Neostigmine

Neostigmine injection is a prescription drug that is used in treating myasthenia gravis, a type of disease of the muscles.

This medicine is also used in preventing or treating certain intestinal or kidney problems and in reversing the effects of some muscle-relaxing drugs used during a surgery.

If you are about to start Neostigmine, speak with your doctor about what you need to know. The risks and benefits the medicine offer must be weighed.

Before using this, you and your doctor must consider the following:

• Allergies: If you have any unusual reaction to any medicine, be sure to tell your doctor about it. Additionally, disclose other types of allergies - food, preservatives, animals, or dyes, if there are any. Read the package ingredients carefully and make sure you are not allergic to any of its ingredients.
• Pediatric: Safety and efficacy of use in children are yet to be established.
• Geriatric: No specific studies are done to determine whether the use of neostigmine in the elderly will have specific side effects to the elderly patients.
• Breastfeeding: While there are no studies done specifically to point out if there’s a risk to the breastfeeding infant, you may weigh the benefits against the possible risk when using this drug while breastfeeding.

• Drug Interactions: Certain medicines have adverse effects when used together. Nevertheless, it is still possible to take other medicines when using neostigmine. Make sure to inform your doctor about other drugs you are taking, so that alterations and precautions will be made if necessary.

  Using this medicine with certain medicines needs utmost caution because the combination may result in certain side effects. Before using this drug, talk to your doctor about possible interactions if you are taking other medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, especially, bupropion, donepezil, and succinylcholine.

• Other Medical Problems: The usage of this drug may be possibly stalled or limited if you have certain health problems. This drug should not be used in patients with intestine blockage, kidney blockage, and peritonitis. Use this drug with caution if you have asthma, bradycardia, recent heart attack, heart rhythm problems, overactive thyroid, stomach ulcers, or seizures as using neostigmine may only make these conditions worse.

Proper usage of Neostigmine requires strict adherence to your doctor’s orders. Neostigmine injection is only given by a trained health professional such a nurse. This drug may be given subcutaneously, intravenously, or intramuscularly.

In using Neostigmine, you must be careful and take some precautions as advised by your doctor. You will be given a few doses of the injectable neostigmine until your condition improves.

When the doctor sees improvement, he may recommend switching to oral neostigmine for maintenance.

Make sure you meet with your doctor in using Neostigmine to avoid unwanted potential side effects. Some side effects may take place and may not need special medical attention and usually go away as the body adjusts to the medicine during treatment.

If any unusual effects occurred after taking this medicine, and if any of them become bothersome, contact your health professional right away. If you want to report side effects, you may do so by calling the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.