Well I'm into Durezol now

Post here to exchange iritis general information and support with others.

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specedteacher
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:34 am

Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by specedteacher »

The iritis flared up in my right eye this morning so I've started with Durezol. Fortunately I have a few samples that are tiding me over until my bottle comes in tomorrow ($118 for the thing). Dr. Gross has heard of and seen good results with this new med and he wanted me on it the next time I had a flare up. I've been on it every 4 hours and the results are already showing. The redness is greatly decreased and the pain is already going away. He told me it would get the flare ups under control faster and with less use of meds, and he's been right on both counts.

The hemetropine(sp) is still screwing up my vision and will until at least Thursday, but otherwise this stuff is working a whole lot better and faster than the prednisilone(sp).

Has anybody else tried Durezol?
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

we have had a couple of people on it with rapid results. Dr Foster's study on it was very promising requiring half the number of daily drops to get the anterior uveitis under control. it is still a steroid and if possible it is suggested that one who has recurrent or chronic uveitis employ a corticosteroid sparing approach to treatment to help prevent long term consequences of corticosteroid use to the eye.

wish you the best,
Mike
Mike Bartolatz
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Sheila
Posts: 106
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:04 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Sheila »

Wow, I'd like to try this. PredForte has messed up my eyes, the amount I've had to use over the 4-1/2 years. :) Spendy ... no problem if I still had my good pharmacy deal, but no can do right now. I'll be following this, though! :)
Ralph
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:49 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Ralph »

I just went on it Tuesday and I can't believe the results. After close to 20 years of episodes every two or three years, I finally have eye drops that do something. My usual episode is about 2 months. This includes futile attempts of treatment with Pred Forte where I poured countless bottles into my eyes. I suspect it has the same effect as water. Invariably I go on oral steroids in order for the condition to clear up. When I first used this med, my pain in my really bad eye went away almost instantly. That included light sensitivity pain. I couldn't believe it. I had a small amount of light pain in my other eye and didn't start treating that eye with this new med until Wednesday after my doctor made sure my really bad eye didn't have an adverse reaction. Once again, the light sensitivity went away almost instantly with my left eye. Today, my really bad eye is almost completely cleared up in terms of being bloodshot. I nearly hugged my doctor this morning. I suspect my vision will be perfect by Monday if things continue.

Given the fact that I have high blood pressure (I blame this on the periodic use of oral steroids), I had to stop taking oral steroids because they were making me sick (dull headache, dizzy, nearly fainted). How do you spell stroke? Given that the oral steroid option was off the table, this med is a God send.

I am nothing short of amazed at this point. I await the adverse side effects but at the same time remain cautiously optimistic. I will report any bad side effects if I have any.
specedteacher
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:34 am

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by specedteacher »

We'll I've been on it almost 2 weeks now and am well into scaling it back. I'm at 3x a day from the original every 4 hours. I saw the Dr. 2 days after starting it. He could barely even see any cells. Other than some eye dryness and a little more sensitivity to light (while using the hemotrop.) than usual there have been no other side effects. The predforte tended to mess w/ my stomach among other things. Also I am nowhere near as touchy as I am when I was on the other stuff. Overall I have to pronounce the Durezol as being hugely successful. My pressures were also very good. The eye using the meds is at 15. That's even a bit lower than it tends to be with the predfort.

I'm very curious to see how I do in a few weeks when I am totally off the meds. Will the iritis stay away? For how long?

BTW the bottle was $118 but my insurance knocked that down to $65, the same as my pred. On the bad side, this bottle is about 1/3 the amount. For me to buy the same amount of meds as before would be $180! Fortunately the I use less of the Durezol.

Let me know how the rest of you do and I'll keep y'all posted.

Happy early Passover for those of you who are celebrating with me. If you are an Easter person, Happy early Easter.
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

Thank you both for your feedback.
there is another post as an announcement that indicates that the Company that makes this will give a coupon through the doctor to pay part of the Copay for insurance, they also have a plan for those without insurance. the lady who contacted me is supposed to get back with additional information. you might provide her with your doctors email or contact information so that she can provide the coupons and other information for the non insured stuff.

I look forward to continued posts such as those which you have posted here.
thank you very much for this feedback.

