? for Eileen Re: DHEA drops

[Pinky]

Hi Eileen,
I was reading in the archives that you have been using DHEA drops. It would be great if you could answer a few questions. You wrote that they sting a bit, more or less than Restasis, and does the stinging just occur upon application? Also, you indicated that you tried Restasis but had to stop after five weeks because of stinging. Did the stinging just occur at this time or did it sting for the whole five weeks? Do you have MGD, if so, do you think the DHEA drops have helped to normalize the oily layer?

I have severe dry eye that came on very suddenly. I have MGD and none of the standard treatments have helped much -- e.g doxy, warm compresses, fish oil etc. I am currently on Restasis and would like to continue it while tyring the DHEA drops. The people at Leiters didn't think this should be a problem as long as I spaced out the applications.

Just wondering what your thoughts are on the above. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Eileen]

Hi Pinky,
I was on the DHEA drops from Oct. to January. I honestly don't know if they helped or not. I have menopause induced dry eye and have both MGD and decreased aqueous production.

The DHEA stung upon instillation for about 1 min. and then seemed to help for 2-3 hours. But lately the DHEA was stinging very badly and seemed to leave my eyes feeling irritated so I've been off them for 2 weeks.

I have all tear ducts plugged and that's been the biggest help. Generally I don't need to put any drops in except on the days I work and on days with alot of outside activity.

I tried the restasis back in Sept. and it helped for about 3 weeks with only minor stinging upon instillation of the drops. But by week 4 or 5, I noticed intense painful burning a few hours after using the restasis.

A few weeks later I tried the restasis again with steroid drop co-treatment but the burning returned in 4 days. So I've given up on restasis. I've tried oral doxycyline and doxy drops but they didn't seem to make much of a difference.

I think it should be fine to use both restasis and DHEA at the same time. I truly hope they work for you.

Eileen

[blueeyes]

DHEA drops

What exactly are DHEA drops? And I apologize if this question has been answered already. Are they prescription?
Thanks,
Terri

[Pinky]

DHEA drops

Eileen: Thanks for the info it was very helpful. Re: Restasis. I had no problems using it for the first three months, just very mild stinging upon application. But, now I am experiencing the burning you described a couple of hours after application. I'm attributing it to the fact that I recently got my lower puncta plugged, so it stands to reason that more medication is being absorbed by the eye tissue. For now, I'm going to continue with Restasis hoping that this delayed burning subsides. I have read where the burning could mean that nerves are healing. Also, another poster on this site said she had burning for five months, so I'm determined to make it to the five month mark!

BlueeyesHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) drops are androgen drops. According to agingeye.net "recent research has shown that deficiency of androgen is to be partly blamed for the dry eye problem especiallyin post menopausal women with sjogren's syndrome. Androgen's regulate meibomian gland function and control the quality &/or quantity of oily secretions produced by this gland. Androgen eye drops may help prevent tear evaporation by normalizing the tear film oily layer, thus decreasing tear evaporation."

They are curretnly available by prescription from compounding pharmacies like Leiter's. Allergan is testing them in phase II trials.