can restasis vials be used for more than 2 days if refrigerated?

[jenny2008]

can i use the same restasis vial safely for more than 2 days if refrigerated?

[sandra lee]

Good question and hopefully a health professional or a representative of Restasis can give you an answer as it has been very confusing for me also.
As I am on my 5th Opthamologist I have had 2 of them tell me it is ok to use morning and night only if kept in fridge.
I have called 4 pharmacies and only 1 said to use morning and night also.Others said only use once and then discard.
I called the 800 number for Restasis last week and the rep told me the intended use is only to use once and discard but she also said that if my doc said to reuse that I should go with him????
Hopefully someone will have an answer.Good Luck

[PAllen]

I've been using Restasis for a year. I put drops in each eye in the morning and throughout the day, making sure to get the cap back on between uses. 2 opthamologists suggested this. I haven't had any problems at all as a result

There were a couple of times when I lost the vial and opened a new one mid-day. I did use that vial the following morning without refrigeration. No problem. I've never gone beyond 24 hours on the same vial, though.

[PotatoCakes]

My guess is that you won't find anyone who says it is ok to go much longer than 1 day simply because of liability. If you were to get an infection, regardless of whether you handled the vial properly, they could be liable in a lawsuit and in this day and age, most medical practitioners are justifiably concerned about getting sued. It's common knowledge that even if insurance companies know you're innocent, they often settle because it's cheaper than going through a court case and it doesn't affect them if your medical career is tarnished by a frivolous lawsuit.

I can tell you that my compounded Restasis (it does not contain the castor oil that commercial Restasis does but that's probably the only difference in the product) comes in a bottle that is good for about 30 days as long as I keep it in the refrigerator and handle it properly.

[LisaLis]

Hi Jenny, One of the doctors that I saw told me that you can use the same vile for 2 applications and it doesn't have to be put in the refrig but no more than that. Although I never really ended up using the restasis I only used it for about 6 days until latkany told me to stop using.
Lisa

[Trac]

I used my restasis vial until it was empty and I did not refrigerate it. I recaped it and kept it in a ziplock bag and took it with me when I left the house. I used it as often as 4 times a day.

[lb0456]

Using Restasis more than once

My ophthalmologist told me I could use the vials also more than once and he said nothing about refrigerating them. He did say not to let them go more than 24 hours but I'm wondering if I keep it covered if that would be ok. I have been covering mine with tin foil.