Once more, a small recap about possible MG treatments :
-Mestinon: to improve muscle strength, acts immediately, action usally last 4 hours. Is not a cure, more like Aspirin, improves the symptoms.
Dosage may vary from 30mg daily to 250 mg.
-steroids: to lessen the production of antibodies, takes about a couple of months to act, except at the beginning, as a severe deterioration of patient condition sometimes occurs within days, if not hours…
Multiple side effects are to be expected, max dosage is 1 mg/kg of weight, may cause after several months at high dosage: osteoporosis, glaucoma, cataract, diabetis, weight gain, potassium loss…
-Immunosuppressors: also to lessen the production of antibodies, rather slow to act, from several months to 2 years…, side effects depend on the type of immunodepressor, usually replace steroids after taper period from high dose.
-IVIG; acts quickly but only during 4 to 6 weeks, thus must be repeated…
-Plasmapheresissimiliar in action as IVIG
-Thymectomy: an trial to suppress the production of antibodies.
I hope this little summary, will help some of you to better understand the treatments they follow or are proposed to.
And above all, talk to your neuro and don' t be afraid to ask questions, if you hear something like: "Who is the doctor, you or me?", go quickly to somebody else!
Maurice.