good for you

There are many that can benefits MG patients. I've made some posts in the past.

Here's one that is overlooked by many and you'll find plently of reading material stating that a deficiency exists in autoimmune disease patients.

Glutathione - is definitely one to try.

Hyperzine A works well for me instead of Mestinon.

Creatine Monohydrate has been used by MG patients to help regain strength.

Vitamin D: 5000 8000 IU daily; depending upon blood levels of 25-OH-vitamin D

Astragalus (std. to 0.4% 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyisoflavone 7): 1000 mg daily

Creatine monohydrate: 2000 mg daily

White peony extract (root) [providing 252 mg paeoniflorin]: 1200 1800 mg daily

Fish oil (with olive polyphenols and sesame lignans): 1400 mg EPA and 1000 mg DHA daily; OR Liquid fish oil: 15 mL twice daily

Green tea extract (std. to 98% polyphenols): 725 mg daily

Curcumin (as highly absorbed phospholipid blend ideally containing
standardized ginger extracts): 630 mg daily (as an anti-inflammatory

Ginger - Anti inflammatory

Quercetin: 250 500 mg daily

Cats claw: 50 100 mg daily

Pycnogenol (French maritime pine bark extract): 100 200 mg daily

Finally for your liver because our meds put stress on our liver.

Udca or milk thistle..

Hi stevebert, how much Vit. B12 do you take? May give it a try. (I can't find a reference for B12 and MG.)
My supplements and OTC meds are not many; I'm just following doctors' orders, which in the past have been based on blood tests. I get pill-weary too. Sometimes just 1 more pill isy too many.
My Neuro tells me: take any supplement I want, as long as I get his okay, as long as I can tolerate it, good advice.

I take: Vitamin D, 50,000 IU, once a week. Calcium 400mg, with Vit D 500mg, daily. Vit C 100mg daily. KlorCon M10 Potassium 750mg, daily.
To: counter bone density loss, due to long term Prednisone therapy.
To counter heart problems. To replace dairy foods, in the diet.
The potassium helps with Vit D uptake.
I also take 81mg buffered aspirin, twice daily, re: blood-thinning.
No problems with coagulation, so far so good.

A no-no, Magnesium 250mg daily. A no-no for most MG'ers as it can worsen symptoms. It's prescribed and monitored by my Neuro. It counters Cramp-Fasciculation, another lovely autoimmune condition.

I used to take a Multivitamin, but had to give that up, it improved my appetite too much. A funny effect, but useful when I could not eat, due to gastroperesis.
Will check on Astralagus. Thanks!

I take B12, Vitamin D and Calcium. I also find that "Spirutein" is an awesome vitamin drink. It helps with fatigue, weakness and brain fog. I get it at the local health food store, but you can also order it online. I mix a glass every morning and if I feel extra tired or the good ole brain fog is kicking in - I drink an extra glass. There are enzymes in it that aid in digestion too. It especially helps with general weakness (the way you feel after the flu). Good Thread!

Hi and thank you everyone for the great input.

dealmaker, I doubled my Astragulus to 1,000 mg a day. I'm going to look into others you recommend, too.

snowbeltfolkie, I take 1,000 mcg of B12 twice a day - morning and afternoon.

Have a great day!

If you are taking Imuran (azathioprine), you should avoid astragalusis, says this website: http://www.letsdrug.com/meds_interaction/560-3187-0/

"Chemicals in astragalus may increase the function of the immune system. If astragalusis taken at the same time as an immune-suppressing drug such as azathioprine, the drug may not work as well to prevent transplant rejection or to control another condition it is intended to treat. Herbal and dietary supplements, especially astragalus, should not be taken while azathioprine is being used. Ask your healthcare provider about these drugs and this potential interaction as soon as possible."

~Joe

Please be very careful when taking supplements (especially herbal)

Supplements - whether vitamins or herbal, are not investigated or approved by any regulatory agency in the United States. Their safety and benefits are determined only by the company that manufactures them.

Some of the supplements, especially herbal, are sold in extremely highly concentrated forms. Our internal organs, especially the pancreas, are not designed to process, absorb and eliminate these herbs in high concentrations.

Thanks everybody! This topic has reminded me to go over all my meds, to make sure nothing has crept into the routine, without the Neuro's approval.

