has Anyone had luck w/ hormone therapy?

[rhad]

Hey, I am going in tomorrow morning to hopefully get a blood sample checked for hormone levels. I was just wanting to know if anyone who has Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and the cause was hormone related, has found a solution, if Hormone replacement therapy has helped them? The whole androgen deficiency thing, any and all comments welcome...

[dryeyes2]

Dhea

Hi,

I have tried DHEA eye drops and they have helped me. If you check here, you can read about my experience.
http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showthread.php?t=5046

I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes,
dryeyes2

[rhad]

Dryeyes2

Are you still taking the drops, and are your oil glands still showing improvement? what type of dry eye do you have? i have MGD and blepharitis.

[dryeyes2]

Hi,

My dry eye is probably a bit of both of the same thing you have. My doc never really came out and said other than having some inflammation of the glands. I was told I had blepheritis several years ago, but when I saw this eye doc, didn't think that was a big thing for me. Because I had surgery that caused early menopause, I believe that is the biggest cause of my dry eye. I wonder if the lack of hormones causes a set up of the MGD?

My doc has been trying to wean me down from 4 drops/day down to 1 starting next week. I can feel a difference (not as comfortable) in comfort as I go down in the dose. He is concerned about having me on these long term because not enough is known about them. I see my doc again in about a week and a half. I will see what he says then.

I am not on HRT. From what I hear, that can make the problem worse. Have your bioavailable testosterone and DHEA-S levels checked. This might help convience your doc to give you an Rx for the drops just to see if might help.

Best wishes,
dryeyes2

[jannz]

Hi DryEyes,

My doc has been trying to wean me down from 4 drops/day down to 1 starting next week. I can feel a difference (not as comfortable) in comfort as I go down in the dose. He is concerned about having me on these long term because not enough is known about them.

Interesting....your doctor's short-term approach to me seems to indicate that your doc thinks that the DHEA eye drops should "fix" the gland problem --??-- since he doesn't want you to use the DHEA eye drops as an ongoing therapy --??--

...or he's just nervous about the safety of an untested therapy -- ??-- And if that's the case, then what was his objective in you trying the therapy --??-- Is he using it as a diagnostic tool ?? ie; If you responded to DHEA then androgen deficiency is the root cause of your dry eyes --??--

Just curious to what precisely he is concerned about. Is it the actual DHEA particles in the eye may be harmful long term ?? Is it that the DHEA is absorbed systemically ?? (My understanding is that it's not).

Jann

[dryeyes2]

My thought

He was reluctant about me trying the drops for a few reasons. One was what I mentioned about there not being enough known about them. I think he also wanted to give Restasis a fair try. I think 10 months is enough. I tried plugs and they kept falling out. Also, he did not fully understand about the surgery that I had and what the aftermath was. Once he understood that and I had blood tests done and he saw that I was not improving and that I was stuck wearing goggles all day at home, he was willing to give it a try.

I think he sees the drops as steroids (which of course they are) and they will decrease inflammation. If the inflammation is gone, then you should be better. I see the drops as kind of hormone therapy. They are giving me something I don't have anymore and making my eyes more like normal.

He concerned about glaucoma (raising the pressure in my eye) and cataracts. This last check, my pressures were actually lower than 3 weeks before that. I don't know about systemic absorption, although it seems like anything you put into your eye will get in there a little bit. I don't see how it can't. It just might not register. One change I have noticed is my face is breaking out and normally it doesn't do that anymore. So I think the two are related. It makes sense since it is a testosterone precursor.

I have thought from the very beginning that this is hormone related. I will send you a private note to let you know more about this. I don't think it is possibly a placebo effect because there was more oil coming out and as I decrease the dose, my eyes are not as comfortable. I think I might be able to get by on 3 drops per day. I could see the oil on my eyelid margins and the doctor saw it too. Before I would not get much oil at all.

I think because this is not FDA approved and it is experimental, he is being cautious. I don't blame him. I just know the drops have made a big difference for me and I don't want to go back to where I was before them.

dryeyes2

[rhad]

Just waiting...

I had my blood sample taken a few days ago, just waiting for the results to come back from the lab.

Here is what I am having tested, to see if i am androgen deficient:

Blood levels - Testosterone
Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)
Luteinising hormone (LH)
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
Thyroid hormone
dihydrotestosterone
Gluten intolerance

I hope these are the right things to test? to see if I am androgen deficient

[jannz]

Hi rhad,

Not sure of the tests you've got listed, but I would have included a DHEA test too.

Jann

[dryeyes2]

testosterone

Be sure that you have them check bio-available testosterone and DHEA-S. Regular testosterone is not helpful. And it has to be DHEA sulfate.

dryeyes2

[rhad]

I read somewhere that the dehydrotestosterone is what targets the androgen receptors, anyone else heard of this?