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Plaquenil / hydroxychloroquine


picchy

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Hi there,

 

I've developed autoimmune illness as a result of withdrawal and am still reactive to drugs. 

 

I wondered if anyone has experience of taking Plaquenil / hydroxychloroquine while in withdrawal? I just found out they seem to be in the quinolone family and that we're advised to avoid quinolone antibiotics in withdrawal, though don't know if that applies to Plaquenil / hydroxychloroquine.

 

Any experience or thoughts would be most welcome and thanks,

 

Picchy

Sufferer of moderate ME/CFS since 2005

Started 20mg Citalopram in March 2008 due to bereavement

Was fine since then with no adverse effects or depression - so decided to taper off

Came off it in March 2014 after a five-month taper, which I thought was a long time

Experienced a month of uncharacteristic depression in April 2014

Two months feeling fine

In June 2014 return of depression then an overnight physical crash leaving me debilitated in July

Tried to take moclobemide at low dose for 2 weeks in July but severe reaction

Housebound since then, ME now severe

No meds taken

Female, 38 years old

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Site search results:

 

hydroxychloroquine

 

Plaquenil

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Thanks ChessieCat,

 

I'd searched the site and saw posts where folk were worried about possible side effects but there didn't seem to be posts from people who had reacted badly to it. I hope that's a good sign, though don't know if it's a widely used drug. On paper the side effects do look like it's something to be wary of in withdrawal.

 

Thanks,

Picchy

Sufferer of moderate ME/CFS since 2005

Started 20mg Citalopram in March 2008 due to bereavement

Was fine since then with no adverse effects or depression - so decided to taper off

Came off it in March 2014 after a five-month taper, which I thought was a long time

Experienced a month of uncharacteristic depression in April 2014

Two months feeling fine

In June 2014 return of depression then an overnight physical crash leaving me debilitated in July

Tried to take moclobemide at low dose for 2 weeks in July but severe reaction

Housebound since then, ME now severe

No meds taken

Female, 38 years old

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  • Moderator Emeritus

If you do need to take this drug then testing with a small dose first would be a sensible thing to do to see how you react.

 

the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Thanks ChessieCat, I will do.

Sufferer of moderate ME/CFS since 2005

Started 20mg Citalopram in March 2008 due to bereavement

Was fine since then with no adverse effects or depression - so decided to taper off

Came off it in March 2014 after a five-month taper, which I thought was a long time

Experienced a month of uncharacteristic depression in April 2014

Two months feeling fine

In June 2014 return of depression then an overnight physical crash leaving me debilitated in July

Tried to take moclobemide at low dose for 2 weeks in July but severe reaction

Housebound since then, ME now severe

No meds taken

Female, 38 years old

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I have been taking hydroxychloroquine for 17 or 18 years and I am not aware of any issues I’m having from taking it.  I was taking hydroxychloroquine when I began taking Mirtazapine in 2015 so it would be hard for me to tell if that drug specifically caused any of the withdrawal symptoms I am experiencing.  I had no side effects when I began taking hydroxychloroquine for RA and Sjögren’s syndrome. May I ask what autoimmune disorder you have been diagnosed with?


 

Started 15mg Mirtazapine 2/2015

Began Taper 8/2018

Stopped drug 8/2019

 

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Thanks for replying Winner51 and I hope you're doing okay. Have you reacted to other drugs in withdrawal? I haven't got a diagnosis yet but have symptoms of Sjogrens and RA and also autoimmune alopecia. I was hoping they might trial me on drugs to help diagnose but so many people have horrible reactions to steroids in withdrawal I wondered if Plaquenil might be an option. Cheers.

Sufferer of moderate ME/CFS since 2005

Started 20mg Citalopram in March 2008 due to bereavement

Was fine since then with no adverse effects or depression - so decided to taper off

Came off it in March 2014 after a five-month taper, which I thought was a long time

Experienced a month of uncharacteristic depression in April 2014

Two months feeling fine

In June 2014 return of depression then an overnight physical crash leaving me debilitated in July

Tried to take moclobemide at low dose for 2 weeks in July but severe reaction

Housebound since then, ME now severe

No meds taken

Female, 38 years old

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I’ve not started any new drugs since I stopped taking mirtazapine.  I understand your apprehension about starting new drugs.  I wish I could be of more help.  I have a wide array of withdrawal symptoms, more than I can count and if any of those exist because of a certain drug I take or if they are made more intense because of a drug I take, I could not tell you.  Since I was taking all of my current drugs when I began tapering there’s no way for me to know.  I feel hydroxychloroquine is a good, safe drug as far as drugs go and it’s been around a very long time.  There is a risk of developing macular degeneration from prolonged use so I am tested every year.   In the many years I’ve taken it I’ve not had any side effects that I’m aware of.  When I was diagnosed with RA I was in such bad shape I could barely get out of bed.  I was around 35 yrs of age at the time and I felt 90.  If you feel as bad as I did I would seriously look at your options.  I wish you luck and I hope you find something to help you feel better.  I will say my inflammation is very much aggravated because of withdrawls.  Hopefully we both will feel tremendously better when the withdrawals are finally gone.

Started 15mg Mirtazapine 2/2015

Began Taper 8/2018

Stopped drug 8/2019

 

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Thanks Winner51. That's really interesting you say your inflammation is worsened in withdrawal, which of course makes sense. Yes I really hope things will be much better when withdrawal is over for both of us. 

Sufferer of moderate ME/CFS since 2005

Started 20mg Citalopram in March 2008 due to bereavement

Was fine since then with no adverse effects or depression - so decided to taper off

Came off it in March 2014 after a five-month taper, which I thought was a long time

Experienced a month of uncharacteristic depression in April 2014

Two months feeling fine

In June 2014 return of depression then an overnight physical crash leaving me debilitated in July

Tried to take moclobemide at low dose for 2 weeks in July but severe reaction

Housebound since then, ME now severe

No meds taken

Female, 38 years old

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  • 1 year later...
On 12/23/2021 at 5:11 PM, picchy said:

I've developed autoimmune illness as a result of withdrawal and am still reactive to drugs. 

Hello @picchyhope you are doing well,what are your symptoms?I also struggle with some ra type symptoms but blood work markers came normal.

 

01/2017-12/2022 ~6 Years on Generic Escilitopram (5mg-20mg) because of repetitive panic attacks and anxiety that lead to depression. My tapering was not tapering as I read here. I consider it CT because of wrong directions of docs, I went from 20mg to 5mg in a short amount of time and then jumped to 0mg.

•01/07/23 Took maca root powder for pssd for 4 days only which I think worsened my symptoms a lot.(Not sure if that was the cause or what came was supposed to come)
•15/07/23-01/08/23 Prebagalin) 2x50mg

01/08/23 - 05/08/23.  75x50mg

06/08/23 - 18/08/23 2x75mg an then reduced 19/09/23 - 23-09 to 75x50mg 

24/09/23 - 1/12/23 2x50mg.

1/12/22- ongoing  2x45mg( on first week of December happened a mistake in liquid I made and took 4  times double dose  )

15/01/24 -  ongoing occasional 5mg  diazepam for anxiety.


 

 

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