The medical evidence:
"supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/multivitamin-researchers-say-case-is-closed-supplements-dont-boost-health/

I take a single daily multi-vitamin and try to eat a balanced diet including fresh fruits and vegetables as recommended by my doctor.

The vitamin and supplement industry is unregulated and puts out a great deal of questionable information in trying to sell cures to folks who have chronic diseases. If these worked, our forum and all of the others would be pretty quiet.

As of April 1st, I will be two years in full remission from ACHR + MG. I took Mestinon and prednisone for a year and was one of the lucky 15% who go into remissions of varying lengths. Taking supplements is too often taking risks with unknown substances.

http://acsh.org/2014/06/problems-unregulated-dietary-supplements-industry/ (American Council on Science and Health)

"the supplement industry, is a $30 billion industry, with more than half of Americans taking some form of supplement. However, as David Seres, ACSH friend and Director of Medical Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center points out in his piece featured in CNN opinion, on the 20th anniversary of the Dietary Supplement Health and Educational Act of 1994, an act which allows dietary supplements to go unregulated by the FDA, dietary supplements are not quite the amazing panacea that we have been led to believe.

In fact, they can actually be harmful. As Dr. Seres points out, some nutrients are known to have toxicity if taken in high doses. He gives examples such as vitamin A causing brain swelling and liver failure in high doses, zinc decreasing the levels of copper in the body and vitamin E and selenium supplements may increase risk of prostate cancer. Furthermore, because these supplements are not regulated, industry is not motivated to conduct proper studies to determine their safety and efficacy, as is required for prescription drugs. Yet even physicians are not aware of the lack of information on the safety of dietary supplements."

Be careful friends

I have been having success with astralagus root. I am taking an organic astralagus root along with my vitamins. Been one month only 400 MG a day and I am now noticing increased strength. No need for Mestinon anymore. I forget to even try because I know. It would be interesting to see if I quit taking the root what would happen. It couldn't be chance after years of same, steady.

TJ from CA.

I'm one of the old facts who is leary of supplements. I wouldn't even order meds from any place other than blue Cross pharmacy. I avoid a cvs since in my area they are way too oops busy. In my mind that can lead to orders. A friend dropped a rx at CVS after wife's surgery on a Friday. When he went back ,they said someone picked it up already! It had to a written rx since it was a narcotic. If he wanted another get had to bring her to emergency room. Can't remember how it all resolved. Another friend went to a different customers get sons psych med. Someone else had picked it up she was told. She's a tough cookie ,husband's a lawyer and she didn't let it go. It turned out a father had been given it by mistake for his 5 yrold.I thinking it was antibiotic. It could have been a tragic mistake if dad hadn't read label carefully and saw wrong name!!! I'm just an old Fudd you daddy I guess. Have a great w/e

This is all interesting. I am going to ask my neuro about Astragulus next week when I see her. I just had a thymectomy and removal of a level one thymoma on Monday. It was a VATS procedure and went well, albeit with a complication of some fluid build up in my lungs. Now I will just wait and keep taking my mestinon to see if I can get some relief from the MG from the surgery.

Has anyone tried changes in their diet? I've learned that there may be a link between Celiac's Disease and MG so going gluten free and/or doing a paleo diet could help. Just wondering.

Still going strong on Organic Astralagus Root. I almost wish I was taking more, but I am just trying it out to see how it goes. So far, seems fine. My only concern is that it will reduce the effects of Cellcept. One thing is for sure, I can't even remember the last time I used Mestinon. ANyone that isn't getting treatment for this disease, owes it to try Astralagus I believe.

Cellcept has been great for me also.

I used HUPERZINE A and the effect is within 1hr. and last 24hrs. it is the only real remedy that I have found. the only side effect is at the very first dosage or first use, NAUSEA is bad, past the first time use, the symptom disappear.

Spend an hour watching this program on FRONTLINE (PBS)
Then decide for yourself about Vitamins and Supplements. I think B-12 is great. Took it for months in pills. But, now I make sure I eat real food that contains B-12. I think Vitamin D is great. But now I get it from the SUN and my body produces it.

There are NO MAGIC PILLS. It's food. Wholesome. Nutritious food we all need.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/supplements-and-safety/


Hope this link works for everyone.