Side effects of Plaquenil

paylor · Newbie Joined: 28 Apr 2005 Posts: 24

Hi, I'm 65 years old and I have been diagnosed with arthritis 5 years ago and since I have been experiencing strong pain in my joints. I asked for medical treatment right after the appearance of the symptoms of arthritis and I have been treated with different kinds of medications since. The latest medication my doctor gave me is Plaquenil, before that I used Aralen but since I had side effects affecting my stomach he decided to replace it with Plaquenil. What’s the difference between the two medications and what are the side effects of Plaquenil?

bales · Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2005 Posts: 23

Both Plaquenil and Aralen are medications first discovered in the early fifties and in the beginning they were used as meds against malaria. Later it was discovered that both of them can be used to decrease inflammation of the joints in the rheumatoid arthritis. Chemically Aralen is chloroquine and Plaquenil is hydroxychloroquine and are very similar only it is thought that Plaquenil has less side effects. Many doctors disagree about the effects of plaquenil on the arthritis. It does help in about 60 % of the cases of arthritis by significantly reducing the pain. However, about 20 – 30 percent of people stop using it because of the side effects. Side effects include digestive problems, skin rash and disorders of skin pigmentation. One of the most serous side effects includes disorders of eyesight. The side effects related to the eyesight are: blurred vision, sensitivity of the eyes to sun light, decreased night or color vision, decreased ability to see objects at the edge of vision, black spots in the vision or light flashes or streaks. If you experience any of the listed side effects during the use of Plaquenil you should report it immediately to your physician. Some of these symptoms take a long time to develop, so if you experience any of that during the use of this medication you should report it.

Side effects of Plaquenil

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