Does hydroxychloroquine work and help the fatigue,?,also is it good to take 5mg of prednisolone every day,what effect will this do.?
Hyrroxychloroquine.: Does hydroxychloroquine work... - LUPUS UK
Hyrroxychloroquine.
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Jeffscott69
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Paul_HowardPartnerLUPUS UK
Hi Jeffscott69,
Many people who take Hydroxychloroquine find that it does help a bit with their fatigue. If you have only just started it, it is worth bearing in mind that it can take up to three months to start to notice any effect and up to six months before the full benefit can be felt.
5mg of prednisolone is a maintenance dose. This means that it is low enough to be taken for a longer period of time without as much risk of damaging side effects. It will help to keep down levels of inflammation in the body and hopefully prevent/limit your flares.
How do antimalarial drugs work to control lupus symptoms?
Here are some of the ways in which Plaquenil is used to control lupus symptoms:
May prevent lupus flares by as much as 50%
Reduce muscle and joint pain
Reduce lupus related rashes
Protect against pleuritis (inflammation of the lining of the lungs)
Protect against pericarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart)
May prevent kidney damage
May prevent lupus from affecting certain organs, central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) and the kidneys
Reduce fever and fatigue
Restrains the immune system without increasing the odds for infections
Protects against UV light
Improves skin lesions that are not responsive to topical treatments (ointments and creams)
Can lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels
Those with antiphospholipid antibodies such as the lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibodies may have a decreased likelihood of blood clots
Discoid lupus, subacute cutaneous lupus, including the mouth sores associated with lupus, are often effectively treated with antimalarial medications
Effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis
Effective in treating Sjogren’s syndrome, a common overlapping disease with lupus
It is important to note that while very helpful with some symptoms of lupus, antimalarials are not adequate treatment for more severe lupus symptoms such as kidney disease (kidney nephritis) and nervous system or blood vessel involvement (vasculitis). When lupus has affected these vital organs, immunosuppressive medications are usually prescribed to help minimize any irreversible injury
hope this helps, i struggle with fatigue on a daily basis ,sadly u have to learn to pace urself , its took me 5 years to accept this and do it but every lupy is different what works for you may not work for me vice versea ... hope thats helped
Hi kittyKat68 -
I'm struggling to accept my "new normal" (I have lupus ad Sjogrens, currently being tested for APS/Hughes). I suffered for 2.5+ years before being diagnosed and in treatment. I'm on Plaquenil since August 2014. In the beginning, I was very hopeful and upbeat since I *finally* knew what was wrong with me and getting treated.
Every day it seems like something new comes up. I have lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) in my right arm (I am right handed) which makes things very difficult. I like to stay very fit and active (cardio and weight training) and some days/weeks, I can barely get off the couch. Sun bothers me and I'm a "summer girl" so being outside in my garden was a nice place for me to be. Now it is a reminder of all the things I'm not supposed to do. Sigh.
How'd you get to acceptance?
Thankyou,your right I do have to pace myself,as am getting im flat out a lot,today I feel I need a full day in bed,feel guilty not taking mum to shops,but been working full time all week.
Thankyyou
Hydroxychloroquine has helped me but as others have said, it takes time to see/feel the benefits. I doubt I could function without it.
I don't take prednisolone so I cannot comment on its effects.\
Take care.
Thankyou,be great not to feel so tired.
o milkwoman its a long road and sometimes u think why do i take all the meds ,wots my purpose in life , but its normal as you have to grieve for your old life to accept your new one do you know wot im saying ,everybody deals with things differently i do get angry/sad but then who wouldnt with your body attacking you everywhere and a lot of medical staff are not lupus aware its difficult to cope with .. these sites are great for information and so you dont feel alone and a hypocondriact . i do think there is more awareness now than 5 years ago but sadly if you dont have an active part in consultants/gps then you dont get as much help because they dont know . but with fatigue and brain fog thats not always possible ur fight leaves you so sadly lupus is a battle for ppl to understand, im struggling with not being able to work as i take immunesuppressant so hence no immune sysystem so your open to all sorts and then when you catch it you cant heal yurself as quick obviously due to not having any immune system, it got to the stage where i was off sick more than working and i feel asleep at my desk and forgot to give out a job to a mechanic which had a knock on effect on their business but again sadly the society we live in if ppl cant see it ... its not there, i hope ive helped my aim is to help not scare or hinder ,my first 2/3 years of diagnoises i dont remember a lot i felt like all these meds were making me like a zombie but its trial and error with doses and what works for you .take care
karen
x
I wish I could get a benefit so a can reduce my hours at work,iv appealed,iv always worked but re struggling.
i appealed as well it took 6 months , i won low care low mobility so i then appealed that and literally 2 weeks i was put up to high mob middle care , but then i also have emphazema /sjogrens/.raynaulds/fibromalgia/ibs/diviculities/alopicia areata/vasiculities , my lupus is subacutanous lupus not systemic so i count myself lucky
Oh my god,what a lot you have going on,I keep getting sinus infections,had 4 ops,no success,it was ent surgeon that picked up my imune system not right,sent to reumy and discovered it lupus,I haven't been well for yea
Thanks, Karen. Sigh, yes, I completely understand what you are saying. Sometimes I get really sad about what I cannot do. Just yesterday, I had a really great conversation with my nephew. I was lamenting about how I get very frustrated with not being able to workout as much as I used to. He was very supportive and encouraged me to do what I can every single day and to cut myself some slack. He was good to remind me that I have a disease that is out of my control. It was sooooo good to have someone listening to me and understanding how frustrating it must be for me. He knows how driven I am and what I've been able to accomplish in the past.
I haven't been able to work in a very long time. I don't know how people do it.
Today wasn't a good day - migraine headache and fever all day. Didn't even get out of pajamas. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep and for a better day tomorrow.
This site is WONDERFUL. I love knowing there are others who understand and are so willing to help.
Take care -
Tracy
Soz clicked too quick,no been well for years,doc kept saying I depressed,I was low and tired but it been because what's been going on with my body,I'm hopeing CAB can help appeal and know how to word letter,my reumy writing a letter too,am not lazy but a can't cope with full time now.
I know wot ur saying, I physically cant work it gets to me that I worked full time for 28 years and now I need the benefits u have a battle to recieve then, then never thought twice about taking my tax and insurance, in my younger days I used to work at the ubo it was called then the unemployment benefit office and then ur health hits u, ive been called sick note at work for years I couldnt understand how I had tonsillitis every week (and lots more symptons) and neither could my drs, I still say if I hadnt have lost the top half of my hair AND my whole body came out in plaque like discs and hives and I felt like an elephant was sitting on me and my bones hurt that somebody took notice and I was sent to a dermatologist she was my angel 6 biopsies and 6 weeks later positive ana and ssa and tje list got bigger as the lupus had already began to do its damage, hope ive not scared u, my aim is to help if possible not hinder x
