Azasite & MGD

[Gretchen]

Hi All -

I have been using Azasite for MGD for 1 month (minus a couple days) and have not noticed improvement. If anything I seem to be getting a slight bit worse although I concurrently reduced my Doxy oral from 100mg to 40mg (Oracea) a month ago and so believe that this may be the culprit. I am almost done with my bottle and am unsure whether to get it refilled. Any feedback would be really appreciated.

Thanks, Gretchen

[Chevy Nick]

I noticed an improvement right away with Azasite, If it hasn't worked after a month, you probably don't have blepharitis or that is not the cause of your problems.

[bernmee]

I was on Doxy for 5 months and Azacite for two months, my eyes started to improve once I stoped using both...however I should say that at the time I was following a strict diet so taht could have been t resn for the improvement, I'm really not sure.

What I would say about the azacite is that it seems to work really well for some people and not for others. If I was to go back on these meds. I would give Azacite one more shot, but for some reason I think it could have slowed down my healing. I don't know why I thik this, and maybe somewhere within these two months it did help, but I think for me coming off it was a good thing.

Good luck,

Bernadette

[GinaJ]

I was told that azasite will not work again for at least 6 months after the time you used it. Something about it staying in your system. This could be wrong but the opthamologist who I saw saif this when I wanted to try it again after a few months.
Bernmee can you talk about the strict diet you felt helped your eyes?

[clairvoyant]

The azasite is weird I think. With MGD I think you have 2 types of problems. Basically surface inflammation, like all your glands will get crusted over after a meal of fatty foods. Then the 2nd type is deeper more plugged glands, that you can easily see in the mirror.

I think using azasite chronically will help with the 1st type, as will compresses & manual expression that you can do at home for on demand relief. But I think for the 2nd type you have to like stop using it then you will see how well it did for you then pulse again after you're off for like 2 weeks to X amount of time.

Also the more meds you get into the glands the better those compresses work.

One doctor said I could use it chronically. I have heard of using it 2 weeks on and then 2 weeks off. Others say 1 month on then 1 off. And I have even heard 1 off then 1 on but only use it 3 months out of the year.

The reality is you will probably still have MGD when you are off it (type 1).

So yea for me I've been on it this time for like 2 months and I am on 100mg doxy. I think if this was my first month on azasite this would be a good combo but yea the azasite's effectiveness has gone way down (but again I think I will notice more from it once I stop it). It still helps with the anterior blepharitis too but I still have inflammation compared to when I first got on it-which I was in total remission then.

So like maybe it is good to pulse this drop? And use doxy as a more perminent solution. For oral probably 200mg is the dose they use.Think that will work in virtually everyone and I don't think the effectiveness goes down with that dose. And with topicals they can probably have you on like 4 or 5 drops a day. I know for the alatracy or whatever (commercial doxy drop) they are testing it with 4 drops per day.

So on the flip side maybe there is an azasite dose that is theraputic like the 200mg doxy. But that is probably not practical at this time because of how expensive it is.

Hope that made sense.

Bottom line-azasite won't be enough for a lot of people IMO. And I'd trash that oracea and try to get like 20 mg x 3 a day or like 100 to 200 mg doxy.

edit:leiter's has 2 strengths for the topical doxy also there are lots of other things that work on the glands

[Gretchen]

MGD -

Thanks for the input. Yes - I believe that the Oracea is just not enough and my Dr wants to take me off of it in a month. I really was hoping that the Azasite would pick up where the oral Doxy left off, allowing me to get off oral antibiotics.

Have you tried the topical doxy drops from Leiter's?

Thanks, Gretchen

[bernmee]

GinaJ,

The diet I have being folllowing, when I haven't being cheating, is a raw food diet, that means nothing heated above 105, and lots and lots of veggie juice. I gave more details in the "triump" section about a month ago if you want to take a look at that.

I don't know for sure if it was the diet that helped me but it made me feel more in control of what was going on.

The last month my eyes have been playing up again, though this time it's both and I have never had trouble with the non Lasik eye. This could have to do with the cheating I was doing, I couldn't help it my eyes felt so good! Or it could have to do with a tonic I was taking which contained chamomile and valerian, as I am a terrible terrible sleeper.

Whatever the cause I am going back to my diet and giving it 100% of an effort, though truth be told I often feel like beating someone to death with a stick of celery cause all I want to eat is toast, pizza, something yummy....oh now I'm tesing myself!!!

bernadette