Can Plaquenil cause low body temperature? If not what?

[Judie P]

Like everyone else on this topic, I tend to run a while at 96.8 and then I run for a while at 99.0.  I have primary Sjogren's and my thyroid tests always come out normal.  I have the same as you with the bloody nose.  No dripping, just some on the tissue.  It is the dryness for me.  I stopped using allergy nasal sprays and thought the bleeding would stop.  Nope.  Had two this past week.  I see my ENT on the 9th of December.  I goes with the territory.

[Scottietottie]

GgcJap - my understanding is that basal temperature is what you have when you wake up. (I'm not a medic - so I could be wrong on that but I'm pretty sure that's what I read on a thyroid site I used to frequent)

About.com has a really good thyroid forum. It may be worth taking a look at.

Also - for everyone with 'normal' thyroid levels - GPs usually go mainly by the TSH. Different labs have slightly different 'norms' but 'norms' are usually between 0.3 and 4.  Now I, personally feel ill if my TSH is over 2 and I feel best if its about 0.1.

I can't persuade my GP to let it run at 0.1 but she has been persuaded by an endocrinologist not to let it run above 2. We are all different and so are our optimal thyroid levels!

Take care - Scottie 

[GgcJap]

Thx Judie
     Thats interesting to know, lately(the last 3 or 4 days) I have been in between 35.6/96.0 and 37.2/98.9. Its possibly a coincidence that I noticed my nose and temperature at the same time but it makes me worry about if I have a sinus infection or not. I had a blocked nose for a few days before I noticed the blood and did use 2 different sinus sprays(at different times) which seemed to clear my nose but now Im left with blood. When I woke up this morning one nostril had cleared but the other one is still showing no signs of stopping. I also believe its the dryness. I am also looking to see an ENT soon, just in case. Just another one of those things Im going to have to get used to I guess.

Hi Scottietottie,
     In that case my basal temperature for the last 4 days has been 35.6/96.0~35.8/96.4 Although my wife did show me hers this morning to try and make me feel a little better and hers was 35.1/95.1 but she says it has always been low. I wish I could say the same about mine. I will have a look at the thyroid forum and I`ll also check the numbers on my last Thyroid check just to be sure. Im not too sure what my Dr is using as the norms, Ill have to ask. Different we all are, and thats a good thing....unless your comparing autoimmune diseases.

Thank you all

GgcJap

[irish]

I don't know what your "normal temp" is but the numbers you show are not worrisome as far as I know. I run like this all the time. It is very common to have numbers below 98.6. Actually, I don't know why they assigned a normal temp number because everyone is different. There are times when I have been below 97 and then come up again. In fact, during the day our temperature varies many times. It is just the way it is. Temperature depends on activity, outside temperature, hydration and other issues that I probably know nothing about. Our temperature is probably different when we eat foods that need more energy to metabolize.

Actually, getting your thyroid checked would be good if you haven't had it done lately, but I would not worry about it. The plaquenil can sometimes take 4-6 months to work. I know I thought I felt a little better in a couple of months. The best thing to do is to just ignore the new med on a routine basis and not attribute every little symptom as a side effect of the med. This is easier said than done, but we can drive ourselves crazy trying to keep track of all this stuff. And you are right, the Sjogrens symptoms change from one day to the next and sometimes from one time to another.

I always have used a rice pack. You can make one with a tube sock and put rice(uncooked) in the sock and sew the one end shut. It doesn't have to be filled to the top of the sock. Only as many inches as you think you will need to hang around your neck. Put this is the microwave and heat is up slightly. Do not heat too long as the rice will hold the heat in big time and one can get a burn from the hot bag.

I have used this for years as my treatment of choice for just about every ailment I have had. There is something about the heat that is comforting and relieves the aches and pains. I have had to lie down and lay it across my nose for years as I had such nose pain. Thankfully that is gone by the wayside. I have also sat on the bag when I have had neuro pain in my very lower back. Sometimes I will take a Tylenol, but I choose to use the heat and it works.

I always feel that pain free is not my need but less pain is a huge improvement. Rest always helps a lot of our pain. The stress of life is hard on the autoimmune diseases and we have to learn to pace ourselves.  I hope that you can adjust to the plaquenil and take it long enough to see if it works. Did you say you will be getting some blood work periodically to check your blood count and what ever else should be checked when on the plaquenil.

