![]() Some people with myasthenia gravis have a tumor in the thymus gland. These medicines are usually used when other treatments don't work. Rituximab (Rituxan) and eculizumab (Soliris) are medicines given by vein for myasthenia gravis. Side effects, which usually are mild, can include chills, dizziness, headaches and fluid retention. Benefits are usually seen in less than a week and can last 3 to 6 weeks. ![]() This therapy provides your body with typical antibodies, which alters your immune system response. Some people have an allergic reaction to the solutions used to replace the plasma. Risks of plasmapheresis include a drop in blood pressure, bleeding, heart rhythm problems or muscle cramps. Having several procedures can lead to problems finding veins for the treatment. However, the good effects from this procedure usually last only a few weeks. Your blood is put through a machine that removes the antibodies that block transmission of signals from your nerve endings to your muscles. This procedure uses a filtering process that's like dialysis. ![]() The following therapies are usually used for a short time to treat symptoms that suddenly get worse or before surgery or other therapies. Side effects of immunosuppressants, such as higher risk of infection and liver or kidney damage, can be serious. ![]() These medicines, which can take months to work, might be used with corticosteroids. These medicines could include azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran), mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Gengraf, others), methotrexate (Trexall) or tacrolimus (Astagraf XL, Prograf, others). Your provider also might prescribe other medicines that change your immune system. These include bone thinning, weight gain, diabetes and higher risk of some infections. Use of corticosteroids over a long period of time, however, can lead to serious side effects. Corticosteroids such as prednisone (Rayos) block the immune system, making it less able to produce antibodies. Possible side effects include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, nausea, and too much salivation and sweating. These medicines aren't a cure, but they can improve muscle contraction and muscle strength in some people. Medicines such as pyridostigmine (Mestinon, Regonal) improve communication between nerves and muscles. Your treatment will depend on your age, how severe your disease is and how fast it's progressing. Various treatments, alone or together, can help with symptoms of myasthenia gravis. These tests measure whether your condition is affecting your breathing. Your provider might order a CT scan or an MRI to check if there's a tumor or other problem with your thymus. It involves inserting a fine wire electrode through your skin and into a muscle to test a single muscle fiber. This test measures the electrical activity traveling between your brain and your muscle. Results from this test help inform a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. These pulses measure whether the nerve can send a signal to the muscle.ĭuring this test, the nerve is tested several times to see if its ability to send signals gets worse with fatigue. Small pulses of electricity run through the electrodes. In this nerve conduction study, providers attach electrodes to your skin over the muscles to be tested. Blood analysisĪ blood test might show nontypical antibodies that interrupt the receptor sites where nerves signal your muscles to move. After two minutes, your provider removes the bag and analyzes your droopy eyelid for improvement. ![]() If you have a droopy eyelid, your provider might put a bag filled with ice on your eyelid. Tests to help confirm a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis might include: Ice pack test ![]()
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