Azasite Rocks (Take 2)

[skygoddess]

Blepharitis,
I only wish it meant nothing to me.
There are definitely varying degrees of this. To me it means, swelling, extremely painful eyelash follicles , tearing, crusting, abrasions, depression.

I understand the upcoming version of Azasite Plus will contain some sort of anti inflammatory, maybe a steroid, I am not sure .

I tried all the steroid drops, did not really help me though.

[EllMitcho]

Hi

Does anyone know if Azasite is available in the UK at all?

Thanx

EllMitcho

[skygoddess]

EllMitcho,

I hope I have finally found the Holy Water. It still seems to be helping enormously.
The name of the drug is azithromycin ophthalmic solution 1%, if that helps.

[NYer]

That's interesting. That's the same drug as oral Zithromax (also called "Z-Pack") that it often prescribed for upper respiratory conditions like bronchitis and sinusitis. I've found it to be a really easy to take antibiotic that doesn't cause any of the typical antibiotic side effects and works very well. It doesn't suprise me that the topical would work so well in eyes. I'm absolutely asking my eye doctor for it at my appointment next week.

[NYer]

Does Azasite sting?

Hi guys,
I saw Dr. L yesterday and he prescribed Azasite for me. (I told him that you all were raving about it and I wanted to give it a try.) I'm picking it up later today. But he told me that many people find that it stings - and when I asked how long the sting lasts, he said that some people stop taking it altogether because the stinging is so much of an issue.
Sooo.....what do you all have to say about that? Anybody have problems with Azasite stinging? If so, how long did the stinging last? Was there anything you were able to do to alleviate it?
Thanks!

[skygoddess]

Yes, it hurts like heck. But not every time oddly. But I saw such a dramatic improvement I can tolerate it. It only last approximately 10 or 20 minutes. I usually try to time it whenever I have a break. I get up a few minutes early, put the drops in and then lay back down till it passes. I do the same at night.
I have numbed my eyelids with ice beforehand. I do not recommend doing that afterwards, as it washes the medication off my lids.
I read where one Dr. reported his patients had had success by applying a drop topically to the area, so I put any excess along my lash line, instead of blotting the excess off, like the instructions state. My lids have improved, so I am keepng it up.

[NYer]

Yay! This thread is working again. Thanks Rebecca!

OK, tomorrow I will start the Azasite...armed with ice cubes and a vial of Systane to put in before-hand.

Hopefully, there won't be any screaming.

[GinaJ]

Hi. I was on azasite about 4 weeks ago for 2 weeks. My eyes look cosmeticly better but they feel the same as soreness wise. I had little styes though and they seemed to fall off more using this. It was my most tolerated drop so far. Good luck

[NYer]

Well, I started the Azasite this morning. I was all ready for the stinging but it didn't happen!! I put it in my left eye and waited two minutes just in case there was a problem, but it was fine. I put it in my right eye and that was fine, too. I had a little bit of a sting in the outside corner of my right eyelid for about five minutes but it was nothing worth even reporting.
So, I was dreading this for nothing.
I'm supposed to be on it for a month. I'll keep you guys updated with any changes. One thing I did notice just a few minutes ago is that it does leave some dry crusty stuff on the lashes and lids, so I gently wiped them with a warm washcloth and then did the wet Q-Tip treatment and got rid of all the bits.
Gina, it's interesting to hear that it made a cosmetic improvement but nothing more than that. But I wonder if that's because of the length of time. Since this is an off-label use (it's labeled for pink-eye for 7 days), maybe the doctors haven't figured out the best length of time for bleph yet. I'm not thrilled about being on an antibiotic for a month, but I'll take it a week at a time and see how it goes.

[pbeinetti]

I just started using Azasite -- Dr suggested it for MGD which has not responded to anything else. My eyes are getting incredible starbursts and halos from the cornea irregularities, I guess. What has been the success of Azasite? I used one drop, for the first time, this morning and thought I was going to go through the roof witrh stinging and burning.

[NYer]

PB, I heard about the stinging and burning and was prepared for it, although I did not experience it. I did do the following:
1. Make sure you refrigerate the Azasite. You're supposed to anyway but also this helps cool off your eyes when you put it in.
2. Don't put it in as soon as you wake up when your eyes are sore. Wait until you've washed your face, splashed some water in your eyes and had a glass of water so your body fluids are working.
3. Put some artificial tears in your eyes (I use Systane Preservative Free).
4. Wait a little while and THEN put the Azasite in.

I strongly suspect that the level of stinging has to do with the level of irritation that you already have. So you want to at least get your eyes to their most comfortable point BEFORE you put in the Azasite.

By the way, the first two days, you do it morning and evening but after that, only do it in the evening.
Other people have recommended that you do it and then relax and lay down and close your eyes so that if there is still stinging, it doesn't interfere with what you're doing.

[pbeinetti]

NYer:

Thanks for your tips. The refrigeration idea makes sense. The drops have BAK as the preservative, so I doubt they need to be refrigerated. But, the idea of cooling them is good. My eyes are VERY irritated, especially the lids, so I suspect that's why I'm getting so much stinging. I also think I'm 'allergic' to BAK, so that could be part of the problem. My Doc wants me to try Azasite to see if I get any relief -- AND, since he hasn't Rx'ed it for any other patients I think he wants me to be the guinea pig. I think lying down after administering the drops is also a good idea.

Thanks,

Peter

[GinaJ]

Hi. Well I did the drop for 14 days as long as you can they said. About the fridge. I called the 1800 number when I was using it cause it stung my eyes too. Anyhow they said to keep it in the fridge but take it out an hour before use othersie it will become too thick in your eye. As the time went by my stinging got less. The other drops I tried like zylet and zymar I could only do for a few days I could not tolerate it but this one I did just no feeling change.

[pbeinetti]

My Dr. talked with the Azasite rep today about the stinging and burning. She said that the worse the tear film is the more it will sting going in, she recommended one of two things should be done. 1. Try using a preservative free artificial tear about 5 minutes before using the Azasite and then use another about 10 minutes after using it. 2. Using your clean finger just rub the Azasite on the lids themselves without putting any drops in the eyes.

[NYer]

Rubbing it on your lids is good (you are supposed to do that with the excess) but just doing that and not putting it in your eyes won't help the inside of your lids.