Myasthenia Gravis Support Group

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability. The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Although myasthenia gravis may affect any voluntary muscle, muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, and...

1,709 Members

7,414 Posts

0 Online

patmeteor 08/16/2013

I recently tried taking Mestinon Timespan at bedtime to see if that would help me not feel so "stumbly" in the mornings. A full tablet had me waking up in the middle of the night with leg and stomach cramps, so I tried a half tablet for a few days. The half tablet does help me move around better in the morning, but it seems like almost every time I've tried it, I've awakened with a headache that just gets worse until I finally give in and take my migraine medication (Axert). I'm throwing in the towel in the Timespan--I can cope better with stumbling a bit than with a migraine. I was just wondering if anyone else had this experience with Timespan.

Thanks!
--Pat

ahpotts72 08/16/2013

Very good information for us snowflakes with migraines too. I have never tried timespan but I have been curious about it's efficacy. I suffer with severe migraines already and don't need the added pain or difficulty. Did you ever take it in the morning? If so, did you get the migraines then too?

I'm with you though... I wouldn't take it either if it caused migraines. I'm sorry that you had to go through that to figure it out but I am thankful for the information. I hope that you find something to help with your wobbly mornings too.

Aloha...... Angie

larissam 08/16/2013

I've taken Mestinon Timespan since dx in Jan. 2012 and have tolerated it well other than occasional jitteriness ( is this a word?) if I wake through the night.
I hope you soon find what works best for you. It's tough to weight the symptoms of MG against the side effects of medication.
Let your neuro know you are having problems.

Take care.
larissa

annkemp 08/16/2013

I dint like the timespan
I just took mestinon when I got up in the middle of the night. That helped my mornings

ericavt 08/16/2013

Very strange. I have been having more migraines lately, but I had attributed it to severe depression and stress. I do take timespan. I will be looking into it.

Barbel 08/16/2013

My neuro told me not to cut the Timespan in half, because of the time realease. Good Luck. Barbel

Barbel 08/16/2013

You might ask the pharmisist about the result of cutting it a timespan in half. Most, pharmaist that I have talked to, don't know much about mestinon.....go figure.

patmeteor 08/17/2013

Thanks for your comments! Thankfully, I don't have migraines very often any more. Mine were primarily hormonal and mostly went away after my hysterectomy (or perhaps I should say they are controlled by estrogen replacement therapy).

Angie, I never tried the timespan in the morning. I'm happy with taking 60mg mestinon every three hours during the day, which works better for me than 90mg every 5 hrs. I may try taking 90 first thing in the morning, though, to see if that helps get my day started sooner. That or perhaps 30mg in the middle of the night.

Ann, do you eat something when you take a mestinon in the middle of the night. I've had problems with stomach cramps if I don't eat when I take my mestinon.

Barbel, I was concerned about breaking the Timespan in half, because the drug information says not to. But, a whole table was too much for me, and I read comments online by a number of people who mentioned breaking them in half. The tablets are scored, for what it's worth...

Barbel 08/18/2013

When I took regular mestinon during the night, I did eat a couple bites of banana or bread.

Join the Conversation