Arthritis :: Ringing In The Ears With Hydroxychloroquine

I was diagnosed with OA in my lumbar & cervical spine 10+ years ago although it has not caused me any severe problems. I am now in a new state & under the care of a new rheumatologist. She has diagnosed me with Sjogren's & also "probable lupus" (I have many of the symptoms but nothing has shown up in blood tests as of yet.)

Over the past few months my knuckles have gotten bigger so that I cannot put on rings or remove my wedding band. My fingers also swell, & there are some nodules on the knuckles of 2 fingers up near the fingernails. My rheumatologist told me I now have RA.

I have been taking prednisone bursts every now & then to help with my problems. I have also taken it for several weeks at a time, either 10 mg/day or 5 mg/day. Most recently I had been taking 5 mg/day but it was not helping me. I asked at my last appointment about bumping it up to 10 mg/day again, but she is not wanting to do that. I don't know if its just this state I'm living in or what, but every medical professional I see tells me that taking prednisone long term is not good ... yet I know of people elsewhere who have been taking it for many years.

Three weeks ago my rheumatologist asked me to try hydroxychloroquine while I tapered off the prednisone. Not long after I started taking this medication, I noticed I was having ringing in my ears. I really didn't pay much attention to it ... figured it was just some fluke thing. I never had ringing in my ears prior to starting the hydroxychloroquine. As time went on the ringing got worse. I checked the side effect sheet that came with the medication & ringing in the ears was listed as an "unlikely but serious side effect" & it was noted that if this occurred I should "notify my doctor immediately."

I called my dermatologist's office & unfortunately her nurse took the call. This nurse seems to feel that she is a doctor. She has given me incorrect instructions in the past regarding medication. When I told her what was happening, she told me to stop taking the hydroxychloroquine for one week, then to start taking it again ... "just to see that there's nothing else that could be causing the ringing."

If the ringing hadn't been happening prior to me taking the medication, & it stopped immediately after I stopped taking it, then why do I need to start taking the medication again? Again, this ringing is described as an "unlikely but serious side effect." I am concerned that starting to take it again may result in irreparable harm to my hearing.

Am I just being silly/overcautious? Has anyone had this experience or a similar one?