My Xiidra Results and How I Curb Side Effects
Results. That’s the main interest of anyone suffering from life-altering dry eye disease. We want to know, “Will this treatment help me?” And while the results of different treatments vary from person to person, I am always interested in hearing others’ experiences. It gives me hope and helps me know what I might expect.
So here are my honest, to-the-point results from the eye drop Xiidra for my aqueous deficient dry eyes.
Miserable before starting on it
Overall, the medication helped me tremendously. Xiidra is a drop administered twice daily that can reduce inflammation on the surface of the eye and help the eye produce more tears. My doctor told me that patients can see results in two to twelve weeks.
When I started Xiidra, I was miserable and at a breaking point. I needed relief – fast. I was applying over-the-counter drops about every hour, and I was waking up multiple times per night to put in more drops. My eyes were gritty, achy, and bone dry. They hurt constantly; I could hardly stand it.
Dealing with Xiidra side effects
After I left my doctor’s office with my prescription, I remember sitting in my minivan in the pharmacy parking lot and applying the drops for the first time. They come in individual vials, and one drop goes in each eye.
The first time I used Xiidra, the drops stung my eyes slightly, and my vision was blurry for about thirty minutes. I got out of my vehicle and walked around the next-door bookstore until I was able to drive again. I also experienced a strange metallic taste, which is another side effect of the medication.
Later that evening, I read online about how other people take the drop to reduce side effects, and I applied their techniques. With my nighttime dose, I immediately closed my eyes after administering the drops so that they were fully absorbed into my eyes, and I leaned my head forward so that they didn’t run down the back of my throat. I stayed in this position for two to three minutes. This helped tremendously; the strange taste was much fainter. I still do this and rarely experience any side effects anymore.
Seeing results
On Xiidra, I saw results the very first day. I went to bed and woke up the next morning in disbelief that I had slept through the night for the first time in months. I didn't have to wake up and apply drops as I had been doing.
I saw continued improvement, with a noticeable boost at about two weeks. Because the medication was reducing inflammation, I was finally producing tears. While I still had dryness, my eyes felt considerably better, particularly in the mornings. The aching feeling went away, and my eyes were much more comfortable.
Multiple lines of treatment
I did not see any dramatic change between two and twelve weeks, and at the end of that time period, my eyes were still not back to normal. When I went to my doctor for a follow-up visit, we determined that I have some evaporative dry eye issues as well. So we are now working on improving the oil layer of my tears. Dry eye is a complicated disease and often requires multiple lines of treatment.
In summary, I am grateful for this medication. It brought me out of a really difficult place and put me on a path to healing.
Have you tried Xiidra? If so, what were your results?
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