Mestinon Question

[puppylove]

The past two times I have taken one fourth of a pill of Mestinon my stomach has been a wreck the entire next day. Coincidence? I don't think it is. The slightest things upset my stomach, so I'm guessing this really does. I don't want to take it. It's not worth it. But my doctor and my parents are telling me I have no choice. What do I do?

[ramakentesh]

Mestinon was for me one of the easiest meds to tolerate. Stomach problems settled quickly and I preferred them to dizziness.

[corina]

Puppylove, as my doc knew about my stomach problems he prescribed a stomach protector with it which helped a lot. As a result I didn't have any (more) stomach trouble while on mestinon.

[diamondcut]

I was put on this too a while ago, it speeds up your motility in your gut you see. It did make me hungry (or it aggravated my stomach not sure which one) So maybe Corina is right that taken with a stomach protecting pill it could help.

Corina do you still take these protecting pills? I get a lot of acid reflux when i take daily pills.

[mwise]

You need to take it with food. I would also recommend a stomach protector too. I have been lucky and have no problem with Mestinon. Good luck.

[roxie]

Stomach problems is a side effect of Mestinon. When I was on it they settled down after a few days with the increase. But if it doesn't go away it's probably not wise to take it

[corina]

diamondcut, I only use them when on a med that's hard on my stomach. When I weaned off of the mestinon (and other meds) I thought I could loose the stomach protector and stopped that as well, which worked out fine, phew!

[ramakentesh]

Ive been on mestonin about maybe three months or so - sometimes it still upsets my stomach a little but not a huge anmount. I dont worry about it.

[jenglynn]

Hi Puppylove,

Are you experiencing any benefits from the drug? If so, then you could try some of the ideas offered. It may help. Let your doctor know how much it is bothering your tummy. When I took it, the benefits just didn't outweigh the negatives so I stopped taking it. Let's face it, none of our options are FABULOUS but we all have different reactions and we are have bodies that work differently. So my advice would be to first think about how much it is helping you (and it may take time to get to the point where you are receiving full benefits). Is it REALLY helping you. If it is helping you and has a chance of helping more, there are options to help with the stomach problems.

Good Luck, Hun. It's always something, with us, isn't it? So many decisions!

Jen

[ramakentesh]

Yeah I was like that with midodrine. I got very little benefit. I got much more from mestinon.

[kjmom]

For me, the mestonin made me soooo dizzy. I stopped taking it and I was (ok not really, but) fine. You might want to stop it and try something else, but its your choice.

Hope you feel better!!

Kayla, 10

[RichGotsPots]

Try eating it with some rice, oatmeal or rice crackers first, maybe it'll help. I have the most sensitive stomach too..

[green]

I also just started taking mestinon. I have been taking 30 mg X2 daily for a week. However, it has no clearly discernable effects! I think maybe it makes me sleepy and a little feverish, but I can't really tell for sure. I certainly don't feel any better.

How long did you stay at the lowest dose before you upped? The doctor didn't seem to have a plan, so I'm going to have to call him tomorrow.

[ramakentesh]

Blair Grubb says that you dont notice improvement until 60mg dosage and this was my experience as well - 30mg just made me feel stoned.

[green]

I took my whole daily allotment at once today, to see what would happen. Nothing. Some super-strange sensations came and went, but nothing beneficial.

[Guest Alex]

Hi Puppylove,

I've been on mestinon since the end of Feb and have experienced some side effects in the beginning. It took a while for my body to adjust to it and also for my doctor to figure out the right dosage for me. Now that the side effects are gone I can definitely see its benefits. I've dealt with an upset stomach, blurred vision, some muscle weakness and twitches now and then, but they all settled after a while. One of the most important aspects for me in avoiding the GI side effects was to take the pills with plenty of food. I took them on an empty stomach several times and paid the price . I hope this helps.

Hang in there, and hopefully you'll see some benefits soon.

Alex

[ramakentesh]

sorry to hear that. First time i took mestinon it made me feel almost euphoria for some reason. Never repeated that. Now it just makes me feel less dizzy and it also helps me think clearly. Not supposed to cross the blood brain barrier so maybe just improves brain blood flow through peripheral mechanisms.

I did notice that mestinon seems to cut the sympatho symptoms more than the energy thing, so i still feel really fatigued.

But if it isnt helping then it may not be the drug for you.

[green]

>I did notice that mestinon seems to cut the sympatho symptoms more than the energy thing, so i still feel really fatigued.

When I was at Dr. Stewart's this summer, he told me that they are looking into an old drug used for Alzheimer's that works along the same lines as Mestinon, but crosses the blood-brain barrier. Maybe that will yield results for fatigue as well.

[issie]

Huperzine A - was suggested to me by an old buddy and I found that it actually caused more fatigue. It is supposed to work like mestinon - but, is milder in its reaction. Some people are using it for MG - instead of mestinon. It did however, increase my exercise endurance and improve my eyesight. Not taking it at the moment. Trialing some other things as it didn't seem to give me enough benefits for me to want to stick with it. Plus, it seemed to make me more fuzzy headed and more tired. I'm using Astragalus to affect immune system response. So far, so good.

Huperzine is supposed to increase acetylcholine levels and is suggested to HELP with memory and brain function. I didn't find this to be the case with me . . .but, I read many reports that some were really benefiting from it. I had ACHR tested and mine was negative for antibodies. So, may not be one of my issues I may give it a go later, again. But, right now - off in another direction. Ha!Ha! Learning about genetics the the markers there and I'm really learning a whole lot. Explains why some of my trials with certain meds and supplements was a complete disaster.

Issie