Just started taking Plaquenil . No stomach problems yet but what do I expect from this drug?
New to this site and new to RA. Was DXed w/osteoarthritis only at first even though I was positive for 2 out of three tests for RA. Have had osteoarthrithis in my thumbs for about 10 years now. Celebrex was taken for a month. Symptoms worsened and no improvement. New DX is osteo and RA. Have joint pain in both wrists, knees, ankles, heel pain, top of foot pain. Also have osteochrondritis w/ bone fragments in both of my elbows which Drs. don't have any idea where that came from. Also feel either warm or kinda of sick like having the flu alot of the time. Kinda confused and second guessing myself that I don't have RA though my gut feeling is that I've had this for awhile. Guess Dr.(Rheumie) confused me when he wasn't certain what I had. Have only seen his twice. Taking Plaquenil for almost a week said it might take 3 months to work. Any experiences or advise would be helpful. Thanks
hi Lee
I'm new too, Dx in July. Was on relefen (anti-flammatory) for a month before Plaquenil was added. just 2 wks ago relefen was changed to prednisone 5 mg once a day and i'm still on plaquenil (2 months now). i'm on day 6 of very little pain. i still have the stiffness and SOMETIMES my feet/ankle hurts, but mostly if i'm on them too long without taking a break. i've had no side effects from either drug...i've had my eye examined 2 wks ago because of the plaquenil possible side effects. so far everything is good. i guess the plaquenil is beginning to work. or maybe the pred is the key to getting it all together. either way, this is the best i've felt since i was Dx. fortunately for me, i had a doc that listened to my own self diagnosis.. 
good luck! desiree
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Hi Lee,
I was diagnosed a year ago and plaquenil is the first medicine my rheumatologist prescribed. The good news is that I have had no side effects from it at all, but the hard part is that it can take between 3-6 months before you feel the good effects. For me, this was too long and my RA was too active, so I began taking enbrel about 2.5 months into my plaquenil regimen. Enbrel has worked miracles for me, and I am still on the plaquenil, which I think also is working and helping me manage it.
I would trust your instincts- feeling sickly and like you have the flu is a big symptom of RA. I felt feverish all the time early on in addition to the painful and swollen joints. If the plaquenil is working too slowly for you, talk to your rheumatologist about your other options. It's important to attack RA early on and aggressively!
Good luck,
Sara
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