Should I quit Restasis - do I need to taper?

[oneblurryeye]

So, I had lasik two months ago and my eyes have been dry. I have just been on restasis one month.

However, my left eye is already bouncing back from the dryness. My last exam they said it is "almost back to normal." Since this hasn't even been long enough for restasis to do much, I'm thinking about stopping it in the left eye b/c it doesn't seem necessary. Plus I could always go back on it later if needed.

Do I need to taper off or can I just quit it?

My right eye is another story. I had a flap complication and still blurry vision. This eye is still pretty dry, no obvious improvement over the last month and they may do a flap refloat in another month, so I probably should stay on restasis for that eye in case it does eventually help or at least until after I recover from the flap procedure (if it happens which is likely).

Thanks!

[oneblurryeye]

Probably should have added that I already did ask the dr. and he said just go ahead and stay on it, but he's saying this because "it won't hurt" rather than because it is needed.

However, I also read that it works only in a small % of people anyway and I'd rather not be putting anything in my eyes that isn't for sure serving a purpose since I would rather them return to healthy functioning on their own.

And it sounds like there's no point in bothering with the restasis unless I want to follow through with 1-2 years of using it. Which if it was helping I would, but the eye is was already getting better when I started it, and supposedly it would only now be kicking in, so I guess I can't know if the restasis may have helped in some way without going off of it. And then I could just go back on it, since I'll be taking it in the other eye anyway I'll have plenty on hand.

Ugh. What a pain this is.

[dryeyedave]

Probably should have added that I already did ask the dr. and he said just go ahead and stay on it, but he's saying this because "it won't hurt" rather than because it is needed.

However, I also read that it works only in a small % of people anyway and I'd rather not be putting anything in my eyes that isn't for sure serving a purpose since I would rather them return to healthy functioning on their own.

And it sounds like there's no point in bothering with the restasis unless I want to follow through with 1-2 years of using it. Which if it was helping I would, but the eye is was already getting better when I started it, and supposedly it would only now be kicking in, so I guess I can't know if the restasis may have helped in some way without going off of it. And then I could just go back on it, since I'll be taking it in the other eye anyway I'll have plenty on hand.

Ugh. What a pain this is.

Do not quite or reduce your dosage until you have been on it for at least a year. It takes 4 months or more to see improvement. Some rare people have improvement in 30 days but most don't. For me improvements came at 4 6 and 7 months. I am now 8 months in and it is winter were I am and even with the heat blowing in my face I am doing better than I expected. The burning and redness side effects are easy to deal with if you wash your eye out 15 minutes after installation then follow up with your rewetting drop of choice. It is really not that expensive either. A tray will last two months at a cost of $60 per tray(after insurance negotiated rate for me). Without the discount I think it runs about $120 US per tray.

Studies on effectiveness are all over the place. In dogs it causes an 80% response rate. In humans the response rate seems to be better than 50% in my unscientific research. A higher concentration of cyclosporine appears to work better than the .05% in Restasis. I might try this if my improvement stops or tapers off. One person here reports good results using it 4 times per day.

It has helped me get my life back to semi-normal.

[MartyM1985]

Do not stop. I'm almost at a year on Restasis and still improving.

Keep going.

[oneblurryeye]

Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely staying on it in my right eye, which is drier and had flap complications that are probably going to require a flap refloat scheduled for
3 weeks from now.

But I've stopped using it in my left eye for now to give it a chance to continue recovery on it's own. It has already returned to almost normal before the restasis had any chance to kick in, and I do not want to put anything unnecessary in my eye. If it weren't for the right eye problems, they probably would never have suggested putting restasis in my left eye.

Guess I can always go back on it in left eye if it seems to be helping the other eye after awhile.

[dryeyedave]

Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely staying on it in my right eye, which is drier and had flap complications that are probably going to require a flap refloat scheduled for
3 weeks from now.

But I've stopped using it in my left eye for now to give it a chance to continue recovery on it's own. It has already returned to almost normal before the restasis had any chance to kick in, and I do not want to put anything unnecessary in my eye. If it weren't for the right eye problems, they probably would never have suggested putting restasis in my left eye.

Guess I can always go back on it in left eye if it seems to be helping the other eye after awhile.

I would not stop even in the improving eye. It will not adversely effect healing and in fact might improve healing by controlling a run away auto-immune response and inflammation. There are no side effects of any issue that will hurt you. Also I would suggest ordering oasis tears plus and start using it 4 times per day in each eye. You have to order it on line. The hyaluronic acid which accelerates(or is supposed to) wound healing and tissue repair. My eye condition was caused by total epithelium loss during the acute phase of Stevens-Johnson syndrome this is what I have use to semi-recover.

[dryeyedave]

Marty have you considered increasing your dosage? My compounding pharm told me that my MD prescribes a dosage of cyclosporine as high as 2.0% to stop cornea transplant rejection. So I don't see any issue going as high as .1 2 times per day. As I said above if my progress stops I will discuss a higher dosage with my MD at my next appointment in six months.

[oneblurryeye]

Just wanted to update that it's been about 1 month since I quit restasis in my left eye, but have continued in my right eye. There has been improvement in dryness in the left eye (no restasis), but not really any improvement in the right eye (with restasis).

So, either it hasn't been long enough for it to work or I'm going to end up being one of the people who doesn't respond to it. I also even wonder if it's having a negative effect on my right eye, but it's too hard to say b/c I'm also on Lotemax 1x daily in that eye. And I may end up having a second LASIK surgery on the right eye b/c now they are finding that I am under corrected.

So, my right eye is still on a roller coaster. But I'm glad I stopped it in the left eye, as so far it seems my left eye is recovering to normal just fine with no medication whatsoever.