How long does Mestinon take to show benefits?

[Curtains]

Nothing to add to the conversation as I've never tried mestinon but just wanted to say @DonPepe it's good to hear you've found something you're seeing some great benefits on. Sorry you had some weird side effects last night and hopefully you can adjust your dose to find your sweet spot

 

[DonPepe]

Nothing to add to the conversation as I've never tried mestinon but just wanted to say @DonPepe it's good to hear you've found something you're seeing some great benefits on. Sorry you had some weird side effects last night and hopefully you can adjust your dose to find your sweet spot

Yes they were very weird side effects but I thinks it’s my own stupid fault ( i never learn with this condition ) I went for gold too fast I’m feeling good again today and I think it’s down to the lorazepam I took when mestinon side effects began to worry me. The lorazepam seemed to act as a kill switch.

Back down to 30 three times a day after taking 60 4 or 5 times a day. I will start increasing again at weekly 5 mg increments.

 

[Wayne]

last night I had some weird side effects I felt really spaced out and I was getting pins and needles in moth arms lacked energy and felt weak. I

I don't think I mentioned it, but I had zero "side effects" from Huperzine A. When I got great results from taking a single dose, I thought maybe if I increased the dosage, I might get even better results. Didn't happen, and I quickly realized a little bit goes a long ways. But even when I took double and triple the single dose I started with, I didn't notice any "side effects" at all. So it felt like the safety profile was excellent for me.

 

[Jyoti]

Not to throw any ice water on @Wayne's great results from Huperzine A, but .....we are all different, so I think I need to just mention that I tried Huperzine A before going to Mestinon. I started on a small dose and found it to be overwhelmingly agitating. I crashed after a couple of days. Then again...look at how little Mestinon I can tolerate. Maybe if I had tried an infinitesimal dose? In any case....caution with any new supplement is always advised.

 

[Curtains]

Yes they were very weird side effects but I thinks it’s my own stupid fault ( i never learn with this condition ) I went for gold too fast I’m feeling good again today and I think it’s down to the lorazepam I took when mestinon side effects began to worry me. The lorazepam seemed to act as a kill switch.

Back down to 30 three times a day after taking 60 4 or 5 times a day. I will start increasing again at weekly 5 mg increments.

It's easily done when you're seeing some positives, you can get carried away. Good to hear you're feeling better today and the lorazepam helped.

Hopefully your new approach keeps any unwanted side effects away.

 

[Zebra]

Back down to 30 three times a day after taking 60 4 or 5 times a day. I will start increasing again at weekly 5 mg increments.

Hiya! It's been a long time since I read the drug insert that comes with my Mestinon, but I'm pretty sure that the doses need to be taken at least 4 hours apart and too much Mestinon in the system causes something similar to a myasthenic crisis. Please fact check me on that, because I did my due diligence on this medication 7 years ago and I might not be remembering it correctly.

During times of severe cognitive decline/struggles, I did accidentally double up on Mestinon doses and it was unpleasant, borderline scary. Obviously, I took measures to idiot proof my daily dosing thereafter. Just don't want that to happen to you!

 

[Mary]

@Wayne - thanks for all the info re huperzine A! I read about this recently (probably in one of your posts!) and made a mental note to try it before mestinon, and then promptly forgot about it until I saw your latest post from yesterday . . . Which may be an indication that I really might need something like that! Seriously - I am going to try it before I give mestinon a go. Some of the above posters talked about mestinon giving them a (sometimes slight) energy boost, which was my biggest draw.

My worst problem has to do with a relatively small energy envelope - if I overdo it (roughly 4 hours of light activity) I crash like clockwork the next day. However, I also generally recover within a day, thanks to BCAAs.

I know of 3 things which boost my energy noticeably - methylene blue, l-citrulline and cellfood - they all make me feel good. However, none of them expand my energy envelope. I will feel better, have more energy, but cannot do any more than before without crashing, so I've given up on them for now.

Anyways, I am going to give Huperzine A a try - thank you!

 

[DonPepe]

Back on 30 mg mestinon three times a day and feeling pretty good this morning by my standards also increased thiamine this morning to 1000mg daily. I’m thinking my dose of mestinon may be in the 30 - 45 mg range.

 

[EddieB]

Hi all,
Just found this thread from doing a search for acetylcholine. Great information, thank you all for posting.

