So i'm a bit confused. My rhuemy has formally diagnosed me with Connective Tissue Disease,but she said she is treating me as if I have lupus. So I'm not sure exactly WHAT I have. I had an elevated speckled ANA,get rashes from the sun, and am constantly fatiqued and achy. Plaquenil has helped me tremendously. So my question is ....is plaquenil prescribed for all autoimmune diseases ,or only for lupus? If it's only beneficial to lupus patients then that would tell me a lot. Thanks ,Kate
Connective Tissue Disease vs. lupus & plaquenil
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Hi Kate,
Yes, plaquenil is prescribed for several auto-immune diseases, so no worries there
It sounds like your rheumy is doing the most important thing which is treating you appropriately. You may be missing one or two criteria for a full lupus diagnosis but what counts is the correct treatment.
It is sometimes advantageous (for example for insurance purposes) to not have an actual lupus diagnosis.
Sounds like you have a good rheumy there!
bye for now,
Katharine
Yes, plaquenil is prescribed for several auto-immune diseases, so no worries there
It sounds like your rheumy is doing the most important thing which is treating you appropriately. You may be missing one or two criteria for a full lupus diagnosis but what counts is the correct treatment.
It is sometimes advantageous (for example for insurance purposes) to not have an actual lupus diagnosis.
Sounds like you have a good rheumy there!
bye for now,
Katharine
Hi Kate,
The speckled pattern is not only found in Lupus. It is also found in Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Scleroderma and Sjogren's Syndrome. It may take time before the doctor has a clear picture since they share so many symptoms.
I hope you get your diagnosis quickly.
Take care,
Lazylegs
The speckled pattern is not only found in Lupus. It is also found in Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Scleroderma and Sjogren's Syndrome. It may take time before the doctor has a clear picture since they share so many symptoms.
I hope you get your diagnosis quickly.
Take care,
Lazylegs
Plaquenil is also commonly used in UCTD, RA, and Sjorgen's, as well as lupus. It is the first line drug used in treating lupus under circumstances where the organs are not being affected. In my opinion, it's less important to know for sure if you have SLE or UCTD than it is to be on a medication that has helped so much. In many ways, you're better off with a UCTD diagnosis for insurance reasons. The treatment is the same though for non-organ involving lupus and UCTD so you're definitely on the right path for treatment. Glad to hear it is helping you so much!
Hi Kate!
Your situation sounds very much like mine. My rheumy diagnosed me with UCTD when she first saw me in January 2007, but felt I was leaning towards lupus. She gave me Plaquenil and Mobic. I didn't get the official lupus diagnosis until this month, when I was told I had a positive anti-dsDNA test result in January.
I'm very glad your rheumy has decided to treat you at this point. Hopefully, things will be clarified in the near future.
Terri
Your situation sounds very much like mine. My rheumy diagnosed me with UCTD when she first saw me in January 2007, but felt I was leaning towards lupus. She gave me Plaquenil and Mobic. I didn't get the official lupus diagnosis until this month, when I was told I had a positive anti-dsDNA test result in January.
I'm very glad your rheumy has decided to treat you at this point. Hopefully, things will be clarified in the near future.
Terri
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