What (strangely) works

[btbnashua]

I have discovered that when I take Bendaryl for a few days in a row my dry eye lessens substantially, and my vision in my left eye becomes almost as crisp and sharp as that type of vision promised by my Lasik doctor (the vision in my right eye gets better as well, but not even close to the improvement in my left eye).However, unless I have a runny nose when I take the Bendaryl, if I continue to take it, my sinuses dry out and ache extremely painfully, triggering migraines. So there is my strange situtaion. I seem to have a remedy (why it works I don't know) but the side effects make it impossible to use the remedy. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Any similar experiences? Anyone want to give it a try to see if it works for you w/o the side effects? BTW--I have been allergy tested twice and have no allergies. Thanks for any input....

[clairvoyant]

Seems like you might have eye allergies. I think I have them as well but I have not tried any antihistimines or mast cell stabilizers yet. I think the trade off though is they will make dry eye worse. So maybe that + restasis? Or that + restasis + plugs? I'm hoping my problem is allergies as my eyelid symptoms get worse after I eat.

Sigh, I wish all this stuff was more cut and dry. Us patients have to be our own doc or else we're likely screwed lol.

[Lucy]

A stab in the dark.......

However, unless I have a runny nose when I take the Bendaryl, if I continue to take it, my sinuses dry out and ache extremely painfully, triggering migraines. So there is my strange situtaion. I seem to have a remedy (why it works I don't know) but the side effects make it impossible to use the remedy. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions

No similar experiences, but a shot in the dark as to why...........

If you have a runny nose (likely with inflamed sinus cavity and tubes) and take Benadryl, the medicine takes you to "normal." It decreases the extra inflammation of the tissues to a more normal state. Your symptoms of dry eye "seem better" during this time. This would be with the inflammation nuked by Benadryl.

Now--if you do not have sinus problems, therefore no inflammation, and take the Benadryl, you are starting with a normal sinus tissue situation and then take the medicine and you go to a minus optimal situation with the drying out of your sinus cavity, tubes, eyes etc.

There, I'm all done.

[sazy123]

Hi can i just ask at what point do you start to experiance relief from the dry eye? way before you develop migranes or during or just before..

I ask this coz my eyes feel great when i have face pain/headaches, but didnt notice the connection for ages..

[btbnashua]

A few replies:
--- I don't think I have eye allergies. I have tried eye allergy drops with no effect whatsoever. Further, I had no dry eye until Lasik. So it would be a surprise that an allergy would develop suddenly after Lasik. But I appreciate your idea.
---My headaches would develop quickly if I had no cold and were just taking the Bendadryl to reduce my dry eye symptoms. Basically within a day or two after taking it there would come a sinus/migraine headache that would leave me holding my aching head in my hands.
--If I had a cold, I could take the Bendadryl for the duration of the cold w/ no headaches. The dry eye relieif would appear within two-three days after starting it. I would take it only at night-time as I have a job where I can't take days off and where I can't be anything else than on top of my game--Bendaryl makes me tired, sleepy and muddles my thoughts. Again my vision would become so clear and crisp in my left eye that I would spend the days just looking at things amazed that the dry blurry vision was gone.
--Obviously this experience with Bendaryl is an excellent clue as to the source of my dry eye and a possible remedy. I just don't have the medical training to know what it indicates. (And I have been to enuff doctors to know that the average practitioner has either the time nor the inclination to do any investigation of novel ideas)

[Rojzen]

Claritin may or may not bypass the undesired Benadryl result

I have noticed a favorable effect on my eyes from the longer-acting Claritin (without "D"/decongestant), despite the conventional wisdom that antihistamines dry out our eyes. . .Would it be possible to try the Claritin as a replacement for the harsher Benadryl (taking only 1 every 24 hours, per regular Claritin usage), and then to observe whether the sinus aftermath may not develop?

This willingness to observe how our eyes respond to various inputs is so key! I love it, and some day, this kind of thing is going to trigger some major investments in new experimental directions for us. . .

[momaxwell]

I have allergies, I am allergic to everything, specifically my cats, and no, they are not going anywhere. I stopped taking my allergy meds for about 6 months and my dry eye got much worse. Then I tried my allergy medicine without the decongestant for another 6 months, dry eye not good and I would get congested and sinus headaches. I started my allergy meds again with the decongestant and my dry eye improved dramatically. I told my eye doctor, who nodded knowingly, but never explained to me why that might be, but Lucy did a good job.