I recently had an esophageal manometry test done, and the doctor tells me I have zero muscle contractions.
Like it’s not working at all. Which would explain the horrid throat/ voice symptoms I’m having, from stomach content rising.

The doctor didn’t offer any immediate solutions, but after doing some research it seems that increased acetylcholine may improve the function.

From years of me/cfs, I struggle with general muscle weakness already, so not surprised if this were a bigger problem for me.

Not sure yet where to start, but again thanks for information posted here.

 

[ChrisD]

Not to throw any ice water on @Wayne's great results from Huperzine A, but .....we are all different, so I think I need to just mention that I tried Huperzine A before going to Mestinon. I started on a small dose and found it to be overwhelmingly agitating. I crashed after a couple of days. Then again...look at how little Mestinon I can tolerate. Maybe if I had tried an infinitesimal dose? In any case....caution with any new supplement is always advised.

I've just been prescribed Mestinon for M.E., And I am something of a responder to Huperzine A on its own and in combo with AlphaGPC (a la Parasym Plus).

Maybe this is an indicator that I will respond well to Mestinon?

huperzine helps me a lot with calming down a POTS/PEM flare and produces more mental clarity and physical strength for me. Sadly the effects aren't accumulative in terms of progressive recovery but it definitely helps me out of bad patches.

 

[Jyoti]

Maybe this is an indicator that I will respond well to Mestinon?

I think that in the unreasonable realms we inhabit, that is very reasonable supposition. I hope it will be so. And it is great that you already have Huperzine A to turn to. You will perhaps be able to assess the pros and cons of each and decide which makes the biggest and best difference for you. Or how to mix and match!

Sadly the effects aren't accumulative in terms of progressive recovery but it definitely helps me out of bad patches.

Mestinon has done nothing to 'heal' me, but it does allow me to be a bit more active, a little less draggy and achey, and have some more energy, which are all very welcome. However, if I stop taking it.....the positive impacts dry up pretty quickly.

 

[EddieB]

May I ask a question of those using mestinon and/ or hup A,
Does either cause you increased nausea? If so, any suggestions on how to deal with it?

 

[Jyoti]

One of its purported side effects that is often a bonus effect for some is that is speeds up motility. I don't know about nausea. I take a small enough dose that I notice no GI effects, good or bad.

 

[EddieB]

One of its purported side effects that is often a bonus effect for some is that is speeds up motility. I don't know about nausea. I take a small enough dose that I notice no GI effects, good or bad.

Thank you. Well, in my case that’s exactly the effects I’m looking for, to get my esophagus to function. So definitely want that part. If it improves energy or other muscle fatigue that would be a bonus.

I see nausea listed as a side effect of mestinon and hup A, but also see nausea and stomach upset as a symptom of low acetylcholine. I’m already suffering with daily nausea and stomach upset, maybe there’s a paradox? I’ll probably start looking for hup A to start off with, as it’s most likely going to take a while to get a script for the mestinon. And a low/ slow starting dose. One possible strategy I have, I put medications/ supplements into delay release capsules to get them past the stomach. Helps sometimes, but not always.

 

[EddieB]

I don't think I mentioned it, but I had zero "side effects" from Huperzine A. When I got great results from taking a single dose, I thought maybe if I increased the dosage, I might get even better results. Didn't happen, and I quickly realized a little bit goes a long ways. But even when I took double and triple the single dose I started with, I didn't notice any "side effects" at all. So it felt like the safety profile was excellent for me.

Hi, could you offer suggestions for a starting dose? I ordered the lowest content capsules I could find, 50 mcg.
And being capsules I can open them and divide further if necessary.

 

[Wayne]

Hi, could you offer suggestions for a starting dose? I ordered the lowest content capsules I could find, 50 mcg.
And being capsules I can open them and divide further if necessary.

Hi @EddieB -- I buy a Nutricost brand on Amazon that has 240 200 mcg capsules, and they recommend 1 capsule per day. I mentioned earlier I've taken 2-3 capsules a day, and didn't notice better results, so I've settled in at 200 mcg/day.

