LymeNet Flash: Deathly ill from Plaqeunil

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»	LymeNet Flash » Questions and Discussion » Medical Questions » Deathly ill from Plaqeunil - others

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Topic: Deathly ill from Plaqeunil - others

Health
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6034

posted

Hi everyone,

I am on minocycline right now, I had to take it because have not heard from LLMD and ran out of the Biaxin and flagyl.

I have not been able to figure out WHY plaquenil makes me soooo ill. It makes me feel weak, and shakey, like when I am OFF lyme antibiotics.

It makes me feel like I will collapse.

I never get this from minocycline alone, nor from the flagyl or other antibiotics.

I know that plaquenil lowers the immune system, and wonder if this may be why I am so very ill on it.

It actually feels like lyme is getting worse on the plaquenil, like I am about to collapse and die.

ONE plaquenil does this to me if I take it in the AM, like now I am deathly ill.

I am only taking 200mgs once today and so ill.

Anyone else have this happen

All other antibiotics make me herx, then stronger.

not plaqenil.

I wonder if because I have herpes, if lowering the immune with plaquenil would make my immune less able to fight herpes, so then sicker.

Trish

Posts: 1250 | From Canada | Registered: Aug 2004 | IP: Logged |

achey
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 6284

posted

Trish,
I didn't have your problems with plaquinel, but it wasn't a good drug for me either. It made my joints hurt, made me weak, and gave me constant diareha.... Good thing there are different cures for different people.

I hope you can talk to you LLMD and get things figured out and feel better.

Maybe someelse will come along and tell you this is a herx, and it will pass.. I don't know.

I hope you are feeling better soon!

Posts: 663 | From NH USA | Registered: Sep 2004 | IP: Logged |

johnlyme1
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 7343

posted

I would rather take flagyl than plaquinil any day.

Plaquinil can be a very harsh drug. I was on it 2 weeks and had to stop - I thought my heart would blow up. My LLMD said it did not surpise him. Not many can take this one. Just my experience. One I stoped this one, my treatment went so much better.

Posts: 582 | From milwaukee wi | Registered: May 2005 | IP: Logged |

gambler
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 8441

posted

I have been on it for a month, and while my pain is much improved, I had my first anxiety attack of my life, and now have to take xanax on the bad days.

also feel quite a bit weaker.

Posts: 243 | From chicago | Registered: Dec 2005 | IP: Logged |

lymedesign
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 8791

posted

Plaq. made my daughter extremely ill. Sever stomach cramping and diarrhea. Couldn't leave the bathroom for 2 hours with each episode.

While she couldn't tolerate it at all, others here have had no trouble with it.

Posts: 263 | From Georgia | Registered: Feb 2006 | IP: Logged |

SAK
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 7387

posted

I took Plaquenil 200mg, twice daily. It really crushed me bad. All my symptoms were much worse.

I haven't reached my pre-plaquenil state of health after almost 2 months now. [Frown]

Even though being on this drug was a horrible experience, I still believe that it cleared things up so that my Babesia test showed positive.

You probably know it's a cyst buster too.

--------------------
Be well,
SAK

Posts: 371 | From Up North | Registered: May 2005 | IP: Logged |

hatsnscarfs
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 6562

posted

I took Plaquenil for 6 months last year and am on it again now. No problem, just a bitter taste.

I wonder if the Plaquenil is the problem or if the Plaquenil makes the abx kill more Lyme making you feel crappy.

hats

Posts: 956 | From MA | Registered: Nov 2004 | IP: Logged |

madhattan
Member
Member # 9760

posted

Heath, I am on plaquenil right now and I am feeling worse than when I wasn' t on it too...not a herxing kind of worse , but rather how I felt before I started antibiotics. I'm also taking minocycline and cedax (cephalosporin). I thought I was feeling better on just mino and cedax, but then when I added the plaquenil, I had more pain (like before I started abx). I wanted to go off the plaquenil, but I have been told to stay on it. Ugh. It would be interesting to see how I felt if I went off it.

Posts: 33 | From New York | Registered: Aug 2006 | IP: Logged |

Lymetoo
Moderator
Member # 743

posted

Personally, I wouldn't take it if it made me that ill!! YOu can get well without it. I did!

I couldn't take it because it caused severe stomach pain.

--------------------
--Lymetutu--
Opinions, not medical advice!

Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001 | IP: Logged |

liz28
Unregistered

posted

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) is a weak version of a malaria drug called chloroquine, which has a low overdose threshold.

If you have a condition called G6PD deficiency, you can develop hemolytic anemia by taking plaquenil. This test is very easy to get from Quest Labs.

If you follow the Dr. B protocol, he now prescribes ketek (telithromycin) in place of plaquenil.

The plaquenil dosages given to most Lyme patients are too high. Here's a link to a Drugs.com page:

http://www.drugs.com/cons/Hydroxychloroquine.html

The dosages listed here are:

For prevention of malaria:

Adults-400 milligrams (mg) once every seven days.

Children-Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The usual dose is 6.4 mg per kilogram (kg) (2.9 mg per pound) of body weight once every seven days.
For treatment of malaria:

Adults-800 mg as a single dose. This may sometimes be followed by a dose of 400 mg six to eight hours after the first dose, then 400 mg once a day on the second and third days.

Children-Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The usual dose is 32 mg per kg (14.5 mg per pound) of body weight taken over a period of three days.

For treatment of arthritis:

Adults-Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The usual dose is 6.5 mg per kg (2.9 mg per pound) of body weight per day.

So if you weigh 125 pounds, your highest dose should be 362.5 mg/day, not 400mg/day.

Symptoms of hemolytic anemia are:

Fatigue
Paleness
Shortness of breath
Rapid heart rate
Yellow skin color (jaundice)
Dark urine
Enlarged spleen

IP: Logged |

Boomerang
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7979

posted

Do any of you take differnt ABX at the same time? To be sure you kill off all the bacteria in differnt stages? I am reading more and more about that.

Hubby didn't do well on Plaq at all. But he has a good response with Flagyl. He's doing low pulses of Flagyl now, with Ketek daily.

Am hoping for some good results. He seems to be responding well to it so far.

Best wishes to all.

Posts: 1366 | From Southeast | Registered: Sep 2005 | IP: Logged |

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