• Posted by DD on February 27, 2025 at 2:40 pm

    Does anyone else deal with MG-related brain fog? I’m in my mid-fifties and still trying to work full-time from home. There are just some days where MG brain fog impacts my mental acuity and clarity and it is so frustrating and demoralizing. I’m so thankful to be able to work from home but I feel “less than”, less productive, and less of a functioning member of the work team when I’m in “brain fog”. I’ve gotten to where I’m thinking of comparing it to “chemo brain” so that people might understand what it is and how it affects us with MG.

    Does anyone else experience this and how do you handle it?

    Alan replied 1 day, 7 hours ago 13 Members · 18 Replies
  • 18 Replies
  • Alan

    Member
    February 28, 2025 at 2:13 pm

    Brain fog is a standard for me on a daily basis, more just before my next IVIG treatment

    • Joe

      Member
      February 28, 2025 at 2:31 pm

      Hi Alan. Funny you should mention that.i was just wondering if anyone has had brain fog.i would be doing something and my brain just stops .I have to sit there for a minute then it will come to me.i have ocular mg and seronegative

  • George Kesterson

    Member
    February 28, 2025 at 4:02 pm

    Brain fog, it makes what little brain I have left hard to use. Most days in the afternoon, some days worse than others. I can hardly write with a pen/pencil because of the fog and shakes. Signing a document is very difficult. Trying to concentrate and type today is also difficult between the fog and shakes.

    • standia

      Member
      February 28, 2025 at 10:09 pm

      Hi, I saw your post about brain fog and was wondering if you or anyone else have found any medications that will reduce or eliminate brain fog. Prescription or OTC????

      • Jodi Enders

        Member
        March 4, 2025 at 1:02 pm

        Managing brain fog related to MG or other conditions can be challenging, but some strategies might help. Regular sleep patterns, hydration, and a balanced diet focusing on vitamins and minerals can significantly contribute to cognitive clarity. Additionally, engaging in mental exercises or activities may help keep your mind sharp.

        You could consider cognitive behavioral therapy with a therapist specializing in chronic illness, which can provide strategies to cope with brain fog.

        – Jodi, Team Member

  • miche

    Member
    February 28, 2025 at 5:04 pm

    My memory was affected by MG but became worse after catching Covid 2 months ago. I hope it doesn’t get worse with time.

  • Mama

    Member
    March 1, 2025 at 10:29 am

    Yes, I have brain fog and fatigue. Sometimes coffee helps, but no one has suggested medications. It is very frustrating and slows me down considerably. I try and push through, but it is not easy.

  • DD

    Member
    March 1, 2025 at 10:44 am

    I’ve tried caffeine but then that causes my anxiety to ramp up. I used to think I was fairly sharp but now a lot of my conversations with people are me searching my brain for the right word I’m trying to say and having trouble articulating my thoughts (that’s if I can get them in order and I don’t slur my words) and people lose patience and stop listening. It’s very frustrating.

    • paul spychalski

      Member
      March 12, 2025 at 6:12 pm

      Sorry to hear that but I have all those things too!

  • S.

    Member
    March 1, 2025 at 12:28 pm

    Absolutely! Sometimes it comes on gradually, others-wham! When I have other symptoms like slurred speech and/or balance and foot drop issues, people may think that I am drunk or have had a stroke. On a few occasions over the years, it has been bad enough to forget where I am or how to get to where I am going for a few minutes

    Worry/stress makes it worse. If it is very mild brain fog, a short break and a caffeinated soda help. I make sure to keep my blood sugar in balance, as strong dips make fog worse. That means staying away from refined sugar and simple carbs as much as possible.

    If fog has progressed too far for a brief sit down and quiet to help, I just take a nap. Sometimes my day just has to stop before it gets started going.

    Does MG interfere with my work life, ADL, and social activities? Duh! But, in my case, everything was worse during first two or three years after diagnosis, then has gradually, slowly improved over the past four. Sometimes I wonder how much of my improvement can be attributed to my learning better ways to deal with MG-both physically and emotionally. I gauge how far to push things and try not to overdo it. And I certainly do not worry about other people’s opinions of what they think I can and cannot do. When I get tired, I stop. That may be for 15 minutes, or it may be for a day or more. Other people don’t live in my skin. Seriously, I think learning what I can control and not stressing over what I can’t has helped more than any of the meds I took. Getting into better general health has also played a part. Doing what I can, when I can, and trying not to compare it to what I ‘should’ be able to do is a hard lesson, but makes a major major difference. Best wishes!!!

