When to use Doxy?

[RobLIC]

Seems to me a lot of docs like to start patients on a high dose (with me it was 200 mg) to "jump start" matters, then somewhat quickly dial you back to a less a stomach-irritating 40 or 50 mg. You'll probably start farting a lot on 200 mg ...

I'm still meaning to call the pharm and see about a drop instead of the pills. Taking pills for your eye just seems weird to me! Will ask Latkany about this next week, too.

My skin has always been sensitive - I'm just a pale-faced Jewish boy from New York - but it was probably a bit more so during the high doxy dosings.

[Aaron77]

Doc has me on 50mg/day Doxy, what type of dose has worked for others?

How did you find your skins sensitivity to sunlight while on doxy? I've heard it can do real bad things.

[RobLIC]

Hey Aaron. It's Rob in Queens. PLEASE don't up your fish oil dose that much without talking to a doctor. My docs in NY all say 3,000 is the most you should be doing.

MORE important, the issue of debris: many of us who had LASIK with a microkeratome have that. Even happy post-LASIK people have it. The question you need to answer is whether there are INFLAMMATORY cells around the debris. I'm not saying it's "OK" to have the debris - it sucks, by and large. But the debris alone may not be causing you pain IF there are no inflammatory cells associated with it. Believe me, I've considered having my flaps ripped out and am seeing a transplant specialist next month to discuss it again, but the odds are that debris alone is not the cause of your problems.

[Aaron77]

So the opthamologist I went to today gave me some doxy and erthromycin ointment, he has recommended warm compresses 2 times daily for five minutes with lid massage and lid wash. Also told me to start using refresh plus. Will be back to see him in about 6 weeks to see how I'm progressing. Hopefully the doxy does the trick.

I find that the erthromycin ointment seems to make my eyes feel a bit dryer in the middle of the night. The warm compresses give me a stinging feeling in my eyes and make my vision a little blurry for a bit.

If the doxy and the other stuff does'nt help out the doc said he's going to put in an order for restasis.

I was at a friends place that had 2 cats last night, my right eye started to burn pretty bad but never got red, I think the allergies are another major problem i have.

[clairvoyant]

grats man! sounds like he knows what he's doing. good luck on a speedy recovery

[irish eyes]

Ouch Aaron! The idea of debris from metal particles of the blade sounds as though it would cause anyone agitation.

A daily dose of 10,000 mg sounds on the high side to me, leaving aside 20,000 mg! I'm unsure how much my actual intake is because I eat lots of oily fish etc anyway.

We are talking about a supplement here - I would think that the liver might start objecting after a while! Why not start on a lower dose to see if there are any benefits - and then increase it a little at a time?

[Aaron77]

Opth. also told me to take as much Flax Seed Oil and Omega 3 supplements as I can tolerate. I figure I could probably tolerate more then 20,000mg per day but that this would probably be pushing it. I'll try at least 10,000mg/day for now. I think most people on the board are only taking a couple 1000mg.

Opth. also told me I've got lasik flap debris in both eyes and that its metal particles from the blade. Did not ask if this would be causing me any agitation.

[Dr.P.]

Alternatives to what you have tried

So, the administrator told me that there are two sections to this site. One for patients and one for doctors. Well, I am not that bright so I just picked one to chime in on.
I am an optometrist in Houston. Won't beat drum. Just wanted to tell the folks about a very old yet new product. No, I don't sell it. It is called Lacrisert. It is like freeze drying a bottle of artificial tears and then allowing you to put it into your lower eyelid and there it dissolves slowly.
I could stop there, but you would ask, "does it require a prescription?" Is it available in the UK? Well, I don't know the answer to number two, but I do know that it does require a script and it costs a fortune. $200/month.
But, it is unpreserved, and it does work. Any downsides? Yep, sometimes they pop out spontaneously. They also gum up at the end of the day, but in the words on one of my patients who is an M.D...its all worth it.
So, there you have it. Some pearls from Dr. P.
I hope I can be of help without offending anyone.:

[Aaron77]

So the opthamologist I went to today gave me some doxy and erthromycin ointment, he has recommended warm compresses 2 times daily for five minutes with lid massage and lid wash. Also told me to start using refresh plus. Will be back to see him in about 6 weeks to see how I'm progressing. Hopefully the doxy does the trick.

[bernmee]

I'm not a Dr. either and while Doxy does cause illness in some people I don't think it's serious, and once you stop taking it the illness goes away. Please do not tell me that the Dr. who is concerned about you feeling ill blasted a laser in your eye that caused this mess.

I took it for about three months and despite being someone who gets very nauseous too easily I had no problem with Doxy. Just make sure you take a good probiotic while taking an antibiotic.

The best thing I found for pain relief was wearing an eye patch and my foam glasses. I started of by buying a pair of these that give 75% protection and the difference was so great I bought the foam ones.

http://www.7eye.com/products/optical-75.php

I didn't care how the foam ones looked they made the eyes not as sensitive to the wind etc. I now wear the 75% protection ones every day and get complimented on them, you would have no idea they weren't regular fashion glasses.

Stick with it and you will find what works for you.

B.

[clairvoyant]

How many hours a day are you on the computer? When I was on the computer for like 15 hours a day, day after day my eyes would get real red too. Guess that is the infamous ocular rosacea and as others have postulated it does seem to be related to inflammation.

I still have some redness but not enough to bother me compared to the anterior blepharitis or dryness or other symptoms I get with other crap.

Also pay attention to habbits while using the computer. If you gonna use it a lot like that you might just wanna forget about eating...

I think doxy and restasis may help ever so slightly with redness but for the most part, especially if using the computer a lot you won't see a difference.

[irish eyes]

Aaron

That is exactly what this condition does. Last night, I tried to recall what life was like `pre-dry eye'. I couldn't get there. I had to stop myself thinking about the extent to which life continues to be affected because it made me feel so very depressed and if I am honest - resentful. At times like this, I have to make a `supreme effort' to get going again.

I wish I could have been more positive about the doxy. Do you think your doctor is 100% against using it or is he being systematic in his treatment? Seeing so many doctors to get other `opinions' gets one down. Here in the UK, things are not good in that regard at all - as you may have picked up from other contributors.

[Aaron77]

While the red eyes really bother me, its more the pain that I reaaly want to do something about. Hopefully the next doc I see will have something to remedy the pain, whether it be doxy or something else. This has really turned my life completely upside down.

[irish eyes]

My eyes get red as the day wears on, particularly if I have used the computer a lot.

I'm afraid I haven't noticed doxy making any difference at all in that regard. It's the pain and discomfort that gets to me more than the appearance. People comment on me looking tired - which I often am.

[Aaron77]

Aaron

Do you mean bloodshot eyes - or redness of the eyelids and the rims?

Yes I mean bloodshot eyes, as the day goes on and computer use goes on my eyes seem to get quite red, the lid rims get swollen and red and I often look like I've been crying. Pain and blurred vision (like I'm trying to see through a build up of stuff on my eyes) goes up with computer use especially.