Improper restasis use?

[ms11369]

IS there any damage that can be done to the eyes using restasis MORE than you are supposed to? One of my female friends started using it and tolerated it very well. She likes it. But rather than using restasis + an artificial tear to keep the eyes moisturized, she told me that on some days she uses restasis ONLY as a MED and as a regular "drop". She likes the way it makes her eyes feel. Can there be serious damage from using it more frequently than 1 drop 2x a day as her RX says??

[howdryiam]

hello

I don't think anything more than once in the morning and once at night will do any good - If it works with what you have god bless

[Rebecca Petris]

The active ingredient in Restasis is an immunosuppressant. Common sense says, don't use it as a lubricant. As with any Rx drug, follow the directions and don't overdose.

There was a recent study about benefits of using it 3-4 times daily. Even that should be done under doctor's advice and supervision.

[ms11369]

by immunosuppresant it could put her at risk for nasty eye infections?

[ALK-O'd]

"by immunosuppresant it could put her at risk for nasty eye infections?"

Possibly. And extreme over use could potentially even have systemmic effects. Remember, the eye's tear drainage ducts drain fluid into the nasal passage and ultimately down the throat. The point is, bad things can happen by over use. Don't wait to find out what those things are.

Here's something else to keep in mind. Rebound effect upon discontinuing usage of the product. I recently gave up on Restasis after 14 months of regular daily use (1 drop two times a day). My doctor had me taper off slowly though. He had me first down-shift to one drop per day for a few weeks, then one drop every other day for a few more, then na-da. He told me that there is evidence of people having acute dryness (a rebound like effect) upon quitting the stuff cold turkey. If your friend continued to over use the cyclosporine and then say, had some reaction and suddenly stopped altogether, I would think this might possibly cause an extreme rebound effect. Again, her best bet is not to turn her own eyes into a lab experiment to find out what happens.

[ms11369]

thanks for the advice. Time like this i wish ENDURA was back on the market. They'd prob feel just as nice without putting her eyes in danger. It really is a shame that it's GONE (I tried looking all over..NO LUCK).

[Rebecca Petris]

Endura is still here but it's being sold under the name Refresh Dry Eye Therapy.

[ms11369]

what stores carry it? I wanna try that myself too because I tried a few vials of endura a few yrs ago (the single use ones) and I liked it after trying systane and hating it. CVS and riteaid have refresh plus and celuvisc but not the dry eye therapy thing. I know it'll help my friend a lot since it's basically restasis minus the immunosuppresant. It's a safe bet

[magoo]

I don't know what stores have it, but you can order the kind in a bottle from Drugstore.com
I think the preservative-free individual vials are called Dry Eye Therapy sensitive, I'm not sure if you can order that from Drugstore.com, but probably you can order it somewhere online.

[ms11369]

AHA! just found it on drugstore.com..they don't have the preservative ones anymore tho,right? Any noticeable difference between the preserved bottle and the single use they used to have? Any crustiness?

[magoo]

They do make it in single use. It's called "REFRESH DRY EYE THERAPY® Sensitive". I don't think Drugstore.com has it, though.

[Paulette]

Restasis

I just started using Restasis and my eyes STILL burn all the time. It is making me crazy! Went to bed one night last March and woke up with awful, BURNING eyes. It's been 7 months, 4 doctors, eye plugs, steroids and a dozen different kinds of eye drops. What is the best relief? Is there any place on earth that I can live and not have this horrible dry eye problem?! I dance for a living and feel like an idiot performing with glasses on, but can't do it without because I am blind as a bat! Two things happened within a month of my eyes turning into bat dust - I moved to an old farmhouse with fuel oil heat and got a dog (sharpei-rott mix). I have taken vacations away from home, but have had no eye relief. I really can't stand this. What is the answer?!

[Bunny]

I'm not sure about anyone else but I can no longer find the "new" version of Endura that Refresh came out with - the Refresh Dry Eye Therapy Sensitive (preservative free). They still have the Sensitive PLUS version but it does not contain the same ingredients as Endura did.

[Eric Brewer]

my doctor suggested increasing restasis to 3-4 tiems a day. I tried it and after a few weeks my eyes became VERY irritated with a lot of stinging (on top of the severe dry eye). I had to cut back and the stinging went away. Makes the dry eye feel not so bad :>) I can only tolerate it at night now. Even then it stings. It never stung when using it twice a day.
Eric