  • mik

    Member
    March 1, 2025 at 10:02 pm

    I get brain fog quite often and the more I have to read the more fatigue I get.

  • Alan

    Member
    May 29, 2025 at 1:01 pm

    My brain fog is light in the morning, but as the day progresses so does the fog. Some days I will not do anything but rest and try to relax so maybe tomorrow might be better

  • Alan

    Member
    May 30, 2025 at 2:39 pm

    The only thing I have found to work for me is that I take B12 vitamins ( OTC) and a once a month B12 shot ( prescription) it seems to reduce the severity of my ” brain fog” I hope it might work for others

  • Alan

    Member
    May 30, 2025 at 2:43 pm

    B12 in either form also gives a energy boost, sometime more than expected!

  • Mark Cox

    Member
    May 30, 2025 at 3:31 pm

    I’m a 65 year old male experiencing more brain fog each year as I’m going into my fourth year of full blown gMG. Without my infusion, I have all the gMG symptoms and have also been changing infusion brands. Starting with IVIG, then Vyvgart, currently on ULTOMIRIS and trying to get Blue Cross to approve Vyvgart Hytrulo for the past 3 months with no avail yet…?

    I have experienced more brain fog starting in the second year of being diagnosed and more in the last nine months that seems to be bringing on moods swings that I’ve never experienced before and part of the reason I’m changing my infusion brand again among other side effects… It’s come to the point of challenging my older age or feeling the fear of Alzheimer’s coming on primarily because of the recent mood swings combined with the brain fog but after being checked out by my neurologist, he says it’s just part gMG and the different infusion brands shouldn’t have much or anything to do with my brain fog.

    Since, I’ve been trying to manage it on my own by taking notes on diet, sleep, work/life events etc. and finding stress is one of the main culprits for me along with lack of proper rest as I’m still working in a high stress job with out of town traveling twice a month… When traveling through the airports, motels, client meetings and don’t eat right or get proper sleep in motel beds, I can feel my body and mind draining quickly and triggering on additional brain fog making my traveling and client visits even more challenging…

    The lack of sleep is definitely a large contributor to my brain fog despite the stress at work…

    Like others, I’m learning that eating healthier is helpful, light exercise, plenty of rest including naps are very helpful for mind clarity… Coffee seems to help but caffeine sodas are short term fixes for energy and brain fog. Candy, bakery, Ice cream seem to pull me down which also brings on brain fog… When my body and mind feels down, brain fog seems to show up more often…

    I’ve tried OTC vitamins and meds for brain fog but they are very expensive and not sure if they worked or not as I feel I’m getting better results with Plenty of rest, healthy dieting, light exercise and avoiding the stress fires at work and home… But like most. There are embarrassing days that I can’t remember my co-worker or grand kids names and other days of momentarily short bursts of brilliance that can’t explain…?

    At the end of the day I’m really glad you brought up the Topic of “Brain Fog” as I think it’s highly overlooked and an under diagnosed symptom of Myasthenia Gravis and should be considered as one of the many gMG Symptoms and side affects so it can be addressed on the medical front…

    • paul spychalski

      Member
      May 30, 2025 at 5:16 pm

      I have a lot of brain fog! Forget whet day it is and what I’m supposed to do. It’s getting worse, a lot worse. As far as sleep I take Trazadon and Melatonin, thats the best part of my day. I’m 79.

      Good luck

  • waynecis-42

    Member
    May 31, 2025 at 1:53 am

    Hi all, I started having brain fog and physical fatigue about 3 years before I was diagnosed with gMG. Since I was diagnosed last year I’ve learned that brain fog and physical fatigue are related. I also learned to stop fighting and lay and rest. The good thing is that work from home.

    Good luck

  • Alan

    Member
    June 6, 2025 at 3:19 pm

    Brain fog and fatigue definitely go hand in hand together… And stress has a big contribution to symptoms. I am on IVIG , every 14 days, and mestinon, for treatments that don’t seem to work as well as they used to.

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