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I'm in my first week of use so I don't know if it will work for me yet but I thought there are those of you who might be interested with my experience so far.
If you're not familiar with it, here's the company website: https://www.xiidra.com
It's very similar, in use, to Restasis. Right down to the side effects. I haven't experienced the funny taste in my mouth but the drops DO sting, particularly when I've had a bad eye day.
It's applied in the same manner, a drop to each eye, twice daily. The packaging is a bit fancier than Restasis but, IMO, it's just material waste rather than anything useful.
I am under the impression that it can take up to 6 months for it to work and that about 15% of the dry eye population will have success, based on trials. I don't know if I read that or heard it so take it with a grain of salt but if true, it mirrors Restasis both in how long it can take to work and the approximate percentage of people who will have success. I'll probably stay on it for about a year and if it doesn't work after that, there's no reason to deal with it.
Like Restasis, it's a good idea to keep your eyes closed for 2 minutes after application. The longer I can keep my eyes closed, the more the stinging goes away so I usually put it in a half hour before I get up in the morning so I can lie there with my eyes closed. Wait 15 minutes before putting in contacts or other drops.
How to obtain & insurance info...
My doctor mentioned Xiidra to me, which worked because I had planned to ask about it after hearing about it via media.
He called a prescription into my pharmacy and gave me a sort of welcome packet from the company. From there, I needed to call the drug company. That was relatively painless. When you call, you'll need your insurance card, with contact info. From there, the Xiidra people call your insurance company to find out whether you are covered and what that coverage entails and then they call you back (it takes about a week but you can go pick up your free month long trial prescription during that time -- don't forget the card attached to the welcome packet). In my case, my insurance does cover Xiidra but it's a $30 co-pay so my out of pocket is $1 per day if I stay on this drug.
The reason they do it this way is that the FDA *just* approved Xiidra and some insurance companies need more hand-holding re: approval, etc. Overall, as a patient, I found the process fairly simple. The person I spoke with at Xiidra was very nice. I didn't have any questions so I'm not sure how knowledgeable they are. I was told that if your insurance company does not cover it, there may be other programs where Xiidra can help you with the cost.
My doctor warned me that the vials contain just barely enough of the drug. He wasn't kidding. They very consciously designed them for 1 time use (unlike the Restasis vials where you can get at least 2 uses). They cannot be re-capped and IF you do end up with extra, half the time you end up getting it everywhere but your eye in an effort to get it out. At least that's my experience because I have tried to get a morning and evening use out of the vial. I have not been successful yet (I'm on my 5th day). Marketing is key though and the welcome materials tell you cheerfully that they included extra solution in each vial in case you miss. My doctor told me they are actually required to have a bit of extra in there and trust me, they cut it really close.
That's all I can think of for now. If you have any non-medical questions, feel free to ask. I'll do an update down the road or sooner if I have any striking results.
If you're not familiar with it, here's the company website: https://www.xiidra.com
It's very similar, in use, to Restasis. Right down to the side effects. I haven't experienced the funny taste in my mouth but the drops DO sting, particularly when I've had a bad eye day.
It's applied in the same manner, a drop to each eye, twice daily. The packaging is a bit fancier than Restasis but, IMO, it's just material waste rather than anything useful.
I am under the impression that it can take up to 6 months for it to work and that about 15% of the dry eye population will have success, based on trials. I don't know if I read that or heard it so take it with a grain of salt but if true, it mirrors Restasis both in how long it can take to work and the approximate percentage of people who will have success. I'll probably stay on it for about a year and if it doesn't work after that, there's no reason to deal with it.
Like Restasis, it's a good idea to keep your eyes closed for 2 minutes after application. The longer I can keep my eyes closed, the more the stinging goes away so I usually put it in a half hour before I get up in the morning so I can lie there with my eyes closed. Wait 15 minutes before putting in contacts or other drops.
How to obtain & insurance info...
My doctor mentioned Xiidra to me, which worked because I had planned to ask about it after hearing about it via media.
He called a prescription into my pharmacy and gave me a sort of welcome packet from the company. From there, I needed to call the drug company. That was relatively painless. When you call, you'll need your insurance card, with contact info. From there, the Xiidra people call your insurance company to find out whether you are covered and what that coverage entails and then they call you back (it takes about a week but you can go pick up your free month long trial prescription during that time -- don't forget the card attached to the welcome packet). In my case, my insurance does cover Xiidra but it's a $30 co-pay so my out of pocket is $1 per day if I stay on this drug.
The reason they do it this way is that the FDA *just* approved Xiidra and some insurance companies need more hand-holding re: approval, etc. Overall, as a patient, I found the process fairly simple. The person I spoke with at Xiidra was very nice. I didn't have any questions so I'm not sure how knowledgeable they are. I was told that if your insurance company does not cover it, there may be other programs where Xiidra can help you with the cost.
My doctor warned me that the vials contain just barely enough of the drug. He wasn't kidding. They very consciously designed them for 1 time use (unlike the Restasis vials where you can get at least 2 uses). They cannot be re-capped and IF you do end up with extra, half the time you end up getting it everywhere but your eye in an effort to get it out. At least that's my experience because I have tried to get a morning and evening use out of the vial. I have not been successful yet (I'm on my 5th day). Marketing is key though and the welcome materials tell you cheerfully that they included extra solution in each vial in case you miss. My doctor told me they are actually required to have a bit of extra in there and trust me, they cut it really close.
That's all I can think of for now. If you have any non-medical questions, feel free to ask. I'll do an update down the road or sooner if I have any striking results.
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