Why does Plaquenil cause weight loss?

Weight gain or weight loss

For some people, Plaquenil may cause weight loss. This is because the drug can decrease your appetite, which may lead to the weight loss.

What does hydroxychloroquine do to your stomach?

In some people, HCQ may cause gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, cramps, or diarrhea. These may occur for the first few days a person takes the drug while the body adjusts to the medication.

Does Plaquenil cause weight gain or loss?

Is weight gain a side effect of Plaquenil? No, weight gain hasn't been reported as a side effect of Plaquenil. But weight loss has been reported as a side effect. Two conditions Plaquenil is prescribed to treat, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus, can cause symptoms that contribute to weight gain.

Does Plaquenil cause muscle loss?

This medicine may cause muscle and nerve problems. Check with your doctor right away if you have muscle weakness, pain, or tenderness while using this medicine. Hydroxychloroquine may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors.

What is the downside of taking hydroxychloroquine?

Serious side effects

any eye problems, including changes in the colour of your eye or problems with your eyesight such as blurred vision, sensitivity to light or changes to the way you see colour. muscle weakness, cramps, stiffness or spasms, or changes in how your skin feels such as tingling.

My PLAQUENIL Side Effects | Why I Stopped Taking Hydroxychloroquine

What should I avoid while taking Plaquenil?

This medicine may cause blurred vision and may impair your reactions. Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you. Avoid taking an antacid or Kaopectate (kaolin-pectin) within 4 hours before or 4 hours after you take hydroxychloroquine.

What foods should I avoid while taking hydroxychloroquine?

You may want to limit your consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice during treatment with hydroxychloroquine. Grapefruit juice can significantly increase the blood levels and effects of hydroxychloroquine, which may result in an irregular heart rate or other conduction disturbances.

What vitamins does Plaquenil deplete?

Replenish Depleted Nutrients

Neomycin can decrease absorption or increase elimination of many nutrients, including calcium, carbohydrates, beta-carotene, fats, folic acid, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and vitamin K.

What does hydroxychloroquine do to your skin?

Blue–grey pigmentation of the skin affects up to 25% of patients taking hydroxychloroquine, especially where there has been bruising. Transverse pigmented nail bands and mucosal pigmentation have also been reported. Rashes may occur in up to 10% of patients, most commonly morbilliform or psoriasiform.

How long does it take for Plaquenil to reduce inflammation?

Hydroxychloroquine starts to work gradually. For inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, it can take 6 to 12 weeks before you notice any benefits. It's important to keep taking hydroxychloroquine.

Is it better to take Plaquenil in the morning or night?

If you take Plaquenil once daily, there's no best time of day to take it. But you should take it at about the same time each day. And it's recommended that you take your dose with food or milk. If you take Plaquenil twice daily, you can take one dose in the morning and one in the evening.

How common is hair loss with Plaquenil?

40 % of women by age 50 will develop female pattern hair loss. This means that 40 % of female patients who use Plaquenil will develop female genetic hair loss - not from the drug itself but because that is the expected frequency in the population.

Does Plaquenil help with fatigue?

Over time, Plaquenil helps reduce inflammation around the heart and lungs and improves symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and cognitive dysfunction. And patients report more energy because it's a mild stimulant.

What is the major toxic effect of hydroxychloroquine?

Its main side effects are gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps), skin rash, headache, dizziness, and ocular toxicity. However, serious side effects including arrhythmia, bronchospasm, angioedema, and seizures can rarely occur.

What does Plaquenil do for autoimmune diseases?

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). It can decrease the pain and swelling of arthritis. It may prevent joint damage and reduce the risk of long-term disability. Hydroxychloroquine is in a class of medications that was first used to prevent and treat malaria.

What are the long-term effects of taking hydroxychloroquine?

Long-term use and high doses of hydroxychloroquine are risk factors for the development of cardiomyopathy. Cardiac failure, conduction disorders (including QT prolongation and Torsades de Pointes) and sudden cardiac death are consequences of the cardiomyopathy.

How long can you stay on hydroxychloroquine?

The study concludes that hydroxychloroquine therapy is safe for long-term use at doses <5 mg/kg/day. Learn about how lupus affects the eyes and hydroxychloroquine.

Does Plaquenil lighten hair?

Plaquenil and hair loss

In fact, hydroxychloroquine is actually used to prevent hair loss from other medications. However, hair hypopigmentation, or hair color lightening, can occur from damage to pigment cells.

Should you avoid the sun when taking hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine, for example, is one medication that can cause significant sun sensitivity in the eyes. This drug is used primarily to prevent or treat malaria but has also gained traction as a treatment for unresponsive cases of certain autoimmune diseases.

Can you take vitamin D with Plaquenil?

Interactions between your drugs

No interactions were found between hydroxychloroquine and Vitamin D3.

Can I take Plaquenil and vitamin D together?

Interactions between your drugs

No interactions were found between Plaquenil and Vitamin D3. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

Does Plaquenil affect the brain?

Hydroxychloroquine can induce adverse effects on the central nervous system, from irritability, nervousness, and emotional changes to true psychoses.

Can I drink coffee with Plaquenil?

This medication may irritate the stomach, and should be taken with food. It is best to avoid coffee, spicy food or alcohol.

Is Plaquenil hard on the liver?

Hydroxychloroquine is metabolized in the liver and may alter metabolism of other medications. Therapy is unlikely to cause liver injury in normal individuals, but can trigger an acute worsening of porphyria cutanea tarda in susceptible individuals.

Does hydroxychloroquine affect vitamin D?

It is known that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) inhibits conversion of 25(OH)- to 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D both in vitro and in patients with sarcoidosis.