Weight gain or weight loss For some people, Plaquenil may cause weight loss. This is because the drug can decrease your appetite, which may lead to the weight loss. But it's not known how many people have had weight loss while taking Plaquenil. Weight gain, on the other hand, isn't a known side effect of Plaquenil.
Is weight gain a side effect of Plaquenil? No, weight gain hasn't been reported as a side effect of Plaquenil. But weight loss has been reported as a side effect. Two conditions Plaquenil is prescribed to treat, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus, can cause symptoms that contribute to weight gain.
No clinical trial has reported that Hydroxychloroquine can make you gain weight.
Side Effects
Hydroxychloroquine typically is very well tolerated. The most common side effects are nausea and diarrhea, which often improve with time. Less common side effects include rash, hair changes, and muscle weakness. Rarely, hydroxychloroquine can lead to anemia in some individuals.
Avoid taking an antacid or Kaopectate (kaolin-pectin) within 4 hours before or 4 hours after you take hydroxychloroquine.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are the most common side effects of hydroxychloroquine. And some people may also experience stomach pain.
Corticosteroids such as prednisone can cause insomnia, agitation, or depression. Another is hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) which can also cause sleep difficulties.
40 % of women by age 50 will develop female pattern hair loss. This means that 40 % of female patients who use Plaquenil will develop female genetic hair loss - not from the drug itself but because that is the expected frequency in the population.
This medicine may cause muscle and nerve problems. Check with your doctor right away if you have muscle weakness, pain, or tenderness while using this medicine.
There's no known interaction between alcohol and hydroxychloroquine. However, if you're also taking methotrexate you should keep well within the recommended limits (no more than 14 units of alcohol per week for adults) as methotrexate can interact with alcohol and affect your liver.
For some people, Plaquenil may cause weight loss. This is because the drug can decrease your appetite, which may lead to the weight loss. But it's not known how many people have had weight loss while taking Plaquenil. Weight gain, on the other hand, isn't a known side effect of Plaquenil.
Your doctor will likely recommend a starting dosage of between 400 mg and 600 mg daily of Plaquenil. They may recommend taking your dosage all at once, or taking it in two divided doses. For example, if your dosage is 400 mg per day, your doctor may recommend taking 400 mg once daily or 200 mg twice daily.
A rare side effect of Plaquenil is damage to the eye's retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Using Plaquenil for a long period of time may harm the retina, causing serious vision loss. People with retinal damage from Plaquenil are not aware at first that they are losing vision.
Keep taking hydroxychloroquine until your doctor tells you to stop. Do not stop taking it just because you feel better. If you stop, your symptoms may get worse again.
Joint pain and swelling also decrease. Over time, Plaquenil helps reduce inflammation around the heart and lungs and improves symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and cognitive dysfunction. And patients report more energy because it's a mild stimulant.
In FMS/CFS patients with an autoimmune prbblem, Mease has noticed that Plaquenil can sometimes help the FMS/CFS symptoms. This drug can cause toxicities in the retina of the eye in rare instances. For this reason, people who take Plaquenil should have an opthomology exam every six months.
Hydroxychloroquine (brand name Plaquenil) side effects range from more common, mild issues such as headache, nausea and stomach pain to serious but rare conditions such as heart problems, muscle weakness and convulsions.
However, some of the medications commonly used to treat RA – including hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), methotrexate and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen (Naprosyn) or celecoxib (Celebrex) – can cause reactions such as rashes or sunburn with ultraviolet (UV) light exposure.
Plaquenil works very slowly. In 1 to 3 months you should start to feel better. You may continue to get better for up to 1 year. Most people who take Plaquenil also take other medicines for pain and stiffness.
Most people start noticing the effects about six to eight weeks after they start to take the medication, but full benefit may not be apparent for up to three months. It is important to be patient and continue taking your medication.
This medication may irritate the stomach, and should be taken with food. It is best to avoid coffee, spicy food or alcohol.
It's possible for hydroxychloroquine to cause liver problems. Liver problems weren't reported in clinical trials of the drug. However, liver problems were reported in people taking hydroxychloroquine after the drug was approved for use.