Got new meds from the GP and dermatology. Quinoric 200mg a day. Tablet tastes so foul. I take it with milk to get rid of the bitterness. The million dollar question is....How long does it take to work ?
My skin is terrible with lumps and bumps and so red and sore. I have a new lump today under my eye, painful to pressure. I have been on new tabs for 3 days, no side effects yet.......
Anyone out there on the same brand and how are you getting on ok with them....?
Montysmum1
Quinoric is awful. The taste really is foul and they give a lot of stomache problems. I would ask for another brand. I couldn't tolerant Quinoric due to side effects and the foul taste. Zentiva is a much better brand and no foul taste. Unfortunately, I seem intolerant to hydroxychloroquine altogether though asit it affected my eyes and even had to change contact lens material.
Definitely worth asking to switch to Zentiva and have it put on your prescription to only give that brand. There are so many issue with Quinoric, I'm surprised it's still used and produced.
Oh thanks for that info, I seem fine the now 3 days in...or should i just say to doctor i feel ill and can he change them to Zentiva ?
I'd say upto you. But can you really tolerant the foul taste? When I was on it, I dreaded taking it, leaving it for as long as possible and had half a KitKat chunky, the tablet, then the other half of the KitKat chunky. I just just couldn't stand it. It is important for the prescription to specify the brand though as chemists seem to automatically give our the Quinoric brand. No idea why.
Thanks again Ceri
I will give it till next week, maybe I will feel queasy by then. I will phone my GP and try and get it changed then....
Hi there, I am not sure what diagnosis you have for your painful skin, but I take DAPSONE for my skin as I blister, both blood blisters and water blisters too. It feels as if someone attacked me with a blow torch, but my dx is dermatitis herpetiformis which goes hand in hand with coeliac disease. I do take quinine but that is for bad leg cramps. I get no side effects from either, but with dapsone if I stop taking it, within 2 days my skin is covered in blisters xx
Hi MandieR
I was diagnosed with Lupus Profundus.I had it on my arms first and I lost tissue right down to my bone and had plastic surgery. I now have the marks on my nose and face which break the skin and are red and sore. Was given Protopic but did nothing. Then put on these tablets.
I dont want to be so bad that I end up back at plastics again.
Hi there,
My daughter has big problems with any kind of hydrooxychloroquine most definitely quinoric and can only tolerate the banana coloured ones - no idea why but can take the hydrooxychloroquine BlackRock no problem at all. She says the white ones all make her nauseous and sickly all day and comes up all day. I thought it was maybe as some film coated and some aren't but doesnt seem to be. Not sure why but the BlackRock ones she manages well.
I take it on a full stomach. You need to take it with food really.
Yup, it tastes gross but that last a few seconds but a lupus flare is far worse so I just think "down the hatch."
Yes, to me they all taste bad. It was at its worst when food got “stuck” and it tastes even worse if it comes back. When hydroxy was touted as a preventative for and cure of Covid I must confess I wished them joy of it.
Nothing beats Lamotrigine though. Need a sweety on the ready for that one.
I can understand the need for meds to taste unpleasant to deter children, but surely not that bad!
I'm a wimp swallowing tablets so I always swallow each tablet in a spoonful of yogurt. It helps to mask the taste, unless I'm really struggling to swallow and it's in my mouth longer
It gives me an excuse to eat a bit of chocolate after taking it. I got the zentivia last month and I’m keeping my fingers crossed I get it again, as much as I keep asking, I just get what the pharmacy has in stock. It’s just the taste that’s different for me. Ghastly!
Tastes bad but as another person said wash it down. I take it after food as otherwise it can cause me heart palpitations and a wave of nausea. Then just pop it in.
I was fine on quinoric and had no issues then they changed my meds to a different brand and I got stomach issues. Everyone responds differently, some prefer zentiva as it has a coating.
You have to find your way, for me once I had taken it the taste went and I found ways to get it in so most days I don’t taste it. Experiment with taking it with milk or a big glass of juice that has a larger taste. It has worked for me for 11 years.
Yes, HCQ is very bitter. Some people prefer one brand, others another. But there's no significant differences in efficacy. My impression from a few years on this board is that the first few weeks on any brand of HCQ tends to result in gastro irritation. For most people, this seems to settle, but a few continue to have problems, and for them it might be worth considering a change, although taking it with food or at a slightly different time of day or whatever might be an easier solution. Porridge, ginger biscuits and yoghurt seem to be popular things to take with HCQ for that reason.
Most guidance suggests that it takes at least 6 weeks before you see a clinical effect. Hope you get some improvement soon x
6 weeks to see a result.....😥
I take it. It works just fine just avoid it being in your mouth for too long, like paracetamol. Hydroxychloroquine takes weeks around 6 months for it to work at its best.
Ohh jezzzzz, it gets worse, 6 months now till I might look normal again. Need to order even more camouflage make up😭
The standard time for Hydroxychloroquine to be it's most effective is 3-6 months. This doesn't mean that you won't see improvement before then, but it won't be fully effective until that point.
Also bear this is mind if you get any side effects. These are normally only temporary so worth trying to ride it out if you can. You will see a lot of posts on forums discussing different brands but this is largely down to the coating on the pills. Some have higher lactose content than others, which some have sensitivity to. The active ingredients are identical.
It is however one of the safest and most effective treatments for lupus without serious side effects. There is no quick fix unfortunately. Yes it tastes horrible but the positives far outweigh that. Definitely swallow quickly with a drink or yoghurt.
All the best x
Thanks everyone...this is all very helpful for a newbie. X
Quinoric problems
Quinoric changed to Zentiva
Quinoric side effects 
QUINORIC hydroxychloroquine Reaction 
