Dry Eyes capsules

[Dotanne]

I have obtained a bottle of these capsules(take 2 a day) that contain Adhatoda vasica herb top 833.3 mg plus Linseed oil 500mg and pyridoxine hydrochloride 6.71 mg. They are by Fithealth and made in UK but distributed by Microtech Research in Australia. Does anyone know about the adhatoda herb that is supposed to help produce tears? It doesn't seem to be doing anything for me yet. I take extra omega 3. Does anyone take Sam-e for depression? Things are getting me down at the mo. Not able to do my normal anti depression activities so easily - face pain is bad. Waiting for results of blood tests re Sjogrens and also results of biopsy of lump taken from shin. I try to think positive and I think a lot of you guys that are worse off and think if you guys can keep going well so can I. I am thinking of accupuncture next! Might help depression. Am going to ENT Dr next Tuesday.
Dotanne

[neil0502]

I have obtained a bottle of these capsules(take 2 a day) that contain Adhatoda vasica herb top 833.3 mg plus Linseed oil 500mg and pyridoxine hydrochloride 6.71 mg. They are by Fithealth and made in UK but distributed by Microtech Research in Australia. Does anyone know about the adhatoda herb that is supposed to help produce tears? It doesn't seem to be doing anything for me yet.

I'm so sorry for your ongoing struggles, Dotanne. While I don't know much about that herb, a quick Google provided some pretty good information. On this site, it's listed as having "antihistaminic effects." That would be a bad thing for us DES patients, as antihistamines dry out mucous membranes (noses, eyes...).

It's termed as a "mucolyctic," however, on another site, but ... I then saw "antihistaminic effect" in more sites. I might not risk it if I were you....

Yeah. here's another one ... that calls it "anti-allergic" which usually WOULD mean antihistamine. I dunno....

Best of luck, Dotanne. Hang in there. It sure isn't easy.

EDIT: thought about it a bit more. If you have underlying allergies that affect your eyes, then ... maybe. Also, some of these ingredients are thought to have anti-inflammatory effects.

How they all work when combined in the above amounts ... I really can't say.

I still would be very leary of using antihistamines. Even with the nasty bout of ... I have no idea what ... that I'm just getting over ... the only antihistamine I'd allow was in NyQuil that I took just before bed.

[kakinda]

No idea regarding those herbs, however I'd like to reinforce Neil's edit since my own experience tells me that if allergies are increasing your DE part of the year, then controlling allergy may be an evil for good, meaning that it has, in my case, improved the underlying DE in spite of the alledged dryness effect of anti-histaminic pills...
let's not forget indeed that severe allergy may trigger DE.
Some studies indicate that anti-histaminic drops are less prone to induce dryness than pills, so PF anti-histaminic drops seem like a good idea.

pyridoxine hydrochloride = Vit. B6 Do you lack Vit B6, that's not very common. In any case you should have all you in need in that composition.

I'll be posting soon the leaflet you sent me from NZ on the website noted bellow. Thanks

Take care

[Dotanne]

Thanks so much Neil and Kakinda for doing the research for me and for your helpful replies and kind thoughts. I will stop taking them. Back to the Linseed and fish oil! I take a bone care supplement and that has lots of vitamin Bs(all the vit Bs) in it.
It's crazy but the face ache improves when night comes. I am fortunate that I'm not kept awake at night with pain just wake lots to put in drops but that is bearable.
Cheers
Dotanne

[kakinda]

Beware of some vitamin excess... but don't stop any prescribed medication such as anti-histaminic (I do take them... I have to) on our account but check that with your doc as well (excess of some vitamins can cause problems).
Less pain when night comes? if it's allergy-related, there are less tree or grass pollens during the night - so that could be an explanation - but do you have pollens this time of year in NZ?
You mean that it decreases every night and increases every morning?
Again it could something else, but if it is time-bound then you must definitely have a lead there to follow... to unravel that mystery.
mention that to your docs as well.

[Dotanne]

Thanks for your concern Kakinda.
Yes there is plenty of pollen etc here in NZ at the moment. We are at the peak of summer - just going into Autumn with hot dry weather - lots of grass seed and the hedge by our house has just finished flowering. Haymaking is finishing. We live on a farm. Yes, the pain and the sore eyes gradually get worse during the day. I feel OK when I wake up but lately have been quite bad even before lunch and struggle to do normal activities. I have been so thirsty too with dry mouth and sore tongue. I'm just staying with pf Alcon Poly Gel night and day and Bion Tears to give extra lubrication occasionally. As dairy farmers we are looking forward to some rain but the hot fine weather has given us an abundance of fruit in our little household orchard. Heaps of peaches! In pre dry eye days I would have been revelling in this hot sunny weather!
Cheers
Dotanne

[dianat]

Dotanne,

I have also been pondering the relief you're getting in the evening. It's very curious and it suprises me. You do sound like a Sjogrens patient, don't you. I'm picturing your farm and what I know of NZ and think I'll pack it up and pay you a visit soon! I'll bring my own personal humidifier!

Diana

[kakinda]

Hi Dotanne,
I thought that the season (austral summer being near to its end) was over but from what you tell me this is actually the pollen peak season. Here the worst part is really before the beginning of the boreal summer that is hell (extremely high pollen counts - late may, early june). So apparently not an exact symetry between the Antipodes and the "Podes".
Allergics should go to the tropics (a rain forrest) or change hemispheres.
have you been tested for allergies (blood and prick tests)? if not that may be an additional lead to follow as soon as the season is over besides Sjögrens (but you don't have dry mouth all year, do you?).
At least you'd know what to avoid if possible, put filter on your windows, etc... for next year.

