doxycycline dose??

[Guest]

Just wondering if anyone has heard of doxycycline 20 mg only once daily for dry eyes?

Since switching 2 weeks ago from tetracycline 250mg twice daily to doxy 20mg once daily, my eyes seem to be backsliding... I've left a message for my doc, but he's out of the office until Wed. ...

[Bennys]

Doxy dose

I've never heard of 20 mg. once a day with doxy. I take 100 mg daily but do better with 100 mg twice daily. Am afraid to take the larger dose. I'm post Lasik Oct. 2002. Still have major problems!! I wouldn't think 20 mg would do much!

[cristiandryeyes]

Just wondering if anyone has heard of doxycycline 20 mg only once daily for dry eyes?

Since switching 2 weeks ago from tetracycline 250mg twice daily to doxy 20mg once daily, my eyes seem to be backsliding... I've left a message for my doc, but he's out of the office until Wed. ...

20 mg/day sounds like a maintenance dose. They recommend that dose in this website: http://www.eyeworld.org/article.php?...ry=blepharitis

[irish eyes]

I've never heard of 20 mg. once a day with doxy. I take 100 mg daily but do better with 100 mg twice daily. Am afraid to take the larger dose. I'm post Lasik Oct. 2002. Still have major problems!! I wouldn't think 20 mg would do much!

I tend to agree; normally they would prescribe a high (ish) dose ie 200 mg and then reduce it to 100 mg when improvements `kick in'. Mind you, my eyes can get pretty bad so it will vary between individuals.

(I know that a 20 mg capsule is available because it's given for conditions such as gum inflammation.)

Benny - I don't wish to be intrusive but are you afraid to take larger dose because of side effects? It needn't be long term. I use my judgement with this kind of thing - now and again I up-the-dose if things seem to be sliding backwards. I also try to remember to take Acidophilus (probiotic) to help counteract any side effects. None of this pill taking is desirable but if it contributes to a general improvement in your eyes, it might be worth trying.

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies all! I googled it this morning and had no luck... but I found it on Eyeworld via the link that was posted.

[Aaron77]

I'm doing 100mg daily, I think it is helping out. I figure upping the dose to 200mg for a few days might be worth it to help get through tough times.

[Guest]

Has anyone come across any papers on the relationship between dose and amount of anti-inflammatory effect? ie. if you double the dose of doxy, do you get double the anti-inflammatory effect (AIE)? or maybe only 25% more AIE? 50% more AIE? etc.

While I appreciate the fact that low doxy doses give an AIE without having an antibacterial effect (which is great because it won't cause bacterial resistance etc.) it would be of interest to know how much extra AIE one could gain if you were willing to continue doxy even at the higher anti-bacterial doses (ie. 50mg per day or greater)

[Aaron77]

I thought the antibacterial effects of doxy only kicked in after 200mg or so per day, I remember some posters saying?

[Tempestuous]

As far as I'm aware Doxycycline isnt your standard anti-inflammatory, i.e. taking it for a swollen knee after a dislocation isnt going to do much.

The 'normal' use for doxy is as an antibiotic, with typically a high initial dose followed by a lower dose. The dose itself is dependent on things such as what its to be used for, age, weight, etc.

For those of us with eye issues like RCE (or periodontal disease) its a different issue entirely. We are mainly looking for the side effect of doxy which is the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase activity. This is achieved at subantimicrobial doses - typically 50mg/day.

edit:
At least thats why I'm on it. Perhaps there are other eye uses for it requiring different dosages...?

[stella]

I used to be on Doxy and went into dosage and use in detail at that time
I dont think there is a concensus of opinion amoungst the ophthalmologists
100mgs daily initially for a week reducing to 50 for 3 weeks and ending up on a maintainance dose of 25 mgms(we cant go as low as 20 in GB)that is how i took it and was on it for about 9 months -- apparantly it goes on working after you stop using it

I think 200mgs indefinately is a bit too much

My GP was quite happy to prescribe it indefinately -- she says she has patients on 50mgs indefinately for acne ,although she is not familiar with using it for DE

I found it was the first thing that helped me initially --
Now 3 years down the line i have found my personal solution to "managing" this condition by using antibiotic ointment on lid margins at night after eyelid hygiene
I hope it helps you

[Guest]

My eyes seemed to be getting worse again in the 2 weeks since I'd switched from tetracycline 250mg twice daily to the doxy 20mg per day... It's hard to know for sure if it was the switch or something else causing the problem though...

I asked my eye doc if I could go back on the tetracylcline, and he was ok with that... soooo... I figure I'll see how the next month or so goes, and then maybe try the low dose doxy again as an experiment to see if it was really the switch that caused my worsening symptoms. I'd rather be on a lower dose for maintenance, so I figure it can't hurt to try the low doxy dose again later...

[Tempestuous]

Well doxycycline is actually a tetracycline antibiotic, so it sounds like all you are changing is the dose...?

Good luck with the test.

[irish eyes]

Taken from http://www.agingeye.net/otheragingeye/doxycycline.php

Doxycycline in Blepharitis.

Tetracycline analogues such as Doxycycline have been shown to be effective in treating meibomian gland dysfunction. The beneficial effect on blepharitis is via 2 mechanisms: 1) reduction in the bacterial load on the eyelid, and 2) Antiinflammatory action. Doxycycline inhibits the production of free fatty acid (degradation product of meibomian gland lipid). Free fatty acid (FFA) can destabilize the tear film (causing dry eye) and can promote inflammation. By reducing the formation of FFA, eyelid inflammation is reduced and the tear film also becomes more stable.

The treatment duration is typically for several months. The preferred dose of Doxycycline is 100 mg once a day for at least 3 months. Several very important points need to be considered prior to initiating doxycycline treatment.

[Guest]

Well, good news... Since restarting the tetracycline (250mg twice daily) on the 19th the burning that was flaring up in my right eye has subsided again! Thank goodness! The burning is the worst because drops don't seem to help much with that. I'm hopeful that it really is the tetra that is helping with that, rather than just coincidence...

[irish eyes]

Saag

I know just what you mean - causal connection or coincidence! Let's hope it's the former.

My brain has become like some kind of research tool, mapping the impact of treatments / diets / environments / etc to investigate normal eye function. It seems to be constantly churning information round and failing to reach firm conclusions.