Plaquenil side effects?

[Guest guest]

Hi -

I am looking into A/P for the treatment of my SLE because I reacted

negatively to Plaquenil, the drug of choice for SLE flare prevention. I was

horrified

that I couldn't tolerate Plaquenil until I began reading about A/P. Now I'm

thinking that might have been a blessing in disguise.

I've been off the Plaquenil for 3 wks now and am wondering if I am still

experiencing some of the side effects from it. Could this be possible? How

long

does it take this drug to get out of one's system?

I was diagnosed with SLE a year and a half ago. No outward symptoms showed

up until Fall 07 and then I had a very bad flare, with every joint inflamed

horribly, fatigue (in bed almost 24/7 during the worst part), and blood level

drops (I'm still slightly anemic since then, but everything else has returned to

normal levels). Thankfully, no organ involvement!

I began taking Prednisone when the flare got so severe that I felt I had no

choice (20 mg) and then took Plaquenil for a month (during Dec 07). A couple

of weeks after starting the Plaquenil, I developed the following symptoms:

-red, puffy eyes

-a slight loss of visiual acuity (I was thinking of buying a slightly

stronger pair of reading glasses at the drugstore)

-after 3-4 wks, the muscles in my face felt almost paralyzed (well, not quite

paralyzed, but like they weren't moving as my brain was telling them to - I

wondered if I was developing Bell's Palsey)

-a puffiness developed above my eyes (between my eye sockets and my eyebrows)

- It's not noticeable to others, but I feel it every time I attempt to open

my eyes all the way - ie every time I blink - and it is a weird feeling - like

I'm too tired to open my eyes all the way, very distracting, and I'm concerned

about what this is)

-MUCH anxiety - It felt like drug-induced anxiety. I was fine before

starting the Plaquenil.

I went off the Plaquenil (after talking to my doctor, who said it would be ok

to discontinue the 400 mg a day, though he wasn't convinced the Plaquenil was

causing the problems). I went off it and the muscle thing is MUCH better.

Also, the anxiety is better. However, the puffiness above my eyes is still here

as much as it was when I was on the Plaquenil.

I have been off the Plaquenil for 3 weeks now. Would it still be affecting

me? I'm hoping so and that maybe the muscle thing, the anxiety, and the

puffiness will all be gone soon. I know the anxiety could be partly due to

Prednisone,

though I was just fine on the Prednisone for almost 2 months (even 20 mg)

before I started the Plaquenil.

Thank you so much for your time and feedback -

Jan