What are the side effects of stopping plaquenil?

Plaquenil is a medication that belongs to the anti-malarial family, and it’s commonly prescribed for individuals with Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although it’s an effective medication that suppresses inflammatory diseases, every good thing must come to an end.

Have you ever wondered what happens when you stop taking plaquenil? Well, look no further!

The Rollercoaster Journey Begins

Stopping plaquenil could trigger a whole lot of unwanted changes in your body. These changes may begin as early as the first week after discontinuing treatment.

Some of the side effects include:
– Joint pain
– Rashes
– Withdrawal Fatigue (goodbye energy!)
– Loss of appetite (that extra ten pounds won’t be coming back)

You’ll notice the rapid increase in your heart rate and shortness of breath as if someone has thrown you into a tight corner without proper breathing techniques.
But wait… there are more surprises in store.

Say Hello To Vision Issues!

After discontinuing plaquenil, some people have reported experiencing severe vision problems such as blurred vision, flashes of light and even blind spots. This situation can get pretty complicated because one minute all seems well with your eyesight but the next moment you’re groping around like a toddler learning how to walk again!

Just imagine navigating through this world without sight – how would we relish our food (hello Keto diet!), move around freely in public places or see things up close from afar?

It sounds stressful right? Well fastened those seat belts because here comes another ride…

Be Prepared For A Flare Up Adventure!

The biggest problem that many patients face when they stop taking plaquenil is flare-ups. And not just any flare-up – these ones hit harder than Zangief from Street Fighter (remember your childhood games?).

Flare-ups may trigger some of the worst symptoms, and they have been known to take weeks (sometimes months) before getting resolved. So just when you thought that star-shaped rash couldn’t get anymore itchy; add constant pain in joints, internal organs involvement…oh and did I forget to mention diarrhea? It’s like running a marathon backwards!

Wave Goodbye To Your Happy Hormones

Another side effect of discontinuing plaquenil is emotional changes such as depression or anxiety (here we go again!). The medication has a helpful hand-in-hand relationship with serotonin which helps regulate moods so this is expected when you stop taking it.

The post-plaquenil phase can increase anxiety levels due to unexpected stress from new flare-up episodes coming out of left field. They say laughter is the best method for dealing with life’s stresses – Thank goodness we generated this quirky article!

Wait… There’s Still More

After reading those potential setbacks, one might decide “I will never stop taking Plaquenil”! But wait, there’s more!
– Hair loss
– Nausea/Dizziness
– Finger tip tenderness
Feel free to sign up for them all because how often do opportunities like these arise?

Even though discontinuing plaquenil comes with a plethora of side effects and unwelcome surprises, it doesn’t necessarily mean that stopping outright should be avoided but instead supervised by healthcare professionals. If you’re planning on stopping after long-term use (longer than 1 year) then gradual tapering down of dosage could reduce severity…but who wouldn’t want an adventure now would they ?

However inconvenient/unpleasant the experience may be during your recovery stage (fingers crossed), embrace those oddities in life as much as possible because once back on schedule everything returns back into focus.
So where do we stand now?
Onward and upwards!

Sign me up for the next rollercoaster ride!

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