[Dotanne]

Found a new dry eye mentor

I am feeling much happier tonight. A big thank you to Dr Latkany for suggesting I find a new Dr. With all the problems I have been having I decided I did need more help from somewhere. A friend suggested her optician(about 1 1/2 hour drive away) so I had a great session with her today. She has worked in USA with a dry eye specialist and she was awesome. She has worked out what I should do for the next 3 months to suit my specific eye problems and I do have some inflammation from MGD (not bad though) so we had a good demo on lid massage. She is not at all happy about preservatives and her lissamine green dye etc is preservative free. She did not agree with Systane because it has 'anti-freeze' in it(and preservative). She has given me hope and thinks that we can improve my pain a lot and the condition of my eyes. As Dr Latkany says 'find the problem". She has suggested a dentist to see re the face pain. It could be infection (long standing from the root canal I had done a long time back maybe.) as this dentist found this solution with another person (noone else could suss it out). Also an accupuncture guru that could help. Worth a try.
I was thinking there was noone in NZ that could help in this way. We talked together for nearly an hour and the charge was just the rate for an optician check. Wow! I can email her and keep in contact easily too. She covered all aspects of dry eye with me. Supplements, diet etc. Allergies too.(No I haven't had prick tests done) Pollens could be aggravating the situation as the dry eye is much more sensitive. I know the last few months have been bad BUT it is forcasting rain on Monday!

I also visited a very nice person who specialises in helping women with hormone balance, bone care, menopause, depression etc. This visit was great too(She has had a lot of experience in Canada) and I should be able to get off the low dose HRT (with estrogen) and go on the progesterone plan which I thought was only available in USA/Canada. It will help with bone care and sleeping too. She likes 5 HTP for depression.

Thanks Diana and Kakinda for your support. I gather you both suffer lots from eye pain(may it only get better) and I appreciate your contributions to this BB. Any more pics of the children Diana? You're very welcome to visit us in NZ - we are more humid than some countries and our winters where we live are quite rainy but...... there are those dry windy days too!
Thank you Rebecca for arranging for us to be able to put questions to the experts. I should be able to get Dr Latkany's book through Amazon.
God bless all
Dotanne

[kakinda]

That's great Dotanne

BUT it is forcasting rain on Monday!

I know how that feels like, being the only person to welcome rain (except possibly some farmers)...
rain is a blessing and not just for DE or allergies

[Pinky]

Face pain

Hi Dotanne,
Jut wondering if you've ever been diagnosed with rosacea? I have neuropathic rosacea and experience a lot of facial pain -- throbbing, burning etc. I find that it is effected by what is going on with my eyes. If my eyes are throbbing and burning then the pain spreads outwards to my nose and cheeks etc. Sometimes it is so uncomfortable that it hurts to chew food or talk loudly. There are many treatment options available for facial rosacea, lt me know if you need any advice in this area.

[Dotanne]

Thanks Pinky for your suggestion. I will ask Dr about this. My eyes have been a lot better today (that rain is coming) and I have not had the severe dry mouth and sore tongue. The face pain is related to how my eyes are - and when I feel it coming I heap in the gel drops and do compresses etc but often I just have to keep my eye/s shut to get relief! It is much worse on the side of my worst eye and I have occasionally resorted to putting a cover over that eye to try to keep going! I am very good at keeping one eye shut too especially at the computer! Blood tests for Sjogrens should be back in the next couple of days. Along while back Dr G thought I may have candida in my nasal passages but Drs here say it can't be!!! I have been trying Daktarin gel on my tongue and that does seem to help my tongue. I have recently been on antibiotic and the dry mouth etc has only become more severe over the past few weeks and is related to the face pain. I see ENT Dr on Tuesday.

[Rojzen]

be open to risking "drying"; DLPA for depression

Dotanne and other friends: I concur with the idea that avoiding a solution because it is generally hyped as "drying," as are antihistamines, may inhibit your finding something potentially very useful.

As with others here, antihistamines, particularly the Claritin type, have helped my eyes tremendously, during pollen seasons. . .even if they cause some drying. . .

Since our problems are rarely limited to lacrimal secretion, some of us already are "wet" enough, and won't even suffer from "drying," if that happens. . .Moreover, it's a NET effect, as Neil stated, that counts. . .If you stop the pain, but get a little drier. . .without parching your corneas, consider the option. . .

Go for anything bio-actively safe, Dotanne, and give it a try. . .You can stop any time, and generally won't suffer lasting adverse affects. . .

NOW RE: DEPRESSION: Has anyone else tried DLPA? I am a veteran of Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Sam-E, Kira (pharmacy-grade St. John's Wort), Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline. .I'm always needing something to get through life with this painful and depressing disease (but don't get me wrong, here: I am high-functioning and actually a hugely happy person, most of the time, with the support of meds or supplements). . .

No medication or herb has done as much for me as has DLPA, the combination of L- and D- Phenylalanine, which are precursors to Tyrosine. . .To see why people take DLPA for pain and depression, see http://www.beatcfsandfms.org/html/BrainChem.html. . .I take the KAL brand version of this, which provides a 50-50 ratio of the two amino acids. . .and the effect is powerful and all positive. . .at least for me. . .

Anyway, I am finding lots of hope for our pain and depression, the more I review the actions of amino acids. . .I've experimented with several, and I'm finding they all help, in some way, and do so relatively safely and cheaply. . .Please be careful if you have PKU, though. . .and are considering a Phenylalanine product. . .Reasons are set forth in the web site i reference here. .