Neostigmin bei Myasthenia gravis

About neostigmine

Myasthenia 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.

Before taking neostigmine

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:

• Wenn Sie schwanger sind oder stillen.

• If you have asthma.

• If you have any of the following conditions: epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, an overactive thyroid gland or low blood pressure.

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

• If you have a stomach ulcer.

• Wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktionsweise Ihrer Nieren haben.

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

• Wenn Sie andere Arzneimittel einnehmen oder verwenden. Dazu gehören alle Arzneimittel, die Sie einnehmen und die rezeptfrei erhältlich sind, sowie pflanzliche und ergänzende Arzneimittel.

• Wenn Sie schon einmal eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Arzneimittel hatten.

How to take neostigmine

• 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.

Das Beste aus Ihrer Behandlung herausholen

• Versuchen Sie, Ihre regelmäßigen Termine bei Ihrem Arzt einzuhalten. So kann Ihr Arzt Ihre Fortschritte überprüfen.

• 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.

• Wenn Sie Arzneimittel kaufen, sollten Sie sich immer in der Apotheke vergewissern, dass Sie diese zusammen mit Ihren anderen Arzneimitteln einnehmen können.

Can neostigmine cause problems?

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.

Wenn Sie andere Symptome haben, von denen Sie glauben, dass sie auf die Tabletten zurückzuführen sind, sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Arzt oder Apotheker, um weiteren Rat zu erhalten.

How to store neostigmine tablets

• Bewahren Sie alle Arzneimittel außerhalb der Reichweite und Sichtweite von Kindern auf.

• An einem kühlen, trockenen Ort aufbewahren, vor direkter Hitze und Licht schützen.

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