20 mg of doxycycline effective for MGD??

[mary108]

Hi everyone,
Just last week the eye doctor had placed me on the Alodox kit and in it it consists of 20 mg of doxycycline I'm supposed to take twice a day.
My question is, is this enough to make any effect at all??
Can the amount taken be increased at any time??
Since I've been off Alrex (mild steriod for inflammation) my eyes seem to have been worse. While I was taking it, they did not improve that much but it's been worse since I've been off.
Warm compresses seem to irritate me sometimes too and he wants to see me back in about 3-4 weeks...should I call before then if this continues to be worse off and go back on Alrex??
Thank you so much!

[kitty]

I had no benefit from low dose doxy. I used it for one month. It was 20 mg if memory serves correctly.

[Angela]

Hi everyone,
Just last week the eye doctor had placed me on the Alodox kit and in it it consists of 20 mg of doxycycline I'm supposed to take twice a day.
My question is, is this enough to make any effect at all??
Can the amount taken be increased at any time??
Since I've been off Alrex (mild steriod for inflammation) my eyes seem to have been worse. While I was taking it, they did not improve that much but it's been worse since I've been off.
Warm compresses seem to irritate me sometimes too and he wants to see me back in about 3-4 weeks...should I call before then if this continues to be worse off and go back on Alrex??
Thank you so much!

Doxycycline has been very very helpful for many people suffering from Blepharitis/MGD/Ocular Rosacea.

20mg 2X a day is a low dose, but he is prescribing it for it's anti inflammatory properties rather than it's antibacterial effect.Furthermore, studies have shown that the 40-mg dosage is just as effective as 100 mg/day of doxycycline with fewer adverse effects. That being said, I've been on and off doxy with no improvement and I was actually on 100mg 2X a day for 2 weeks then 100mg for a couple of months. I am considering trying it again though because like I said it has helped many many sufferers.

I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering with this at such a young age. I'm 10 years older and I feel I am too young also so I can't imagine. Hang in there, your young body will help you heal fast and soon you'll be worrying about better things like boys and prom =)

As far as the Alrex, read about "rebound steroid inflammation", many have experienced it. I hear you are supposed to taper with steroids but there are probably others that know more about that than me. I wouldn't go back on the Alrex without consulting with your doctor first. Steroids are not a thing to play around with.

Warm compresses irritate me as well but they seem to be the main treatment in blepharitis so I've started doing them again, I use cold compresses after to combat any swelling that has worsened from the heat. Maybe you should try doing cold compresses in addition to the warm? I know it's fine to do, Dr. Latkany has advised this for me.

=)

[mary108]

Thank you so much for your response!!
I had went to the eye doctor again today because of the increased irritation after the Alrex and he kept me on the doxy and the lid scrubs etc. and also prescribed Azasite. I've read alot of mixed reviews about it but I'm really hoping it will help!! I put it in for the first time today and it didnt burn or anything so, so far so good I just want to get at least a little more comfortable and cleared up before school starts i hope.... :/ So hopefully with some compresses, the doxy, flaxseed supplements, and the azasite, I'm really hoping to find an improvement!! I'm thinking maybe I did get some irritation after being taken off the steriod...at least i almost hope! because I hope its not one of the things i was put on like the Ocusoft lid scrub...*sigh** although i have been crying alot recently and whenever i cry my lids hurt like hell for the rest of the day
By the way @Angela, I read some of your past posts and your story and I am very very sorry youre going through this!! How are you now and has anything progressed?!?!

[littlemermaid]

Mary108: Are you using a bland tear substitute drop? LM uses Celluvisc all day to maintain a film on the eye surface and this is a big help. Her other drops are to address specific problems, like clearing the MGs.

[Tankie]

I read in the past that in terms of getting rid of inflammation, taking 20mg x2 is just as good as 50mg x2. True or false? Who's to say, but I've read the study that claims this to be the case.

[y-gwair]

As far as the Alrex, read about "rebound steroid inflammation", many have experienced it.

