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...

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Vitamin C advice

JerryMc
JerryMc
I have been a pretty healthy person all of my life until I came down with Meningitis 5 years ago. That's when all my MG symptoms started and I have gone broke bouncing from one doctor to the other. Any way if you've ever had meningitis you know that you are willing to do ANYTHING to keep from getting sick again. I've become a germ-a-phobe. I've been taking a 500mg extended release vitamin C tablet daily in the summer and 1000mg daily in the winter time.
My question is, now that I know I have autoimmune disease should I keep taking it. Does it help, hurt or neither one?
I tried searching this group and the Links and News group but didn't find any topics on the subject. Web searches just return too many confusing results on the subject.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Well, since you asked for it, here is some info that hints about vitamin C not being good for MG. The connection is not very clear--but vitamin C could have the opposite effect as Mestinon (at least in rat brains!).
The technical stuff:
Research study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11814146 which says:
"in conclusion, supplementation with vitamin E and/or vitamin C might be useful in maintaining brain acetylcholinesterase activity at the normal level ... (bad for MG if it happened also in our neuromuscular junction)

We take mestinon (pyridostigmine) which is
"An acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (often abbreviated AChEI) or anti-cholinesterase is a chemical that inhibits the acetylcholinesterase enzyme from breaking down acetylcholine, thereby increasing both the level and duration of action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Reversible, quasi-irreversible (or pseudirreversible in some sources) and irreversible inhibitors exist."

So I suppose Vitamin C and E might be a problem--but probably not muich of one.
Most of the research coming out nowadays shows that very high levels of just about any vitamin or mineral supplement is more harmful than helpful anyway--and that the normal requirements are really adequate unless we have deficiencies or our meds cause problems (i.e. prednisone and calcium). Most of us with MG have been told to take some additional vitamin D, and if our diet is poor, to take a multivitamin daily.