Neostigmine for myasthenia gravis

About neostigmine

Miastenia gravis is a condition where your muscles become easily tired and weak. There is a fault in the way nerve messages are passed from your nerves to your muscles. As a consequence, your muscles are not stimulated properly, so do not tighten (contract) well. The muscles around the eyes are commonly affected first. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease. This means that the fault is due to a problem with your immune system. Your immune system (which normally protects your body from infections) mistakenly attacks itself.

Your brain normally sends messages down nerves to the muscles it wants to contract. The nerve endings then release a chemical called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine quickly attaches to small areas on your muscles, called receptors, and this triggers your muscles to contract. In most people with myasthenia gravis, the immune system blocks or damages these acetylcholine receptors. The acetylcholine cannot then attach to the receptor and so the muscle is less able to tighten.

Neostigmine works by slowing the breakdown of acetylcholine when it is released from nerve endings. This means that there is more acetylcholine available to attach to the muscle receptors and this improves the strength of your muscles.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking neostigmine it is important that your doctor knows:

• Se você está grávida ou amamentando.

• Se você tem asma.

• If you have any of the following conditions: epilepsy, Doença de Parkinson, an overactive thyroid gland or pressão arterial baixa.

• If you have a heart condition, such as a slow heart rate, or if you have recently had a ataque cardíaco.

• If you have a úlcera estomacal.

• Se você tiver algum problema com o funcionamento dos seus rins.

• If you feel you may have a blockage in your intestines or if you have any difficulties passing urine.

• Se você estiver tomando ou usando qualquer outro medicamento. Isso inclui quaisquer medicamentos que você esteja tomando e que estejam disponíveis para compra sem receita médica, bem como medicamentos fitoterápicos e complementares.

• Se você já teve uma reação alérgica a um medicamento.

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about neostigmine and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take neostigmine tablets exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your dose will be printed on the label of the pack to remind you about what the doctor said to you. For adults, it is usual to take one or two tablets several times a day, as the effect of the tablets lasts for about four hours. Take the tablets at suitable intervals so that your muscles are strongest when you need to be the most active (for example, early in the morning and before meals). When neostigmine is prescribed for a child, the dose is calculated according to the age of the child.

• Swallow the tablet(s) with a drink of water.

• If you forget to take a dose at your usual time, take it when you remember. However, if it is nearly time to take your next dose when you remember then leave out the forgotten dose and take your next dose when it is due. Do not take two doses together to make up for a missed dose.

• Tente manter suas consultas regulares com seu médico. Isso é para que seu médico possa verificar seu progresso.

• It is likely that you will be prescribed other medicines to take alongside neostigmine. You may be prescribed an immunosuppressant or corticosteroid medicine to help control your muscle symptoms. You may also be prescribed tablets to reduce some unwanted effects from taking neostigmine. This is because neostigmine can produce side-effects such as tummy (abdominal) cramp and diarrhoea. If you are unsure when or how to take all these medicines, ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain it to you again.

• If you are having an operation or dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking neostigmine. This is important because neostigmine interferes with some medicines used during surgery.

• If you buy any medicines, always check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take with your other medicines.

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with neostigmine. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Se você sentir quaisquer outros sintomas que acha que podem ser causados pelos comprimidos, fale com seu médico ou farmacêutico para mais orientações.

• Mantenha todos os medicamentos fora do alcance e da vista das crianças.

• Armazene em local fresco e seco, longe de calor e luz diretos.