Question:

Hi, I have been diagnosed as sero-neg MG for several years. I have been treated with prednisone and mestinon. The prednisone did nothing but put on WT so we weaned off that. I am currently on mestinon 180mg (2.5 tablets) every 3 hours and have good improvement in symptoms. Is it possible to NOT have MG and yet have such marked improvements with the mestinon?? Thanks

Answer:

It would be unusual to have significant improvement with high dose mestinon (150 mg, or 2.5 60 mg pills, every three hours is high dose) without having benefit from immunosuppression in acquired myasthenia gravis. Congenital myasthenia would not be expected to have response to immunosuppression, but would respond to mestinon. It depends on what your symptoms are; what is the response you have to the mestinon; how high was your prednisone taken and how long was it maintained. It would also be unusual to have improvement in symptoms with mestinon if myasthenia is not present. But remember it is just symptomatic treatment. Too much mestinon can actually cause muscle weakness and cramping, and a condition that can mimic myasthenic crisis.

For more information:

Go to the Myasthenia Gravis health topic.