Can I use Pataday and Zaditor at the same time?

[Nanerpus]

Pataday is doing nothing for me. I picked up some Zaditor...can I try it or not while taking Pataday?

Also, does Zaditor have a vasoconstrictor in it? I know those are bad...I don't know how to tell.

[Amy_NJ]

You can use those around the same time. I would just skip the Pataday dose for one day and try the Zaditor. I think Zaditor is dosed more than once a day. It does not have a vasoconstrictor in it. Hopefully it works for you (it didn't for me). I use Elestat.

[Nanerpus]

Ok thanks! I already used the pataday so I'll try the zaditor tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I'll ask for the Elestat. Thanks again

[Amy_NJ]

No problem! Have you thought about trying Restasis? That has helped me more than anything. I don't have dry eye, but I use it off-label as an immune suppressent (since allergies are an immune response). My results are not as dramatic as they would be with steroids, but I have had a huge improvement. It took six weeks for me to start seeing an improvement with Restasis. I'm three months in and my eyes/lids are almost competely white again.

[Nanerpus]

Wow that is encouraging. I have not tried it. I'm miserable with the itching, stinging, but especially the redness - my social life has been ruined by this and I'm so embarrased and horrified by the bloodshot appearance when it gets really bad. I will see about the restasis the next time I go in. I really really do not want to go on steroids for a long period of time.

[Amy_NJ]

Same here--felt like my life was over due to the redness and pain. The restasis really did help me though. They are never going to be as healthy as they used to be, but no one can see the redness anymore unless they are really, really close to my face.

[Nanerpus]

It's great it helped. What do you mean they will never be as healthy as they used to be - do you mean because of the restasis?

[Nanerpus]

Hi Amy -

I saw my eye doc today. He gave me my choice if I wanted to try Alrex steroid 1x a day for a while, or try Restasis for the reason you mentioned - helping decrease the inflammation from the allergies. With your post in mind and also my worries about IOP pressure/side effects from steroids, I took the Restasis home. I haven't tried it yet because I'm nervous about more redness and more stinging, but I have it in the fridge to try tonight.

I'm very encouraged knowing it helped you w/your allergy symptoms in your eyes! How long did it take to help?

[Amy_NJ]

I would say it took about 6 weeks to start noticing an improvement, and then it continued to improve from there. I've been on it for 3 months, so I am excited to see what comes since it usually takes 6 months to see maximum improvement.

My eyes are still sore and gritty in the morning, but they improve quickly after putting in the morning drop of restasis. They are not as pristine and perfectly white as they once were, but no one can even see the redness anymore and I am functional again--no more burning or soreness. My eyes still get tired by the end of the day, but I'll take that inconvenience since I've seen so much improvement.

As I said before, I worry about the long-term effects of restasis too, but I'm just happy to not be dependent on steriods any more--they scare me so much.