What drugs should be used with caution in patients with myasthenia gravis?

  In clinical work, we often encounter cases of recurrence or exacerbation of myasthenia gravis (MG) induced by inappropriate medication. Nine of the patients we followed had an exacerbation of myasthenia gravis induced by the use of quinolone antibiotics. We also had a child with MG who had myasthenia gravis in remission for 7 years after treatment with hormones and immunosuppressants. However, after an intravenous drip of jessamine to treat a cold, weakness of the limbs reappeared and gradually worsened, and the next day he developed hoarseness and choking on water. After consulting a neurologist and discontinuing jessamine, the symptoms gradually subsided. This condition should not only attract the attention of medical workers, but also patients themselves and their family members should know something about it to try to avoid recurrence or aggravation of MG.  For MG patients, the drugs that may induce MG aggravation or relapse mainly include the following categories.  1, cardiovascular drugs: can be divided into two groups.  The first group: antiarrhythmic drugs: often used to prevent and treat arrhythmias. Including: procaine, quinidine, lidocaine, etc.  Group II: beta-adrenergic receptor blockers: These drugs are often used to treat angina or other types of heart disease, hypertension, migraine headaches, and anxiety disorders. They include benzoin, atenolol, vinblastine, betaxolol, bisoprolol, carvedilol, celiprolol, esmolol, labetalol, medrolol, nadolol, oxyenolol (take-home), indololol (take-home), take-home joy, timolol, and others. Because these drugs usually bring some fatigue or weakness, which makes MG patients increase their bromipyridamole dose, but rarely reported they will induce MG. In order to rescue the patient and have to use these drugs, should try to apply in cooperation with the neurologist, at the same time should and closely observe the changes in the condition.  2. Antibiotics: These drugs are often used to treat infectious diseases and can be divided into four groups: Group I: (1), gentamicin (2), butamycin (3), etoposide (4), tobramycin (5), streptomycin (6), kanamycin, (7), quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, etc. These drugs can affect the transmission of nerve signals at the neuromuscular junction, and therefore can aggravate MG symptoms. Also because these drugs are mainly administered through intravenous injection, they are frequently encountered in hospitals and are one of the drugs we need to pay the most attention to.  The second group: tetracycline, deoxynivalenol, dimethylaminotetracycline, and oxytetracycline. This group is usually oral tablets and is commonly used for chest infections, but they are relatively less likely to aggravate MG.  Group 3: ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, fluazinic acid, fluazinic acid. This group of drugs is usually used for gallbladder or gastrointestinal tract infections.  Group IV: polymyxin B, mucomysticin. These drugs are now rarely used in clinical practice.  3, anti-malarial drugs: chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, these drugs are sometimes used to treat rheumatic diseases.  4. Anti-rheumatic drugs: penicillamine.  5. Antispasmodic drugs: flavone permethrin (urinary spirit), promethazine bromide. These drugs are usually used to relieve or reduce biliary or gastrointestinal activity and have an anti-acetylcholine receptor effect, so be vigilant when giving such drugs to MG patients. However, no side effects have actually been reported in MG patients.  6, antiepileptic drugs: phenytoinamide. It is often included in the list of drugs that can induce MG, but it rarely occurs in clinical practice.  7, antipsychotic drugs: (1), the first generation of antipsychotics chlorpromazine and promazine have been reported to aggravate or even induce MG, but because there are some newer similar drugs, so the first generation of antipsychotics have been rarely used. The following is a list of such drugs that require attention: chlorpromazine, clozapine, haloperidol, fluphenazine, loxapine, levomethoprim, methoxymethoxazole, oxypertine, fenadine, pimozide, permethrin, prochlorazide, promazine, risperidone, vistone, risperidone, sulpiride, methiodiazine, trifluoperazine, etc.  (2), Lithium carbonate.  (3), phenelzine, phenelzine, isocarbohydrazine, prednisolone, phencyclidine, etc.  8, muscle relaxants: These drugs are used to make muscle relaxation, its only used by anesthesiologists, and when needed are basically under supervision, so the actual harm to MG is not much. Here are two types of muscle relaxants: (1), arrow toxin-like drugs, (2), muscle relaxant class muscle relaxants, which are only occasionally used.  9, Valium-like drugs: 10, attention should also be paid to laxatives. This class of drugs may affect the absorption of all the drugs taken by the patient, but only partially affect pyridostigmine.  It should be noted that these drugs just may induce MG exacerbation or relapse. Just as myasthenia gravis varies greatly in site and severity, each patient’s susceptibility to drug action is also different. In many clinical situations, there is a need to make trade-offs according to the patient’s condition, so no drug is absolutely prohibited; and if the patient is taking or has taken the drugs listed above without any discomfort, then there is no need to panic. If the patient’s MG is well controlled, then these drugs may not cause side effects, and from this point on, it is very important not to just deny the benefits of the drugs. Patients must consult with their physicians before making a decision on the use or non-use of medications.  Furthermore, although these drugs may worsen MG symptoms, none of the drugs other than penicillamine cause the underlying pathological changes in MG.