Hello-
I am 42 and have Becker's Myotonia. I wanted to update my medic alert necklace and have the correct information on it regarding anesetheics I should not have. I was reading through some posts about anesthesia and one said we should not have epinephrine. I know we are not suppose to have novocaine so when I go to the dentist he gives me 4% Citanest with epinephrine. I have never had a reaction but is this right? Should I be taking something else at the dentist? Also, is there anything else I should put on my medic alert? Should I put no succinycholine on it? Is this the name of a single drug or would succinycholine be found in any other anesethetics?
Thanks for the help!
Jenny

Type of Myotonia: Beckers

Country: USA

Jenny,

I have my dentists use Carbocaine (mepivacaine) or Marcaine (bupivacaine) with no vasoconstrictors. Citanest is prilocaine and comes with and without epinephrine. I don't believe you can get a lidocaine solution without epinephrine for dental use (the trade name is Xylocaine). Epinephrine won't cause any harm if your doctor uses it, but it will alter chloride ion channel function and can make you very stiff after an injection.

As far as your Medic Alert jewelry, mine says "Malignant Hyperthermia, No Anectine, Normal Saline IV" Anectine is the trade name for succinylcholine. I spoke with several EMTs and the nurses at Medic Alert about the best thing to have engraved and that's what we came up with.

We don't have true Malignant Hyperthemia reactions, but the same anesthetics and muscle relaxants can trigger elevated potassium and cause cardiac arrest and sometimes increased body temperature with severe myotonia. Rather than waiting for emergency personnel to look up myotonia congenita it's easier to have the MH warning since they are very familiar with that. If you are unconscious or severely injured in an accident the hospital can be making preparations for surgery while you are in route on the ambulance. The time that it saves could be critical. Often paramedics will give succinylcholine on the way to the hospital to insert a breathing tube, so it's important for that information to be available someplace other than your medical records.

Medic Alert has some great options for the jewelry. I have both a necklace and a two-tone stretch band that I really like. I did not like the regular chain bracelet. It's very difficult to get on and off without help. I just keep the stretch bracelet by my purse and put it on whenever I'm going out somewhere. I keep a necklace in my purse in case I forget to put on the bracelet :-) A friend of mine has the watch and loves it. I don't recommend getting the expensive gold jewelry. My son-in-law's brother was in a serious accident and the first people to arrive on the scene stole his gold Medic Alert necklace before the ambulance got there!

Jan

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's

Country: USA

This is so helpful. Thank you for the correct wording to have on my medic alert. Appreciate your help!

Type of Myotonia: Beckers

Country: USA