I started Plaquenil generic 200 mg 2x/day, and Biaxin 500 mg 2x/day about 3 weeks ago. I am wondering what kind of vision problems people get with Plaquenil.
My eyes have felt strained lately...but we have been using those environmentally friendly light bulbs, and I thought maybe it was because they are dimmer.
And I just got new contacts, and they tend to be a little dryer in the winter.
My LLMD said it was extremely rare to have vision problems. Do you think I should be worried? Would an eye exam show damage?
Posts: 117 | From Chicago, IL | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I've been using it for a month now and haven't noticed any changes. You only need to get your eyes checked every 6 months while on it. The chances of damage are very small on 400 mg a day. Loss of peripheral vision is what occurrs if any thing at all happens.
"Most reports of hydroxychloroquine toxicity have occurred when daily dosing exceeds 6.5 mg/kg (as might be the case when a very slight built patient takes two 200mg tablets per day, or in anyone taking more than two tablets daily) or in patients where duration of treatment exceeds five years. Within these limits, the incidence of toxicity is reported to be exceedingly low. Regular monitoring of macular health in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine is the accepted standard of care."
My advice is to go to your eye doctor and do two things. 1. Visual Color Test 2. Visual Field Test.
The Visual field test is very important, as it will give a baseline now of your visual field, so you can have it tested again in 1,2,3 etc. years to see if you are having any problems.
I was put on placq, went to my eye doctor, told them and they only did the color test. Two years later they decided to do the visual field test, and it shows a lot of visual field loss. They then sent me to a Retna specialist who thinks everything is ok, my follow up is the end of this month. If nothing has changed, I am ok.
I quit using the placq, when this occured.
However, I must say that it is a very good drug for fighting the Lyme and if your have RA it helps with that also.
Good luck to you.
AGuess
Posts: 45 | From NC,USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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Plaquenil does not cause eye damage unless used for a very long time. This primarily occurs with missionaries in malarial areas who take Plaquenil for 20 years +.
Several top eye specialists told me the changes from Plaquenil are so slow there was no point to do a baseline if I was only going to be on it 6 months - 1 year.
hatsnscarfs
Posts: 956 | From MA | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by LZOChicago: [QB] Hello -
I started Plaquenil generic 200 mg 2x/day, and Biaxin 500 mg 2x/day about 3 weeks ago. I am wondering what kind of vision problems people get with Plaquenil.
My eyes get very strained and my vision get blurry when I use Plaquenil, even after just a few days at 100 mg/day (half a tablet) so I know this is not the build up effect that is described in people who use it long term.
I have a lot of eye issues (in fact most of my residual problems are in my eyes and in my head) so, in my case I think the blurry, strained and tired feeling I get in my eyes from the use of Plaquenil has got to do with better penetration of abx in my eyes or to the Plaquenil itself killing something that is hiding in my eyes.
Plaquenil also makes me very, very tired and listless, almost catatonic at times, so i don't stay on it for very long at a time, and when I stop my eyes return to "normal" within days.
Just my experience
Nelly
Posts: 416 | From france | Registered: Oct 2001
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NP40
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6711
posted
Lyme can certainly damage sight. Biaxin penetrates well and the plaquenil will increase that effect. May want to have your vision checked periodically if you're on plaquenil for a while. Plaquenil will also hit babs.
Posts: 1632 | From Northern Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2005
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I used Plaq for a year and didn't have a single problem from it. I found this write up on its safety.
"Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is one of the first line treatments for many autoimmune diseases. It enters the endosomes inside the cells, changing their pH. This allows the endosomes to remove more of the phosphatases (from chromosomes) that seem to allow autoimmune reactions. It is the single most safe medication used to treat these diseases. According the the head of the rheum. dept. at a med. school, most opthalmologists who are charged with looking for the damage to the eyes never once see a case of the damage in their lifetime. If there is damage, and it is found early, stopping the Plaquenil stops the damage before it becomes noticeable.
One of the problems with Plaquenil is that it can take up to a year to take effect. But by the same token, if you miss a few doses, it is so slow to leave your body that you won't notice a difference."
Posts: 134 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
The damage from Plaquenil takes years. If you are going to be on Plaquenil for more than 6 months, then you should get the vision fields test.
I get tested every 6 months, and my eye doctor feels comfortable that, if I ever have damage, will catch it early enough for it not to have a real impact on my vision.
He said he has seen damage. But the people who get serious damage have been on Plaquenil for years and never get tested. It doesn't happen in weeks.
Throughout my treatment, I have noticed visual changes with certain medications. For example, when I first started Vicodin, my vision was very blurry when I took it. So it could be a reaction to either new med, or the new contacts.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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