Hi, Purpletop. Welcome.

I'm sorry you have lupus. It can be managed, but it's a really tough disease. Just like MG, it has triggers that make it worse.

The anti-malarial drugs can cause drug-induced MG, or can exacerbate it.

http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/mtime/mgdrug.html

What you need to do is get yourself to a neurologist right away! It doesn't matter if you have drug-induced MG or might have it permanently. You need to be evaluated and possibly have treatment for it. Only a neurologist is qualified to do that!

And it doesn't matter if you aren't diagnosed with MG (temporary or permanent), if you can't swallow, breathe well, or move well, you need to dial 911. There's something called a myasthenic crisis that can be life-threatening and it needs immediate care. Don't be freaked out by that, just know what you need to do and when.

The problem is that even if someone else experienced drug-induced MG, there's no way to know if that will be your experience. My Mom had it from Ketek/Telithromycin and she was lucky that her symptoms went away right away with the cessation of the drug. That isn't always the case. Neurontin, for example, is another drug that can cause or exacerbate MG.

Go to www.myasthenia.org to see the other drugs that might cause MG to be worse. Since you might be sensitive to this reaction, you need to be aware of the other drugs that can do it (also in the above article).

There are people who have both MG and lupus. No, it's not "fun." But there are treatments that can help both at the same time.

The best thing right now is to take it easy and get to a neuro ASAP. Or to the hospital if you get worse. BTW, extremes of heat and cold can make MG worse, not only drugs, infections, stress, lack of sleep, etc.!

I hope you'll be okay and that this is only temporary. But you still need help, so find a neuro, okay? Or have your rheumy refer you to one. A MG expert would be best.

Annie