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Muscles pain, weakness, cramps. Diamox vs Mestinon

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
Diamox (acetazolamide) , and other carboxic anhydride inhibitors , are diuretics which si used to treat HPP (hypokalemia periodic paralysis). This disease is a genetic muscle channelopathy.

Mestinon (pyridostigmine) and other cholinesterase inhibitors are used to treat MG (myasthenia gravis), an auto-immune disease.

Both diseases induce muscle weakness and are sensitive to low blood potassium, but two interesting things can help to diferenciate, apart from specific diagnostic tests:

Diamox can worsen MG
Mestinon cannot help HPP and can worsen it

I have tryed both Mestinon-like drug and Diamox and after a few days I can say only Diamox helps me.
One interesting thing I noticed is that almost immediatly I was able to walk better and that my hips better fit in their socket (much less "cloc " when moving), so obviously my muscle strenght improved. I don't think that I have HPP, but impairment of some ion-channel yes.

I may have this problem for a long time but it was dramatically worsen by the long antibiotic treatment I had with azythromycin and Doxycycline, this is why I wanted to share my finding and experimentation.
 
Last edited:

crypt0cu1t

IG: @crypt0cu1t
Messages
599
Location
California
Diamox (acetazolamide) , and other carboxic anhydride inhibitors , are diuretics which si used to treat HPP (hypokalemia periodic paralysis). This disease is a genetic muscle channelopathy.

Mestinon (pyridostigmine) and other cholinesterase inhibitors are used to treat MG (myasthenia gravis), an auto-immune disease.

Both diseases induce muscle weakness and are sensitive to low blood potassium, but two interesting things can help to diferenciate, apart from specific diagnostic tests:

Diamox can worsen MG
Mestinon cannot help HPP and can worsen it

I have tryed both Mestinon-like drug and Diamox and after a few days I can say only Diamox helps me.
One interesting thing I noticed is that almost immediatly I was able to walk better and that my hips better fit in their socket (much less "cloc " when moving), so obviously my muscle strenght improved. I don't think that I have HPP, but impairment of some ion-channel yes.

I may have this problem for a long time but it was dramatically worsen by the long antibiotic treatment I had with azythromycin and Doxycycline, this is why I wanted to share my finding and experimentation.
What if i have both MG AND HPP
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
What if i have both MG AND HPP
dit you try Mestinon, and did you try Diamox?

is your blood potassium level low?

i have found the main root of my muscle affection: the low T3 syndrome;

My fT3 is in the normal range but close to the minimum, and my rT3 is up, which can block some non nuclear T3 effect (calcium and potassium fluxes are affected, which can produce many symptoms);

I also found that adrenal hormons have an impact of these fluxes, so I may have a complexe issue with more than a lack of T3.
 

Shoshana

Northern USA
Messages
6,035
Location
Northern USA
There is a simple blood test @Mel9 but I have no idea how accurate it is or is not. It might need multiple ways to dx it for certain.

I am glad to hear that med is helping you, in any case!