Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Lupus (SLE), and Sjogrens syndrome.

Plaquenil is the safest, of all the major “disease modifying” medications (dmards). The beneficial results are usually significant, but slow to appear. It commonly takes 6 months before improvement is seen. For this reason Plaquenil is often only one of several medications prescribed for these conditions.

Plaquenil may have liver protective effects for patients on Methotrexate, and Plaquenil is one of the only known medications that can reduce the nodules that form in some patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rarely, people get a rash, or diarrhea on Plaquenil. Very rarely, after taking Plaquenil for many years, retinal damage may occur. We require eye exams every two years to monitor for this condition.

Overall, Plaquenil is probably the safest of all the dmards. It is the only one that does not require routine blood tests to monitor.

Plaquenil is the first medication I start in patients with the above mentioned conditions. Often additional medications such as Methotrexate must be added, but Plaquenil adds to the effectiveness of this and other medications.