Also, are their some American or Australian doctors there that you could see? Good luck irish

[GgcJap]

Hi Irish, from what it used to be my temperature has always been around 36.4/97.5 and quite stable at that. I read that if my temperature falls below 35.0/95 then It's classified as hypothermia and that can be fatal. Call me a worry wart but 35.6/96 isn't very far off that. But you're right normal for one might not be for the other so I don't know why they assigned a normal as well. Today my temperature has been fluctuating from 35.9/96.6 in the morning to 37.0/98.6 around 11am.
     I will try to get my doctor to check my thyroid again or just go to another doctor. I had it checked about 1.5 mths ago though.(bloods). I will definitely be giving the plaquenil time to work as it's my first and last line of defence over here other than steroids.
I try to ignore as much as possible but cold hands and feet and a bloody nose have been testing me. Either way I've never been good at being sick and I guess nothing's changed there.
     I will definitely think about doing the rice thing. I like the sound of warmth at the moment.
The thing is I don't really have any pain at the moment and I don't want that to change. That's another one of the scary things for me. I guess I shouldn't stress so much about what lyes around the corner and should focus more on the now.
I will definitely give the plaquenil a good chance.
What blood tests should I be having whilst on the plaquenil? I'm getting my usual blood tests on the 6th but I also want to try and get vitamin levels, blood sugar for diabetes and my thyroid. Is there anything else you can think of that I might need?

There are a few English speaking doctors in Japan but none close and they're all GPs. I'm still searching though.

GgcJap

[Maria3667]

Hi Ggc,

I can't remember how low my body temperature went, all I remember is the plaquenil made me feel like I was freezing. Not sure if the plaquenil caused the low temp or if it cancelled out the thyroid med. But I did have low body temp (~34C) before which was normalized by the thyroid meds. You could get a blood test to find out or do a 24 hour urine test by a naturopath - which some say is more accurate - to find out if you're hypothyroid.

Take care!
Maria

[GgcJap]

Wow Maria,
     34 is really low, I feel cold under 36c. I will see if I can get another blood test, I'm not even sure if they have naturopaths over here. Might give me something to look into though.

Thank you

GgcJap

[irish]

I have run across people who have run around 95 or a little higher as far as the temp. I would admit that I think I would have cold hands. The blood work to have done is basically what your doctor wants you to have done. I did not have any specific blood work when I was on it but I have a lot of blood work routinely and non routinely so I doubt I would know the difference. I guess I would expect the doc should be informed of the ends you are taking due to the fact that drug interactions can occur as new meds are added.

The interactions of drugs can raise new questions at times also. Doctors aren't too keen is the US to do TSH any more often than every 6 months when there is no problem. If put on the levothyroxine a blood test is usually done at 3 months to see if the med is at the appropriate dosage. Too much med could possible cause a low temperature with cold hands and feet .Hope all works out. Irish   

[GgcJap]

Thx Irish,
     Yeah I've just learnt that my wife is one of those people that run around 35/95 and she doesn't have any problems. I do have cold hands and feet quite often.
     At the moment that's exactly what I'm having in terms of blood work. I'm going to see if I can get it checked routinely even if I have to go through my GP. My Dr won't prescribe me any medication apart from pilocarpine and I'm taking plaquenil on my own accord. My doctor told me if I take plaquenil then he won't treat me, hence looking for a new Rheumy. I have had my eyes checked though and plan on every 6 mths. I've also read it can cause low blood pressure so I'll have to get my sugar levels checked too.
     I do worry about my thyroid though and would like a ct or MRI rather than just a blood test but have little hope of that. I guess in the end what's going to be will be.
I hope it all works out too, thx Irish.

GgcJap

[irish]

Do you have thyroid issues now? I don't know that they do the mri or ct that often for the thyroid. Generally they do the radioactive iodine to check for nodules, etc. I had that done years ago and have not had any thing done since other than the tsh or t3 or t4.

If your thyroid tests were ok I would not rush into getting them checked too soon as sometimes the insurance will not pay very well if there is not a good enough reason and too many tests are ordered. I think I had thyroid issues for about 5 years before they finally checked my tsh. We had to move to a different state and get a new doc who just checked it because of my age. The age thingy creeps up pretty fast. lol Good luck. Irish

[GgcJap]

TBH Irish I don't know if I have thyroid issues at the moment but my normal temp has dropped and my hands and feet are cold quite often. Mind you we are moving into winter over here. I'll have to research the the radioactive iodine thing but I'm pretty sure my Dr wouldn't even redo the blood test.
My last check was ok although I can't remember the numbers. I sometimes think I'm still going through some of the shock of getting sick and worrying too much.

That's the thing that worries me the most is that a good percentage of peoples sicknesses are found by pure luck/chance. Like yourself moving. It's the what if you hadn't thing that eats at me. I can live with being sick but being sick because someone who was supposed to know what they're doing didn't is a harsh pill to swallow. But I guess it is like you say, it is what it is.

