Plaquenil and failed vision test?

Well I have had the visual field tests done before since I have occular migraines and back then they were completely normal and the last time I had it done the doctor didn't mention any problems? but this time around she put both results side by side and showed them to me and I could see how this time especially in my right eye has deteriated.  I have also noticed that even with my glasses on, my vision is blurry..for example if I cover one of my eyes, my vision is still somewhat fuzzy (at a distance).  I have been getting more frequent headaches and that is something I normally don't get.

El...I always get the glaucoma screening done and have never had any pressure noticed. I always worry about that too!! All of the other tests they do after you turn 35, I think turned out okay? The doctor firmly believed that my  vision issue is caused by the plaquenil and I told her I only take 400mg per day since I looked it up and I found that it is usually caused by higher doses.  However, she said it can be caused at the dose I am taking.

I'm really dissapointed but I haven't been to the rheumy yet on this one and will have to wait and see but at the same time this is scary..she said if I continued to take it at a dose that is toxic to me it will eventually cause blindness I'm thinking to myself this is the only medication that I've found that gets rid of the horrid fatigue and joint pain even with the Enbrel and MTX so I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

Camama..did you ever get a baseline test done before you started your plaq?? Have you asked your doctor to do the testing specific for plaq users? If not you need to because some of your symptoms sound suspicious.  However, it could be alleriges..my daughter gets allergies and her eyes get red and puffy..very uncomfortable!

Between the low blood count and my eyeballs, I have to wonder about these medications

Camama,

Have you been to an opthamologist for your eye problem (blurriness)?  I love my rheumy, but I would not trust him with my eyes.  He is not an eye doctor, and in fact, he would probably be the first to tell me to see an eye doctor (no pun intended). 

I hope both of you get your vision problems worked out.  And momto3, if you have to stop the plaquenil, I pray that you find another drug that works as well, if not better than the plaquenil did.  I know that I found enbrel and mtx work far better for me than the plaquenil.  I guess the downside is that plaquenil is supposedly the safest RA drug. 

El

Hi and my rheumy flips out about pred so it will be hard to say what he will think about this? Camama, I'm not sure how your eye doctor can miss it since the visual field test is used to detect it and if you are missing the dots because you aren't seeing them then you aren't seeing them My doctor never sent me for a baseline either but I have had one prior to the plaq and it was fine..When you say your house is foggy? that is not good my dear!!! Do you wear contacts?? Do you mean like a veil has been pulled down over your eyes? Please get this checked out.

El..I looked up meds and there is one called Arava and it seems to be similar to Plaq so maybe this will be an option.  I haven't stopped taking it but last night only took one pill instead of two. Even with the Enbrel and MTX without the Plaq I'm really tired.

Thanks ladies!!

Camama...The grid that Sj posted is the same one showed to me at my appointment this week, that is how it always begins, and no I cannot see the four corners of the grid (outer edges). They are not in my line of vision.  Maybe that should have been my first clue? I had to laugh at the dust though..it is hard to keep up isn't it?? I have gone down on my dose the last few days and I'm already starting to feel stiff, so I guess I will just have to get used to it.  I thought the Arava was like the Plaquenil.

Have you been tested for high blood sugar? Fasting and glucose? if this runs in your family or you had the gestational maybe you should get it checked out.  Since you are on the MTX, I'm assuming your doctor checks  your liver functions? Maybe go to your pcp and discuss your vision troubles and see if he or she has any ideas as to what it could be if your liver functions have all been normal.  I can see why that would be troubling!!  When I started having the visual auras and would lose parts of my vision it was disturbing...I thought I had some sort of brain tumor, and ended up at a neurologist only to find that I had migraines without the pain..So when something is not right it is always worth the effort to keep plugging away until you figure out just what it is that is causing the issue.

As for the Enbrel..I was getting desperate but I understand being hesitant. It works okay but I still have weeks where I feel as if it isn't working as well as it should be.

Has your doctor looked further into your liver issues? Were they caused by RA medications? I'm sorry you were sick. Sometimes there really isn't a straight forward answer as to why we feel crummy. I have a really low rbc count but the doctor didn't know why. I know it can be frustrating to feel crummy and not be able to pin point the cause.

camama,

I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time.  From what I understand, Arava is in the same family as mtx--plaquenil, although a DMARD, is not.  If for some reason I couldn't tolerate mtx, I would probably take Arava--although my doctor looks at Arava as definitely second choice.  He told me that not as many of his patients respond as well to arava as they do to mtx.

In any case, I hope you feel better.  If it's any consolation, whenever I exercise (even mild to moderate walking) it seems like all of my joints rebel.  I usually take a tramadol right before, and that helps a bit.  I just bought a pair of rollerblades--very low impact on joints, but almost as good as running (with respect to the cardiovascular benefit).  Now, I just have to make sure I don't fall and break something :)

El

Camama...Bless your heart!! It's tough getting into any kind of workout routine, but add in joint issues and it's even more difficult! I'm back to the 6am weight training class and I'm so stiff I can hardly stand it Now without the Plaquenil, I seem to have put on some weight, so I guess it was a handy weight loss medication? That and my kidney hurts all the time, so hopefully it isn't the MTX causing that..Just do what you can, when you can!! No I just have the RA..and hopefully not rhupus like El suggested My family doesn't do well with my arthritis, what a shocker that would be!

El..about the Tramadol, is it like Darvon? or can you take it and drive? The problem with pain meds is that I can never take them until I get home at night.  By the way, that is fantastic that you are using the rollerblades!

Some of the issues I complained about last year turned out to be a secondary problem from an adverse reaction to Arava - high blood pressure, GERD, asthma (from the high BP), and so on....I still get the haze at times, usually when the GERD acts up and then that raises my BP. Also my new opthamologist did say he sees the beginnings of my lenses hardening, which is apparently why I can't read up close very well any more - why didn't the last guy tell me that when I complained? Anyway, lovely to hear right after your 39th bday. He says that is not from the plaquenil and I don't yet need reading glasses (yeah tell that to the small print I can't read anymore.)

I have AS and started two years ago with Humira and Mxth, then last September switched to Remicade and Mxth.

I was diagnosed with AS two years ago, although it is thought that I've had it for over 7 years. I had a problem with focus in my right eye about 6 months to the extent that I immediately went and had my eyes checked, on hearing the meds I was on and checking the eyes I was sent to see a specialist immediately. She did a huge amount of tests and at the end said that I had 'mucular Puckering' of my right eye and would need to have it check in 3 months time.  If it had got worse then an operation to repair it would be needed by a surgeon in Sydney. I had the check just before Christmas and it hadn't got worse, BUT she also found that I had calcuim build up on my optic nerves!!  She did more tests and showed me the results, I have to go back again in 3 months and if that hasn't improved I have to go on medication (What more ). The reason I tell this story is that I've spoken with my rheumy and he said although it can't be proved, it could certainly have something to be with the AS (if not the mixture of drugs).  It is well known that with AS you can have eye problems.

I firmly believe it's the drugs as the calcuim build up occured after and during the remicade infusions. But what are we to do?  We need the drugs to help us day to day and have to suffer the side effects......

Not sure this helped but an interesting subject.   No one is prepared to confirm anything with regards this subject in my opinion - neither the specialist or eye consultant.  All just 'could be's'

Peggy

Hopefully (ha ha) it's only medication, but to be honest I was in shellshock as everytime I've been there its something else on top of the list of things/medications I take on a day to day basis.

Time will see, but I have trouble focusing when I wake up, usually about half an hour before I can see straight even with my glasses on!  When I'm tired its bad too.

I'm used to it but it does get you down sometimes.

Peggy