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Risks of Epsom Salt Baths
Epsom salt baths are a home remedy believed to relieve tired muscles and reduce swelling. After my MG diagnosis, I continued with this healing method, assuming it would help alleviate my weak and sore muscles. However, I quickly stopped taking baths because I would have difficulty breathing and would rapidly become overheated.
Then I discovered that those with MG should avoid magnesium as it can promote a myasthenic crisis. Epsom salt is Magnesium sulfate.
Have you taken an Epsom salt bath with MG, and do you believe you experienced any flared symptoms due to it?
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3 Replies
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My husband has ocular MG. He took an Epsom salt bath last week due to his bad back. Two days later he started to have double vision again. He was being weened off of prednisone for the past 8 weeks and was down to 5 mg which his neurologist wanted him to remain on until his next appointment in February 2023. (He is also on a daily dose of 1500 mg of Cellcept.) He had been on the 5 mg for 20 days when his double vision returned. So for now, we are not sure if the Epsom salt bath caused his flare up or not. His doctor is increasing his prednisone to 20 mg for the next 2 weeks to control his symptoms and then she will begin to ween him off again with the goal to get back to 5 mg. I will come back with an update to see if it we can determine if it was indeed the bath that caused his flareup or that being on the low dose of prednisone that did. Thank you. Mary L.
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I doubt that it is the salt per se that causes flare-ups; but in my case any prolongued hot-water bath indeed results in worsening of the symptoms, to the point that I am avoiding baths alltogether.
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I also was weaning down from 10 mg prednisone by 1mg a month. When I got to 6 my eye started drooping and had double vision. I am back to 10 and symptoms are gone.
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