Proper way to quit Restasis?

[DG65]

I've had that nagging in the back of my mind that long term use of this stuff might not be a good idea if at all avoidable.

Is there any medically backed advice for quitting the stuff?

[rooneyandfergie]

Hi DG65,

I dont think there's any real medical advice for this. Restasis is not glaucoma eye drops. You can stop anytime you want without any risks to the eyes. However, I think the important thing is to evaluate why you would want to do that. Is it because you don't think it is effective or is it because you are concerned about its side effects? My personal take on that is that you should slowly taper off the dosage of Restasis. Maybe half the amount of Restasis you are taking. If you are using it 2 times a day, use it once daily now. By doing this you can see how your eyes will feel like without Restasis. If after reducing the dosage, you feel more uncomfortable, then it would probably be wise to go back to the same dosage again. You could keep doing this until your eyes are good enough to go on without Restasis.

[DG65]

I'd like to go without it if I can - only because long term use, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't been documented. Besides, what a financial pain as well as a simple pain in the ars when you have to time it around contact use.
Thanks for the input.
Kyle

[rooneyandfergie]

Yeah Kyle, I know what you mean. I have read of some reports about studies done that have shown Restasis to be successful in eradicating dry eye symptoms in patients after a 6 month trial of 0.05% cyclosporine for up to a year. It sorta cured the dry eye for these patients. However, it was a very small number. Cyclosporine is not a huge expense in the long term but if used at a high concentration may cause cancer. I don't think Restasis would cause that at its low concentration but who knows what it could cause in the long term.

I have started Restasis for about a month now and its still at the 'as long as it works' stage for me. I just want it to eradicate and hopefully 'cure' my dry eyes. The thing that really kills my eyes is the dry air and computer usage at work. Hopefully Restasis can make my eyes more comfortable at work no matter what the cost. But i do have your concerns sometimes at the back of my mind.

I believe strongly in the inflammation causing poor TBUT and poor TBUT causing inflammation viscous cycle theory. Once that cycle is broken using Restasis I believe you should be able to stop using Restasis.