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...
Our medications are our savior. However, they can also present great risk if not taken properly and monitored. We can NOT depend upon our physicians or pharmacist to always identify possible; medication interactions, adverse risk for our MG or other diseases, side effect precautions, how to take the medication, etc.
It is my intent to start a discussion about what tools we use to help us practice safe medication administration and monitoring.
List below are some resources that I use. There are numerous of these drug resources on the net. It will be a personal preference which you prefer to use. However, I feel it is extremely important that everyone use at least one. I will give a personal testimony why, below.
We have to be our own advocate to make sure we know everything possible about our medications. That also includes making sure we get regular lab test for those drugs that may cause serious side effects.
In the end, we can take our ideas and put those on the new group MG Links and New.
Suggestions:
https://www.drugs.com is an excellent site that after your register and enter your meds, will give you a wreath of information.
Example..Prednisone has interactions with eleven of my other medications and interacts with three of my medical conditions. During my first year of treatment I was on high dosage of prednisone and liptor which resulted in serious problems with steroid myopathy. I became so weak I was falling and hardly able to walk. It was not until I changed doctors and questioned being on Liptor and high dosage prednisone before the myopathy was diagnosis.
Another example; Methotrexate has two recent FDA alerts, interacts with seven of my other medications and interacts with some foods.
MGFA has listed in their patient resource link; http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/hp.asp
Another site is http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html
It is also extremely important to always remember the following sites that list medications that are high risk cautions for MG. These two resources are better than depending on the above sites to give you this information.
http://www.myasthenia.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JuFvZPPq2vg%3d&tabid=125
http://dig.pharm.uic.edu/faq/myasthenia.aspx
Please share any sites you like and any other suggestions.
Wishing you the best.
Bruce
It is my intent to start a discussion about what tools we use to help us practice safe medication administration and monitoring.
List below are some resources that I use. There are numerous of these drug resources on the net. It will be a personal preference which you prefer to use. However, I feel it is extremely important that everyone use at least one. I will give a personal testimony why, below.
We have to be our own advocate to make sure we know everything possible about our medications. That also includes making sure we get regular lab test for those drugs that may cause serious side effects.
In the end, we can take our ideas and put those on the new group MG Links and New.
Suggestions:
https://www.drugs.com is an excellent site that after your register and enter your meds, will give you a wreath of information.
Example..Prednisone has interactions with eleven of my other medications and interacts with three of my medical conditions. During my first year of treatment I was on high dosage of prednisone and liptor which resulted in serious problems with steroid myopathy. I became so weak I was falling and hardly able to walk. It was not until I changed doctors and questioned being on Liptor and high dosage prednisone before the myopathy was diagnosis.
Another example; Methotrexate has two recent FDA alerts, interacts with seven of my other medications and interacts with some foods.
MGFA has listed in their patient resource link; http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/hp.asp
Another site is http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html
It is also extremely important to always remember the following sites that list medications that are high risk cautions for MG. These two resources are better than depending on the above sites to give you this information.
http://www.myasthenia.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JuFvZPPq2vg%3d&tabid=125
http://dig.pharm.uic.edu/faq/myasthenia.aspx
Please share any sites you like and any other suggestions.
Wishing you the best.
Bruce
It's sad, but true. In many cases?
We are almost completely on our own -
- in keeping a watch on our meds.
(I have used some of your links, in the past.)
The fact that you were having such major contraindications?
Whew. Some sorry you had to go through all of that.
- Ross
Rhonda