Hi I'm new to the site! Have a question about FML drops.

[spmcc]

And thanks for the article spmcc! From what my doc was saying, supposedly my eyes are not balanced with the 3 layers (water, oil, mucus). So my eye produces excess mucus to compensate for the lack of the other 2. I still get eye mucus no matter what I try: eye drops, warm compresses, omega 3, doxy etc... Theoretically if I get the inflammation under control, the mucus should subside. Unfortunately lotemax only helps temporarily, so i'm trying to find another, safer, long-term alternative treatment.

Rocklobster - have you tried NAC drops? If No, you can check Leiter's list of drops... I think they have them.

spmcc so glad to hear that Tankie's doing well!! Good stuff.

Yep, always good when people leave DEZ to live their lives!

[Rocklobster]

Spmcc - I took a look at their website. WOW! How is anyone suppose to afford compounding drops on a regular basis? They have NAC drops on amazon for $30, which I am very skeptical about. I do have great insurance luckily, so I try to get my drops prescribed by the doc. I do have oily skin, that might be worth mentioning? Lotemax is still helping with the pain/inflammation, but the mucus is still always present. What's your opinion of Restasis? It destroys my eyes, but nonetheless my doc wants me to use it indefinitely.

[Rocklobster]

Any update from the doc?

[No tears in ATL]

If the Restasis is bothering you that much, then do not use it. There are some on here, including me, who could not tolerate the stuff and it made irritation much, much worse. The doctors I have seen in the past now seem to have shifted their position on its effectiveness somewhat--that it's really a 50-50 chance of working. Since allergens can be a big problem, one thing you could try is to get a recommendation from your eye specialist to send over to an allergist so that you can be a candidate for allergy shots. I'm just speculating here, but never hurts to ask.

Drops cause me more irritation. Here's what does work for me: Moisture chambers every opportunity you have, managing allergies, omega 3 supplements (no huge difference, but slight), doxycycline 20 mg, managing computer use, sleep, and stress. Serum tears may help you as a drop substitute to get over your flareup, but after awhile I didn't notice much difference with them. Doc lets me keep lotemax gel on hand and says pressure increase is low risk as compared to some of the stronger steroids as long as you don't go crazy with them (once a day a few times a week is ok).

[No tears in ATL]

One more thing: Just upper plugs. Had uppers done with lowers and it caused the same problem you described, looked like I had been crying all day.

[Rocklobster]

Thanks for the reply ATL,

I actually have been to an allergist before. Apparently I am allergic to dust mites and various types of grasses. He honestly was not much help. Recommended taking an antihistamine and to wash my sheets once a week. I'm still trying to use Restasis at least once a day, my doc said that was the ultimate goal: to ween me off lotemax and rely strictly on restasis. I'm feeling like I can't even make it through the day without lotemax :/, it helps a lot with the redness and pain. Where do you get serum drops? I heard they are very pricey. Between drops and doc fees, i'm already a thousand plus in the hole with no progess... google and this wonderful board has been much more help than any ophthalmologists I have been to.

[No tears in ATL]

My serum drops were a bit expensive, around $170 per batch, and not covered by insurance. My clinic offered them as a service, but depending on where you are, you'll have to research where to find a compounding pharmacy that produces these. Some university hospitals will do them for you--you'll just have to do research. I would get one draw every 8 weeks, but could stretch the drops to 10-12 weeks, since I usually ended up with a lot of serum from the draw. I was spending about $850 per year on the drops, plus the $45 cost to the clinic for the draw. I used them about 5-6 times a day only. A rare few use them 8 times a day.

The serum only got me over the hump by allowing me to put something in my eye that wasn't as irritating. However, you have to be careful, because there were times I felt that the drops were washing away all the oils, and it was uncomfortable. For me, it was a little something that got me over a bad period, so worth looking at.

[Gerri55455]

thedude,

Nothing I've tried helps it seems, even the FML drops have lost effectiveness and I've only used them for 4 days. .

I can feel your pain. I wonder how you felt after stopping FML prematurely? My eyes were even worse after I stopped FML before the course of treatment was over. Hope you've found something that works. ~Gerri

[Rocklobster]

Hey Gerri or thedude,

Any updates? I've recently been put on Alrex long-term. Still having the same issues. My ophthalmologist has pretty much been useless like the rest. Trying to see what other options are out there!

[Gerri55455]

Hi Rocklobster,

My cornea specialist at a research university hospital prescribed Alrex for me when I saw him in June this year. He gave me 11 refills only asking me to go back for a check-up in three months. He assured me that this is a mild steroids so the side effects are mild. Now, I first used Alrex in 2011 and did not feel any significant improvement. Thereafter, I used FML for a month (Jan/Feb 2011) and didn't feel it was worth the trouble. Then I had a dacryocystitis in March '11 and was prescribed Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) for 10 days and Lotemax for a month. While the dacryocystitis healed, I did not feel the Lotemax did much for my dry eyes. So I switched to Doxy taking 100mg for four months (April-July 2011). Doxy was my silver bullet but it messed up my stomach pretty badly. So when I had a flare-up in May 2013, I decided to give steroids another try. I wish I never had. I've detailed my problems in another post (http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...inging-persist!). We are all different; I am aware. As are the causes of our eye troubles and our responses to them. Personally, however, I'm done with steroids. Period. I would not use them for the life of me. I began using autologous serum tears about two weeks ago. I'll stick with these as long as I can. For now, they are helping with the severe corneal neuralgia I've developed from steroid use. I hope you find something that works for you. Just follow your instincts and keep trying what you feel may offer relief. Frankly, this site has been more helpful to me that the specialists I've seen (though I do not suggest substituting advice from this site for specialist advice). Cheers! ~Gerri

[Rocklobster]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm glad that you have a specialist who seems more involved with your condition. I've been to many ophthalmologists, and it's always the same prescription of Alrex, Lotemax, or Restasis. I tried taking Doxy, but it absolutely wreaked havoc with my stomach. Ideally I would like to refrain from using FML drops, but I have yet to find something that will help alleviate the pain. I'm a recent college graduate about to start my career in October, so I'm desperately searching for a treatment that will allow me to stare at a computer for 10+ hours a day. I did have Lasik performed when I was 18. My eyesight is fine, and supposedly everything healed correctly but I'm pretty sure lasik was the culprit for the myriad of problems I've been dealing with. I guess it's just kind of scary when the "professionals" say "Hopefully you'll grow out of it." Seriously? Haha, sorry for venting. Just trying to brainstorm and see what alternatives there are for FML drops.

[Gerri55455]

Haha, sorry for venting. Just trying to brainstorm and see what alternatives there are for FML drops.

Hello, I'm glad this site does provide the oft-needed opportunity to vent! So don't apologize for venting. You know, my experience with FML tells me that my main problem was stopping it prematurely. I simply misunderstoond the instructions and thought I was being advised not to stop is abruptly/suddenly. On two different occasions, I used FML for the entire 4-week course and did not have any after-effect. There clearly is a reason why the package insert warns against stopping prematurely! In retrospect, I wish I'd paid more attention. Hang in there! Hope you find something that allows you to begin and continue a fulfilling career. In my dry-eye journey, I've gone through phases, some harder than others ... Best. ~Gerri