pyridostigmine bromide pills are a source of Gulf War Syndrome - Military Health Issues Message Board

vetvetvet · 04-03-2008, 08:33 PM

The US Defence Department has acknowledged Gulf War vets were given pyridostigmine bromide pills to protect against exposure to nerve gas agents. The chemical has now been proven to be the cause of some symptoms associated with Gulf War Syndrome. The government changed its policy in 1999 after a report indicated there was significant risks associated with the chemical. The chemical pyridostigmine bromide can also be prescribed for civilians to improve muscle strength and to treat myasthenia gravis, a disease that affects your muscles.

University of California San Diego Professor Beatrice Golomb published an article in the US Journal Proceedings National Academy of Sciences on 10 March 2008. The research has indicated there is a definite correlation between pyridostigmine bromide and the effects it produces which are described as Gulf War Syndrome.

Australian Veterans Affairs Minister Alan Griffin is currently reviewing the data, accessing the implications, and determining if further action is justified.

A 2003 Australian Gulf War Veterans Health Study found 51% of veterans recalled taking pyridostigmine bromide pills. It is most likely all Gulf War vets took the pills.

The source of GWS is difficult to pinpoint and the symptoms are most likley from multiple sources. The bodies ability to detoxify chemicals can vary widely among the population. Being exposed to multiple chemicals can exponentially amplify the chemicals impact on a body, much more so than being exposed to one chemical.

Professor Beatrice Golomb is currently involved in a treatment study that may help GWS symptoms.

curiousk · 11-11-2008, 03:13 AM

Hi, vetvetvet,

I am a vet also: USA, but I never went overseas. I was an Admin Asst to several different chiefs of personnel, a cancer registry and a flight surgeon.

It's funny; I have many illnesses, all considered "service connected", and this Summer was dx'd with myasthenia gravis. The treatment? pyridostigmine bromide, (PB) 60mg 3xday.

I think you are right in that your exposure to more than the PB may be the cause of your GWS. I hope they are working hard on a way to help all the vets who are suffering so much from the ignorance of the DOD; the children and spouses who are sick also just breaks my heart.

Something evil is going on here: I think we military have been used, abused, and misused medically; nobody knows what we were exposed to as "experiments", whether in the wars or here at home. At least the VA has to pay all the medical care, and so the DOD is getting a little bit of what they deserve, in my opinion.

But to you....I hope you find some answers or treatment that will help you. Sensitivity to meds is really an issue for GWS, CFS, FM, etc. Sometimes it helps to crush a tablet and divide it into minute amounts and start out with that. The capsules can be emptied out to be just a small amount of the meds.

Milk Thistle is great to detox the liver from meds and chemicals; I can't do without it.

Best to you, and Happy Veteran's Day!
curiousk