How long does it take????

[Alexandra]

Hi everybody.

I ve been on Restasis now for 6 weeks. Havent feld an improvement yet, as far as I can tell. How long does it take for your eyes to respond to Restasis?

Thanks a lot! Alex

[Judy]

Hi Alex,

I think it took me 4 to 6 months before I really knew Restasis was helpful for my eyes. Please allow some time and be patient. I also had so many things going wrong for my eyes at this time which it made it difficult to determine if anything was working! Best wishes!

[Alexandra]

Hi Judy!

Thanks a lot for you reply!

All the best!

[Lucy]

Judy is right. It's hard to "have to try something" for what seems like forever and never (maybe) be helped with the drops. But, then again, unless you go for the long haul, you just don't know.

I have tried Restasis twice: once for 6 weeks and once for 7 months. At the 7 month mark, my insurance co-pay went up substantially and I made the decision that I was not being helped and didn't push it further. Some have said it takes as much as a year to help. I hope you have results in a timely manner.
Lucy

[Rebecca Petris]

There are no easy or - to my mind - satisfactory answers with Restasis for those who don't see results early on.

You can take it for the manufacturer's recommended time, and stop if you see no benefits within that time.

Or you can keep on for a much longer period and - if you do see benefits - struggle with the question of whether the benefits are related to the Restasis - since realistically, most patients alter other parts of their treatment during that kind of timeframe, have a multitude of other variables introduced (seasonal change, maybe change of work or living environment, etc), and unrelated changes in the disease itself such as hormonal changes.

From what I have observed, at that stage many get "stuck" in a place where they simply keep taking it because they're afraid if they stop they may discover it IS the thing that is making them feel better.

What's a dry eye patient to do? Buy more, it seems.

[green eyes2]

For most people, if Restasis is going to work it takes three months before seeing an improvement. Some people can benefit after using it only 4 to 6 weeks and for others it may take up to four to six months. If after six months of Restasis use you see no improvement, then any improvement after that time is more likely, as Rebecca said above, to be some other variable contributing to the improvement.

On the Restasis website it says: “By the end of the third month many users can experience a significant difference in tear production.”

[calli66]

By the end of the third month many users can experience a significant difference in tear production.

Hmmm. Is tear production the only benefit to be expected? In that case, Restasis isn't doing anything for me. Is it supposed to improve other symptoms? I have thought that it was helping me, but I wonder if it's the "other variables" that are helping.

C66

[green eyes2]

Hi Calli: Restasis is an anti-inflammatory medicine that is supposed to help improve your symptoms by helping your eyes produce healthier tears and reducing inflammation. In some people it can significantly increase tear production as well.

So, I'm thinking that even if you don't see an increase in your tear production that your tears will be healthier..meaning increased TBUT and/or more goblet cell mucin production. Your eyes will feel better and your TBUT should be better and if you had blurry vision that should be improved, etc. It is the people who have been taking Restasis over six months who say they aren't sure if Restasis is helping or not that I was referring to. There may be some who need to take it longer than six months for it to "kick in", but probably not likely as most people will notice gradual improvement while taking it.

[jimmy]

I've been using Restasis for about nine months. One of the little mysteries of my life as a person with Sjogren's Syndrome is whether or not Restasis is helping my dry eyes. It burned when I first started using it and it does not burn now, so something has changed, presumably for the better. But my opthalmologist said that if Restasis worked for me (and he said to give it at least a month), I wouldn't have to use lubricating drops as often during the rest of the day, and so far this doesn't seem to have happened. As Rebecca suggested earlier in the thread, the situation is along the lines of not giving up on Restatis in case it's actually helping and I don't know it. Probably I'll keep on using it and hoping to learn conclusively, someday, that it makes a difference.