Azasite Rocks (Take 2)

[Brighteyes]

How long does Azasite generally last? I just bought my second bottle 5 days ago (1 drop/eye 1x/day) and I'm already out. I don't apply liberally either. I'm having a hard time getting the stuff out to begin with and then it seems like it only lasts a few days - the pharmacy said it should last a couple weeks. Anyone else having this problem. I really don't want to spend $50/week on this stuff.

[Judy]

Hi, Just curious if Azasite helps remove redness from eyes? Sorry if this was answered way ahead in this stream! Thanks!

[skygoddess]

How long does Azasite generally last? I just bought my second bottle 5 days ago (1 drop/eye 1x/day) and I'm already out. I don't apply liberally either. I'm having a hard time getting the stuff out to begin with and then it seems like it only lasts a few days - the pharmacy said it should last a couple weeks. Anyone else having this problem. I really don't want to spend $50/week on this stuff.

Where are you finding it for $50? Unfortunately the cheapest I have seen is $70 at K-Mart.
The medicine is actually a 9 drop cure for pink eye.
The blepharitis thing is an off label use.
There is a Axasite Plus in phase 4 trials, It is specifically targeted for blepharitis . But that is where the idea for the off label use comes from.
I am just hoping the new version will have more in the bottle.
I am currently going to work just to pay for this stuff.
But it has helped me more than anything else has , so I keep it up.

[Brighteyes]

Hey skygoddess,

Yeah, it definitely helps but it is really expensive. I get it at Savon Pharmacy. I have a huge deductible so I don't think its covered yet - but I could be wrong about that. I just know that I paid between 40 and 50 each time.

[Jade]

Azasite

My eye doctor gave me Azasite because I asked him about trying a new antibiotic to try to help my MGD. I had used erythromycin ointment last summer with good results for a couple of months. I've also tried tobramycin. I find Azasite very irritating. I'm only on a course of it for 7 days. Has anyone had significantly decreased dry eye symptoms after completing a course of it? Also, are some of you taking it on a long-term basis? If so, have your doctors told you if there is some benefit to this?

[skygoddess]

Diana,
Azasite is not for dry eye. It is being used for the treatment of blepharitis.
I sat next to a nice eye Dr. on a flight recently, who noticed I was having a bad day, and he talked to me for quite some time.
He told me that long term use probably is not a good idea. But since this is still an experimental usage, something my Dr. also stressed,
no one yet knows what the long term effects will be.
I am willing to take the risk, because my blepharitis is severe, recurring, and making my life miserable.

[NYer]

Sky, how did you manage to park yourself next to a nice eye doctor on your flight? I always get stuck next to big fat armrest-stealing people with nothing interesting to talk about (and who certainly no nothing about dry eyes)!

[skygoddess]

Luck or God , not sure which. I was putting ice on my eye, and he kept asking if I was OK. I just kept repeating I was fine,
Ocular Rosacea is just to complicated to explain to most, especially since I don't even understand it .
Curiosity must have finally got to him, and he blurted out he was a Opthamologist.
( By the way, we call them people of size )

[Jade]

Hi, Skygoddess,
My doctor says my lid edges look characteristic of rosacea. Tell me more about your blepharitis. Do you have plugged meibomian glands? Thanks.
Diana

[skygoddess]

Diana,
I wish I understood Rosacea better. When your Dr says, " Lids are characteristic of Rosacea"
exactly what is that? Mine have visible red veins. My lid line is swollen also.
I find a disconnect between my Opthamologist and Dermatologist.
My Dermatologist spotted and treated my Rosacea aggressively at my first visit.
I had to go down a checklist of possible Rosacea complications ,with my Opthamologist, reminding him I had experienced them all,
to get him to agree that I even had Rosacea.
This was frustrating to me because they just said they "saw no evident redness." HELLO! It is called MAKEUP!
And some people can have NO facial symptoms at all.

Sorry , just venting.

My Blepharitis always starts in my lash follicle's. They feel tender, and hard.
Then it spreads to my lids. It is usually in the outer corners.

[Rick]

Skygoddess,

My ophthalmologist (arrogent as could be and he won't give me the time of day with my questions) says that Azasite contains a steroid and that's why it works (by reducing inflamation). If that's true, then a simple steroid like FML should work just the same, except that the typical longterm possible side-effects are glaucoma and cataracts. Did your doc mention anything about steroids in Azasite?

[NYer]

Azasite does NOT contain any steroids. It's an antibiotic and that's all it is. The antibiotic is called Azythromicin.

[Rick]

Well that figures. Not only is my doc fully involved in research for dry eyes and has not helped me at all (in years), but now I find he also feeds me misinformation.

Thanks for the quick reply.

[skygoddess]

Rick,
Look for a new Dr! Azasite may or may not work for you, that is one topic to discuss. But steroid ? Absolutely not.

[Brighteyes]

So, after my initial complaint, I have figured out how to squeeze almost two weeks worth out of that bottle. Squeezing the crap out of the thing doesn't work - you have to turn it upside down and wait about 10-20 seconds before lightly applying pressure. I should probably say it isn't a miracle drug for me, not in the least, but I have found some relief from 1 1/2 weeks use.