Drug Interaction.

[beev]

Hi all. diagnosed 2 yrs ago with SLE & taking Plaquenil. Went to dr today with throat infection and was given antibiotics even tho said last lot 6 yrs ago gave me thrush for a year. He also gave me Fluconazole to help with that. Got home to find both drugs interact with Plaquenil. Its the weekend and I can't get advice till tues from rhumy. Not sure whether to take them or not. Also my Dr should have known this and i have paid for drugs i'm not supposed to take. Any advice. Thanks x

[Sher78]

must admit that I have been prescribed meds that have stated in the leaflet not 2 take if on Warfarin (as I am) or if u have lupus etc (which I do!) & not 2 take if u take certain other meds & have gone back 2 the Doc & he has sometimes told me 2 take them & sometimes not, it all depends on what they r & why it tells u not 2 take them (usually if they just affect how u're other meds work & they're only a short term course it's fine) but if I were u I would give NHS direct a ring (find the number for your area in this link: nhsdirect.nhs.uk/) or phone the out of hours GP. If you're concerned then there is every reason 2 phone them as this is an important issue.

[janekins]

I usually go to my chemist and speak to the pharmacist if I'm not sure about how meds might interact . But if you want to find out before tomorrow I would go with Sher78's suggestion, especially if you might need a different prescription.

[Sher78]

Just re-read my Hydroxy med leaflet. The reason they tell u not 2 take Fluconazole is because Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) can affect u're liver & taking any anti-fungal med can increase the chances of it affecting u're liver. However, I assume he has only given u a short course so I would be inclined 2 think he is aware of your other meds & knows what he's doing. In all honest, most of the meds we take 4 the lupus react with things we don't even THINK about such as certain foods etc & these aren't always listed in the medicine information leaflets.

[sebitha]

Hi Sher, Ive had 6 infections since march and have taken a 2 week course fluconazole twice now, but not until after the two week course of anti-bi's. Because the mix with Plaq, can as posted above, can effect the liver. My Dr has had my liver checked about 5 days into the Fluconzole. What I have done while on the anti-b's & then the Fluconazole is to try not to feed the thrush, so I really limit my sugars to none or a little fruit, which I take with a lot of live yogurt. I also double my pro-botic intake, and continue this after the meds, as the thrush has still arrived afterwards.

My first mis-diagnosis was intestinal candida, there is a diet you can do, I found it tough, but did it back then, now I just use the general principles as Ive said above. As posted above NHS Direct are good and worth checking in with, and you don't have to take both meds at once, giving you time to make an appt for your bloods. Watch for the white coating on your tongue, sometimes that is my first thrush indicator. I hope you fee a bit better soon.

[LottaTee]

I had a bad flare after taking fluconazole.Please be careful. Do you not have a helpline or something for Rheumy. Gps don't know everything. They are GENERAL practitioners they do not specialise in anyone ailment. Please be safe. Take a pessary or use natural remedies until you can confirm you will be ok. ((hugs))

[hazelHollingsworth]

Hi I am the same as the rest of you, told not to worry as only a short dose and they do a liver function test before and after the medication, not had any problems. Re-Thrush I only ever have the Liquid form as both my doctors and pharmisist say the pills should NOT be taken with the other dedication I am on.

I do sometimes need two or three Continual weeks to knock it out. Hope we have helped a bit.

[KatieMil]

Hi there, I have SLE, stopped plaquenil in April due to itching. Have been on plaquenil & taken flucanzole each time i was prescribed anti biotics. As I too had a 12 month bout of thrush before. I was fine, dr was happy for me to take both. good luck. Kt

[Lorelei]

Hi, Beev!

I'm not sure about the drug interactions.

I have taken Fluconazole while on Plaquenil without any problems. The Fluconazole cured what it was supposed to. My lupus symptoms didn't worsen. My bloodwork didn't change.

However, I believe that your Pharmacist/Chemist will accept a return of the medication and refund the cost to you under the circumstances, if it turns out that your Physician prescribed it to you by mistake. Your Chemist cannot sell that medication to anyone else, since it has been in a customer's possession for a while. So if he accepts the medicine back, he is taking a big financial loss because he cannot re-sell it. If he lets you return it, thank him profusely and be forever loyal to his Pharmacy!

Just a thought.

I hope that you can get in touch with your Physician quickly and that you will be feeling better very soon!

Lorelei

[marypw]

Discuss with your pharmacist - they are often a better source of drug information than the GP. xx

[Davidj]

Hi from Tampa Florida - not sure I'd y'all have smart phone devices but there is and app put out by the mottif center a very well known Cancer hospital , not just for cancer , but if you put in the different meds it will tell you if there are any interactions.

Thought it may help, saved me a world of trouble a few times

David. SLE LUPUS FOR 9 years

[beev]

Thanks all. Your advice is helpful. Spoke to pharmicist at weekend and am taking both. Hope antibiotics kick in soon as feeling pretty ropey. Don't know if antibiotics making me feel rough or whether its a flare starting. Glad I joined this site though it's very reassuring. x