Still on Restasis - doing GREAT!

[crispen_2000]

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to report to you that I have been on RESTASIS for almost seven months...and I am symptom free. I am able to read again, use the computer...I don't even have to use any other drops!

I am so glad that I am doing well...

I can't speak for anyone else...but restasis has seemed to have "cured me" or at least gotten my symptoms under control...

Also, just to let you know: for the first month or so, it kind of stung afterwards...however, now, it feels just swell...

Good luck!

Trevor from Canada

[Guest]

Fantastic news

Trevor

It is always great news to hear when someone is getting some relief from their symptoms.

I am pleased that Restasis is the product that has worked for you. I have been on it for 5 months now and I am not sure if it is doing much for me but I am willing to give it a few more months yet.

Keep the good news coming. I am very happy for you. I hope that it will not be long before I can celebrate a similar victory with you.

Cheers

Ian

[SusieD]

How long was it before you noticed it helped your symptoms - in the first month or later?

[Reggie]

Hey Trevor,
Which doctor did you get the Restasis from, and did you have any plugs in at the time? My last doctor suggested I retry Restasis (used it for 3 months before without improvement) and said I woudn't have to remove my plugs. Although I've read that it wouldn't be effective on patients with punctal plugs.

[Lucy]

Reggie, (seems I'm following you around on the bb..not really)
Many people have used Restasis while sporting punctal plugs, including me.
I, unfortunately, was not helped by Restasis. I had a six week trial run about several years after lasik surgery, and one more try a couple of years later. I took Restasis for 7 months that time and did not notice any difference and a rise in my co-pay made my decision for me.

I think about one-third to one-half of the people using Restasis are helped. This is my personal observation after reading patient's responses over a period of years. I do not have any statistics available. It's enough to encourage anyone to try it, though.

[sparrow]

Am I right in thinking Restasis would only help you if you had problems from inflammation which is something that cyclosporin would be effective in treating? If you just have low tear production, how could Restasis help with that?

[Judy]

Hi Sparrow,

Check out this link regarding Restasis. It has helped many of us greatly! God Bless!

http://www.restasis.com/_learn_about/default.htm

[Delilah]

I give up on Restasis

Hello Everyone and I know it's been a long time since I've posted but work has gotten me so tired. I've been on Restasis a long time now and it's not helped, I am glad that many others are having good results but for me it's not working so I've decided to quit using it and go back to the Castor Oil Eye drops. It is good to hear that many benefit from it though, I only wish I were one of the lucky ones. The stringy mucus still has me aggrevated all day but there isn't much I can do I am still using the preservative free eye drops to flush my eyes out and I've used the last of my Restasis. Besides that life is good even though dry eye has me Wishing you all the best in health your friend Delilah

[Lucy]

Delilah, one has to decide after a 6 month (or more) stretch, with their doctor's input, whether Restasis is indeed helping or not. I, too, took it for months the second time and kept waffling whether it was helping me or not. A rise to 50% of cost co-pay made the decision for me. Had I been sure it was of benefit to me, I would have made sacrifices to keep taking the drops.

[Delilah]

Thanks Lucy

Well Lucy, I think I am a bit over my 6 month period and I just give up on it. Also I did start smoking again so maybe that made my eyes worse? When I did quit for the 4 months I noticed a bit of a change but nothing huge? The strings were still there, eyes were still dry, I just think this is what I have to live with until they can come up with a solution to dry eye, if they ever do I am fixing to quit smoking again, it's so horrible I hate it, it is the devil lol, how have you been doing? I go for a huge foot surgery on the 27th I also have a new job and I love it, even though I have my social work degree, I will try again to pass that board exam. God Bless D.

[Vicki In Oregon]

I have been on Restasis 2 months along with bio tears and artifical drops. I also wear lower plugs. While I am better than before I started, I dont know if that is the plugs or the Restasis. Whem I had all 4 plugs in is the only time I was almost completely pain free but I was blurry all the time so I removed the uppers.

While I am better than before I began I am still hurting a lot. I went from 9 pain to 7 I feel. If Restasis works it definitely takes time. I hear that at 3 momths you know. But I am worse now than just 2 weeks ago. Not sure why. Yet when I saw the doc today he said my eyes look so much better than before, much more moist. How can that be when they hurt more? So I guess in a month I will know how it works for me. I hope it does something fast. The doctors seem to think it helps a higher percent of people than what I read about on here...

[Lucy]

Delilah-Sorry the Restasis didn't work for you! About smoking: my daughter quit the same time as you did. HOWEVER, she has also begun to smoke again. It didn't take her 4 months either, so you did good. That takes a lot of will power. I am a former smoker, so I know. I quit in 1989 and probably stopped once for a year and half prior to my final smoke. Each time you quit, I think it makes your next and (hopefully last) time more likely to be successful. YOU know it's not good for you, and once you finally decide to stop, you will. It is better today with all the stop-smoking aids available. Still hard, but not like when "cold turkey" was the only way. I could not do "cold turkey" but did chew Nicorette gum (uch) as that was the only thing available.

Good luck with your foot surgery and the new job! Perhaps after your surgery you'll be able to take a shot at the "no cigs" again. If you're going to be off work for awhile especially may be a good time. I try not to nag my daughter.....she's way too old for me to have much influence.

To Vicki: Vicki, you are trying so hard to pin down what's happening to you and it just doesn't work. The doctors don't know squat (about dry eyes) most of the time and it's a crapshoot. You say you are worse now than two weeks ago. This, too, is one of the things you can expect. Up and down.

How can that be when they hurt more? So I guess in a month I will know how it works for me. I hope it does something fast. The doctors seem to think it helps a higher percent of people than what I read about on here...

You won't necessarily know if IT works for you in another month. It certainly will most likely do nothing FAST. More likely, one day, you'll think "geez, I've had a pretty good week eye-wise." This is more likely to happen when you're not so anxious about it. I know you want it to STOP NOW. I wish it would stop now for you. Unfortunately, most of us on this bb have suffered for quite some time before finding relief. Some just weeks, mostly months, and less often years. I am 7 years into this dry eye crap and being diagnosed with Sjogrens just recently sure does not help my mood about the whole situation.

With years of "experience" I have to trudge along and try and focus on other things as often as possible. I now know (in my case) that my eyes will NOT GET BETTER FAST OR RIGHT NOW. More likely, they will get worse. Our situations are quite different and you (cross-fingers) will be better in the next couple of months!

[dryeyeboy]

How did you get restasis in Canada?

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to report to you that I have been on RESTASIS for almost seven months...and I am symptom free. I am able to read again, use the computer...I don't even have to use any other drops!

I am so glad that I am doing well...

I can't speak for anyone else...but restasis has seemed to have "cured me" or at least gotten my symptoms under control...

Also, just to let you know: for the first month or so, it kind of stung afterwards...however, now, it feels just swell...

Good luck!

Trevor from Canada

[Delilah]

Trevor

I am so happy that you are symptom free, I am still sufferening from dry eye and I quit using Restasis since it didn't do anything for me. I am on now 8 days no smoking since I had my foot surgery, so I had quit for four months then started and now I quit again and I am hoping that quitting will help my eyes. I don't know what to do for these stupid mucus strings? But I just had to say I am so happy to hear your doing good. God Bless Delilah

[crispen_2000]

Restasis in CANADA

Hey All,

One has to go to their opthomolologist in canada and request that they start accessing restasis (in ontario it's free of charge) through canada's special access program.

Trevor