Hi there,
I've been on Plaquenil for some time now. I started it when I was 20 and then stopped taking for aboout a year because I assumed I was better and stopped seeing my doctor. I was better and then I wasn't. My flares started up again and I'm back on Plaquenil two times a day (which is more than I had to take at 20) at the age of 23.
It works for me, sometimes I do get small symptoms of RA like stiff fingers or a slight ache in my wrist but I haven't had severe pain in a while so it's pretty much has a 98% control over the pain. The pain used to be unbearable, I lost weight because of it but with this medication.. any pain that I do get, doesn't affect my mood or day, most of the time I don't even notice. I can live again.
A couple of things to know... When I first started taking Plaquenil, I got headaches every day, they weren't terrible, just annoying.. But after about a week to two, they went away. Taking Plaquenil also requires you to get your eyes checked more often because of the damage than can be done. It isn't common but possible. Lastly, Plaquenil is a medication that you need to take for a couple to a few months before it actually starts working. Hopefully you'll get some Naproxen to hold you off during that time.
Hope this helps! Take care.