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Originally Posted by Lisa33
I'm a 44 year old female and newly diagnosed with ocular myasthenia. I'm currently taking 90 mg of Mestinon three times a day and 180 mg time released Mestinon at night. I think that the medicine is helping a little, but I still have double vision, right eyelid drooping, and my right eye has limited movement. My neurologist and I have discussed prednisone. I'm very hesitant to start prednisone with all of the side effects. Yet, I also know there are studies that have shown prednisone can help with OMG limit the chance of developing generalized myasthenia. For those of you that have used prednisone, what kinds of side effects did you have and how did it help with your symptoms- short and long term?
Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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Hi Lisa,
Welcome! You've asked a very good question. It's great to gather additional information. Deciding whether to take prednisone is a very personal decision and only you can make the final decision.
I was originally diagnosed with OMG, though I also have symptoms of generalized MG. I started taking prednisone (60 mg daily) a little over 4 years ago. This high dose of pred did clear my double vision, but once I tapered below 40 mg, my double vision returned. It took over a month of the high dose before I saw relief from the double vision. It's also important to mention that often times a high dose of prednisone can initially exacerbate your MG symptoms.
I was taken off of prednisone about 9 months ago. It was a VERY SLOW process to wean the prednisone. Some of the side effects that I experienced taking prednisone were osteoporosis, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, insomnia, and some mood swings.
It was my decision to stop the prednisone, b/c I felt the long term side effects outweighed the benefits for me. I'm currently taking mestinon and cyclosporine. Yes, I still do have double vision but I do OK with prism glasses b/c my double vision is fairly stable.