I'm not sure the problem is even 'rebound', even with tapering they have caused problems. I started with just ocular rosacea, I now have full-blown neuro-vascular facial rosacea which is very painful and isn't responding to anything. I really, really wish I'd never touched steroid eye drops, my new dermatologist said that the facial condition was probably triggered by them (nasal steroids apparently can do just the same). Each time I used steroid eye drops, it improved the redness on the cornea but just made the MGD worse, the glands dried up completely each time I used it. Personally I wouldn't use hot compresses for ocular rosacea, I found they just made things worse (rosacea is fundamentally an over-reaction to heat), the exception might be if you know your meibum has become thickened in quality and the glands obviously plugged.

Derm. said that lower doses of doxy. were effective for ocular rosacea, though his definition of low was 50mg. I'm having success with ciclosporin ointment, the amount of oil my MGs are producing has doubled in the 6 weeks I've been using the latter, eyes completely free from grittyness now. I'd rather continue with the ciclosporin than try the doxycycline he prescribed, as I've had problems with photosensitivity in the past.

[Angela]

Thank you so much for your response!!
I had went to the eye doctor again today because of the increased irritation after the Alrex and he kept me on the doxy and the lid scrubs etc. and also prescribed Azasite. I've read alot of mixed reviews about it but I'm really hoping it will help!! I put it in for the first time today and it didnt burn or anything so, so far so good I just want to get at least a little more comfortable and cleared up before school starts i hope.... :/ So hopefully with some compresses, the doxy, flaxseed supplements, and the azasite, I'm really hoping to find an improvement!! I'm thinking maybe I did get some irritation after being taken off the steriod...at least i almost hope! because I hope its not one of the things i was put on like the Ocusoft lid scrub...*sigh** although i have been crying alot recently and whenever i cry my lids hurt like hell for the rest of the day
By the way @Angela, I read some of your past posts and your story and I am very very sorry youre going through this!! How are you now and has anything progressed?!?!

Are you doing any kind of gland expression and has your doctor showed you how to do this? Actually, has your doctor told you what kind of oil is coming out of your meibomian glands? For example, I have white and sometimes yellow secretions, sometimes it comes out like silly string. A few of my glands are completely closed altogether and very few make normal, clear oil. I have found that any time I get my glands expressed, whether it be at a follow up with Dr. Latkany, or after an IPL treatment, my eyes feel a lot better; which to me, suggests that the main cause of my inflammation is the fact that my glands are clogged. So the main goal for me is to get my glands open and unclogged. This is why I have started doing warm compresses again in addition to the cold compresses that I've been doing for the inflammation/possible ocular rosacea component.

Another thing I've wondered is, have you any allergies? It might be good to start ruling out possible contributing factors.

I hope that the Azasite helps you! I have heard mixed reviews as well. Was on it myself but I have no insurance and the bottle lasted me all of 6 days which I doubt was enough time to see anything significant. Good luck and please let us know if you notice improvements.

Fish oil - I stopped taking it for a little while because it makes my skin and hair very oily and I have very oily skin to begin with, but I started again because I have to do whatever it takes to treat this condition. And it's good for you regardless, so keep up with it for sure. I haven't tried Flax yet, but that might be my next purchase. Try to incorporate some salmon into your diet as well, if you don't already.

Okay crying - I have a big issue with crying because I do a lot of it and it is really bad for my eyes, as they get extremely swollen/puffy and red for the hours and sometimes days (depending on how long the crying session was) following. But at the same time, I don't think it's emotionally healthy to keep things completely bottled up. So I will suggest doing what I do after a cry sesh, which is to use a cold compress to soothe your eyes afterwards.

Thank you for asking how I am doing. I am trying to get through this day by day. Some days are harder than others, and I've realized that the best treatment is to try and keep myself occupied with things and people that make me happy. Out of every doctor I've seen in the last 6 months, this website has been the most helpful, although I must say that sometimes I have to distance myself a little bit from it to keep from the "obsessing" aspect of this disease which I am sure that many can identify with. I want to get better and find out everything there is to know about how to do that, but in moderation. So make sure to do the same. Best advice I've gotten is "Act as if, become as if", so Act as if it will get better, and it WILL get better. =D

Keep up the good work girlie, you'll be better in no time!