I think it would be a good idea however to start out with a smaller dose, and slowly increase it if it seems to be helping. I did a search on an AI website on starting dosages of Huperazine A, and came up with the following, which sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Answer​

A normal starting dose for huperzine A is typically 50-100 micrograms (mcg) per day. Here are some key points about dosing huperzine A:​

• The recommended dosage range is generally 50-200 mcg daily.
• Many sources suggest starting at the lower end of this range, around 50-100 mcg, and increasing if needed.
• It's often taken every second or third day, rather than daily, due to its long half-life of 10-14 hours.
• Some protocols recommend taking it twice daily, such as 50 mcg twice a day.
• For Alzheimer's disease, doses of 200-400 mcg per day have been studied, but this is higher than typical starting doses.
• The capsules or tablets are commonly available in 50, 100, or 200 mcg sizes.

It's important to note that huperzine A is a potent compound, and even small doses can have significant effects. Starting with a lower dose allows you to assess your tolerance and response.​

 

[EddieB]

Hi @EddieB -- I buy a Nutricost brand on Amazon that has 240 200 mcg capsules, and they recommend 1 capsule per day. I mentioned earlier I've taken 2-3 capsules a day, and didn't notice better results, so I've settled in at 200 mcg/day.

I think it would be a good idea however to start out with a smaller dose, and slowly increase it if it seems to be helping. I did a search on an AI website on starting dosages of Huperazine A, and came up with the following, which sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Answer​

A normal starting dose for huperzine A is typically 50-100 micrograms (mcg) per day. Here are some key points about dosing huperzine A:​

• The recommended dosage range is generally 50-200 mcg daily.
• Many sources suggest starting at the lower end of this range, around 50-100 mcg, and increasing if needed.
• It's often taken every second or third day, rather than daily, due to its long half-life of 10-14 hours.
• Some protocols recommend taking it twice daily, such as 50 mcg twice a day.
• For Alzheimer's disease, doses of 200-400 mcg per day have been studied, but this is higher than typical starting doses.
• The capsules or tablets are commonly available in 50, 100, or 200 mcg sizes.

It's important to note that huperzine A is a potent compound, and even small doses can have significant effects. Starting with a lower dose allows you to assess your tolerance and response.​

Hi Wayne,
Thank you for the information. I had ordered Soloray because of the 50 mcg dose size. But I think I messed up.
I just checked the ingredients list and see that it has Eleuthero Root and lecithin added. If there’s an adverse effect, I wouldn’t know if it from the hupA or the fillers. So lm thinking of ordering your brand and dividing the doses. Can you confirm that they are capsules with powder insides?

 

[Wayne]

Can you confirm that they are capsules with powder insides?

Yep!

 

[EddieB]

I decided to try and dig into some genetic tests, to see if there was something that could help to decide if increases in acetylcholine were going to help or hurt me.
Anecdotal reports are varied. Some people have great improvements, some not so much, and a few wish they’d never touched it.
From a variety of things, mestinon, hup A, alpha GPC, etc.
My best guess, a lot of the people with poor results really do not need additional acetylcholine. And or/ too high of doses, too frequently.

Anyhow for the genetic stuff. I found that I have a defect with CHAT/ choline aceryltransferase
gene (++) This is way above my understanding, but it would seem there may be a problem with me regarding acetylcholine.
Another gene, MAO-A (rs6323) seems to be involved with an inability to break down acetylcholine.
Which would probably result in the bad side effects with someone who tried to increase acetylcholine with this defect. Mine is showing normal.

So from my bumbling research, it would seem that supplementing could benefit me.
I don’t know if any of this has any merit, but please comment/ correct me if I’m way off. Thanks.

 

[DonPepe]

I decided to try and dig into some genetic tests, to see if there was something that could help to decide if increases in acetylcholine were going to help or hurt me.
Anecdotal reports are varied. Some people have great improvements, some not so much, and a few wish they’d never touched it.
From a variety of things, mestinon, hup A, alpha GPC, etc.
My best guess, a lot of the people with poor results really do not need additional acetylcholine. And or/ too high of doses, too frequently.

Anyhow for the genetic stuff. I found that I have a defect with CHAT/ choline aceryltransferase
gene (++) This is way above my understanding, but it would seem there may be a problem with me regarding acetylcholine.
Another gene, MAO-A (rs6323) seems to be involved with an inability to break down acetylcholine.
Which would probably result in the bad side effects with someone who tried to increase acetylcholine with this defect. Mine is showing normal.

So from my bumbling research, it would seem that supplementing could benefit me.
I don’t know if any of this has any merit, but please comment/ correct me if I’m way off. Thanks.

If you follow Systron you will note that “success” is usually with the “low flow” subgroup. Subgroups are important with this condition. 30 odd percent have low flow to to the heart.