Shalynn, It is scary taking a new med but the way your doctor has you doing it is sensible. You can always increase either the dose amount or frequency later, once you and your doctor are certain it is working. You certainly do not want to have an overdose of it and get weaker.

Do your panic attacks have a pattern? Have you spoken to someone about them? If they can get worse at night, it may have been a panic attack. My psychologist explained a very simple thing about panic attacks and the body that may help you. Fear and anger cannot coexist in the body. Fear is what can bring on a panic attack in many people and actually getting angry, among other things, can help you get out of one.

A drop in glucose can actually trigger a panic attack! Quit putting off eating!!!

At the doses you are taking, you should not be afraid of a reaction!

No one is the same with Mestinon and everyone should work with their doctor to figure out the optimum dose amount and frequency. More is not always better.

Sue, I hate to contradict you but I'm going to! Mestinon kicks in after about 1/2 hour to 1 hour. It lasts for about two hours after that and then either decreases in strength or stops being effective. Some people take it only when they need it and some people can take high doses every two hours. DO NOT change anything about taking Mestinon without speaking to your neuro though. I take Mestinon every three hours at 90 - 100 mg. I know when I need to decrease or increase. It takes some time to get used to the drug and listening to your body really helps.

Do you mind a suggestion on the photos? I have a Masters in design and have taken quite a few photos in my life, including photo shoots. If you can, try to take the photos so that you are looking straight forward. They look a bit like you are looking down. Take the photos in the same exact place with the same exact lighting. If you take the "before" with natural light, then take the "after" with the same lighting. Keep the camera the same distance away from your face. If you can set it on an object that is directly in front of your face and set it for the timing mode, you will get more accurate photos. Due to the lighting, color and angle changes, it's harder to tell if your face is better/worse. It does look like there is a difference. You want to not only capture the eyelids and eyebrows but the entire face. My nose actually droops a significant amount, which is entirely gross.

What did you have to eat for dinner? Not to be nosy but to see if it's anything that would affect MG.

How can you tell if Mestinon is working? Well, if you have ptosis on a consistent basis, that's one way. Look at your face before taking it and then one hour after taking it. If you see a difference, it's working. Whether it "works" or not depends upon a lot of factors. If you do a lot during the day, it can be like drinking water and have no obvious effect on MG, even though it probably is. Mestinon is a "helper" drug. If you do too much, your MG will get even worse no matter what. There are people like me who do better on a consistent dosing schedule but others who can take it when they clean or run errands, etc.

Having someone around when you take it or talking to someone on the phone might help. Anything that reassures you. I'm being serious. Panic attacks are not fun. If you haven't spoken to a professional about how to deal with them, other than taking a drug, you are doing yourself a disservice. There are many coping skills for handling them! And, sometimes, a physical condition (even a drug) like high blood pressure can increase panic attacks. So it's always good to check with your doctor about all of this.

Hang in there. I hope you can get some solid answer soon.

Annie