As always thanks Irish, I appreciate it.

GgcJap

[quietdynamics]

GgcJap
When I was much, much younger (lol) I did an ovulation calendar and saw that my normal temperature was always lower than than the sample/literature. (Dr @ SJS Clinic did say I have had this for decades so possible).

In keeping a SJS diary: pre flare I sometimes will get very cold, somtimes to the point of teeth chattering (without fever). I will then need to need to get under 3-4 blankets to warm-up, while still drinking fluids and resting. When it is what for me I consider more subtle it is a pre warning of a flare (who can say how long they last). And when I get under the covers it is a flare. 

Thermoregulatory disorders and illness related to heat and cold stress 
* Table 3 in this article under General Medical Lists Sjogrens
http://www.autonomicneuroscience.com/article/S1566-0702(16)30001-7/fulltext#s0080

Thyroid: for a period my labs came back up and down the range. Then evened out.
Antithyroid Antibodies have shown in labs and are being monitored, in addition to CD4/CD8 adult T cell leukemia.

I do have a form of vasulitis so keep moving, watch how I sit (or else foot goes numb..other day fell.)

These symptoms were evident in one form/level or another pre-plaquenil and have improved with other meds.

Periodic blood from clearing nose and the dryness of home is expected (even happens to very young granddaughter). I keep a crock pot going next to bed all day when home heat is on. Heat rises and we do not realize how dry the upstairs really is. Thermostats are downstairs so I even have to close the vents in bedroom. You brush your hair sometimes and get all that static electric.. and go WOW!!!..lol  Dry Air. Get out the night time moisturizer and don't skip the eye gel.

[Nymph]

I have dysautonomia (POTS) along with Sjogren's and it causes temperature dysregulation. Like others here, I can feel uncomfortably hot while actually running a low body temp. I also have Raynaud's. With POTS, when blood pools in my feet they feel extremely hot and uncomfortable. Then when Raynaud's hits my toes are like little bloodless ice blocks. I experience a rapid swing from one extreme to the other most nights when I go to bed. Maybe I'm part reptile.   

[Nymph]

QD, thanks for the article!

[GgcJap]

Thx all,

@QD: since writing this post I have found there are many people with a stable low temperature and that this is NORMAL for them. It seems that normal varies depending on who you talk too.
     I'm still to get to the point of teeth chattering but I do feel cold. Strangely enough though and a little off the topic I have been waking up with the sweats and wet pajamas for about the last week. Again I don't know why. I don't know if I flair or not my symptoms seem pretty stable. My nose has been hard to breathe through, twice in the last 2 weeks like it's blocked or maybe even swollen on the inside though. The sweats and nose are the only two things different apart from the constant dryness and at times not being able to think clearly or at all(brain fuzz)?.
    I'm going to give the plaquenil a chance to work(health permitting) then after 6mths~1year I can make an educated decision as to whether to continue or not. From what I've read apart from the eyes and the chance of low blood sugar(correct me if I'm wrong) it's very safe.
    As for my thyroid I don't know what's going on there. 2 mths ago it was normal via blood tests and I'm not sure my doctor will test it again so soon.

Thyroid: for a period my labs came back up and down the range. Then evened out.
Antithyroid Antibodies have shown in labs and are being monitored, in addition to CD4/CD8 adult T cell leukemia.
I do have a form of vasulitis so keep moving, watch how I sit (or else foot goes numb..other day fell.)

I'll be honest with you, I've just woken up, am still in bed and will have to research a whole lot of words in this part before I can have a real understanding.   I hope you have it all under control though.
     As for the blood, I went to see an ENT and got some antibiotics and other medicine which seems to have stopped it but it still does look a little raw in there. Is there creams or oils I can use to help this that you know of? I do have a humidifier in my room which I can't adjust the amount but usually stops at 80%. I don't know if that's too high or not but my dryness is better with it than without it.
I haven't used night time eye gel as I've heard it can cause problems for your eyes eg infections because there's not enough tears to get it all out. Do you have any problems with it?

@ Nymph: Again more big words and like I said to QD I'm still in bed and I'll have to look it up later.
It does seem to me though that there are many different things that can cause temperature dysregulation though. Before all of this the only thing I was aware of is that if I had a fever I was sick.
     Wow hot while running a low body temp, that sounds uncomfortable. If my temps low I'm cold but it also fluctuates up to 37.4 during the day and most of the time if I hadn't taken my temperature I wouldn't have known. I don't feel the heat as often as the cold. You definitely sound part reptile and I'm no doctor but I can say we can probably rule that one out.

Thx for the posts guys it's much appreciated.

GgcJap