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. 2021 Dec 8;81(12):1301–1306. doi: 10.1055/a-1541-7964

Table 1  Drugs which may worsen myasthenia gravis (data from 11 ).

Types Substances
* Clinically relevant worsening of disease is rare if the dose is increased slowly or medium doses are primarily administered.
Analgesics flupirtine, morphine preparations
Antiarrhythmics quinidine, ajmaline, mexitilene, procainamide
Antibiotics aminoglycosides (particularly streptomycin, neomycin, less so tobramycin), macrolides (e.g., erythromycin), ketolides (telithromycin/Ketek), lincomycin, polymyxins, gyrase inhibitors (levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, prulifloxacin), sulfonamides; tetracyclines, penicillin only in very high doses
Antidepressants amitriptyline-type substances
Anticonvulsants benzodiazepines, carbamazepine, diphenylhydantoin, ethosuximide, gabapentin
Antimalarial drugs quinine, chloroquine and analogs
Antirheumatic agents D-penicillamine, chloroquine, etanercept
β-blockers oxprenolol, pindolol, practolol, propranolol, timolol – also as a topical application in the form of eye drops
Botulinum toxin
Calcium antagonists verapamil, diltiazem, nifedipine and related analogs
Diuretics azetazolamide, benzothiadiazines, loop diuretics
Glucocorticoids* transient worsening if high doses are used at the start of treatment
Interferons interferon α (selected cases)
Lithium
Local anesthetics procaine (ester type), the amides used nowadays are unproblematic
Magnesium high doses as laxatives
Muscle relaxants curare derivatives, the initial dose should be 10 – 50% of the normal dose because of the increased sensitivity
succinylcholine should not be used as it cannot be antagonized with pyridostigmine
Psychotropic drugs chlorpromazine, promazine and related drugs, all benzodiazepines and structural analogs such as zolpidem, zopiclone
Statins several reports of different cholesterol-lowering drugs
This list is not complete. When any new medication is introduced, the patient must be informed about the possibility of a further deterioration of MG and must be asked about typical symptoms and their intensity. But it is also important to take account of times when a life-threatening disease requires a specific drug.