beverley]

I have been on 400mg a day for nearly 12 years but on my last rheumy appointment he said they are now questioning the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquin in the treatment of sons. As plaquenil can have quite severe side effects (none of which I experienced) he reduced my dose to 200mg. I have been on it now for three months and I have not really noticed the difference.