I am amazed that your very complicated uveitis is quelled by this Ralph. have you thought about taking an oral NSAID to see if you can break the recurrent nature of the beast called uveitis? Celebrex, dolobid (difusinal), naprosyn (naproxen sodium) and Indomethacin SR all work well to control and often to get one to remission. celebrex is a cox1 and a cox1 inhibitor wheras the other NSAID,s are Cox1 inhibitors and you might need to take a proton pump inhibitor such as prilosec etc to keep the stomach upset to a minimum. the routine is to get to an off all steroids without inflammation situation then stay at a PRESCRIPTION strength dose for two years. then taper off with half the recommended dose for an additional six months and then stop. usually you will know within the first six months if it will work. if it doesn't then you can move on to DMARD drugs to retrain your immune system to stop attacking the eyes. the goal is to get to a dose on the DMARD drug where your eyes are quiet off all steroid without inflammation, then the clock starts ticking to retrain the immune syste by continuing for TWO YEARS, then a taper off.

wish you the very best,
mike
Mike Bartolatz
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Ralph
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:49 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Ralph »

Hi Mike,
Thanks for all the advice. I saw a rheumatologist about 6 years ago. He screened me for other diseases that are normally associated with Iritis and he didn't find anything. At that point in time, he offered me the option of going on any number of bio-engineered drugs. I believe Celebrex was one of the options he gave me. At that time, they were very expensive (around ~30K a year). In addition, he wanted me to keep up on my flu shots in order for me to be treated. I didn't have another outbreak until 07 and I wasn't keeping up with my shots. With this latest outbreak, I nearly fainted on the oral steroids. It is clear that the oral steroids aren't an option anymore. I went in Tuesday hoping to get an injection in my eye. I had an injection years ago and that worked fine with the exception that it spread to my other eye after the injection. My regular doctor was on vacation and his stand in offered me these new eye drops. Hopefully it was a stroke of luck.

If the eye drops don't turn out to be the panacea they appear to be, I'll have to re-evaluate my situation.
1. Injections. I haven't researched all the side effects of this.
2. Bio-engineered rheumatology meds. Given all the bad publicity regarding heart attacks and strokes, I am a little concerned about this option.

This is the first I have heard of DMARD drugs and I'll research it per your post. Remember, I generally have an episode once every two or three years of a duration lasting about two months. I am not sure if taking meds year round will prove anything. I would hate to take meds for two years and then have an episode a year later. Right now I haven't any eye pressure problems with the steroids but should I develop them, I'll be forced to take an alternative route.

Thanks for the advice and thanks for the forum.
Regards,
Ralph
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

I don't know if they would start a steroid sparing treatment program if you go two years at a time between bouts of uveitis.
Clebrex is an NSAID, different class than Ibuprofen or Naprosyn, it would cost probably 130 bucks a month.
the biologicals such as remicade and humira cost in the 30 grand range but depending on your income, the manufacturer will often pick up allot of the costs.

Durezol iS NOT a miracle drug. it is a steroid and it has problems too just as does Pred forte, generic prednisilone acetated, FMl, Lotemax etc. it is just that it is much easier to live with 4 times a day vs 8 times a day in dosing. it has performed well in the after cataract surgery treatment to help prevent first bout or recurrent bout of uveitis.

wish you hte best,
Mike
Mike Bartolatz
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Ralph
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:49 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Ralph »

Mike,
You are right that Durezol is not a miracle drug. That said, given my high blood pressure and the prospects of continued oral steroid use and given the fact that I am one of those 12.5% who do not respond to Pred Forte, I do consider it a God send at this point. My eye is almost 100% and that was accomplished in under two weeks. I see the doc tomorrow and I suspect we will begin to scale back the drops. After reading Ms. Benton's latest post, I feel my response to this drug was no fluke.
Regards,
Ralph
Mike Bartolatz
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Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

Ralph,
let us know how the followup appointment goes for you. I hope your eyes will be quiet and that this stuff won't come back for you.

Wish you the best,
Mike
Mike Bartolatz
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tootle
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:01 am

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by tootle »

Well...I start on Durezol 10 days ago. As for helping my uveitis...yes it has. I'm clearing up with scare flare and few cells. However, since I started using it,I've had problems seeing at a distance. I talked to my MD about this..she said that she would check me for glasses whenever I was completely clear and off everything. But I don't understand...my vision changed overnight. I'm really cuious to see if it returns to normal once I'm off of my drops. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm still up in the air about my opinion of Durezol...I'll let ya'll know how everthing turns out!!
Lulu
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:51 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Lulu »

i had iritis for almost three straight months with just a few days here and there of "quiet". I took durezol in late May and it did clear things up very quickly and for almost a month my eyes were pretty calm, but my eye pressure started going up (it was in the the teens with pred forte and went up to the mid/high 20s on durezol). So I was switched back to pred forte and a week after I did that my eyes flared up again. So, it was very helpful with getting me some relief for more than a few days--almost a month without a flare up on durezol), but I did get the pressure issue. Good luck!
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

Tootle,
are you on a dilating drop as well as the durezol? this could explain your blur of vision. steroids can also blur vision a bit.
once your eyes are quiet, no sign of inflammation in the BACK of the, then after about 3 to 6 weeks your eyes should return to about normal. you might not need glasses. if you do get them, MAKE SURE TO BUY INSURANCE which will give you new lenses if your prescription +1 cells is quiet, no need to treat. so a couple of cells pesent is quiet. the same for flare which is protein in the aqueous fluid or the Vitreous fluid. over ten cells is equal to +1 cells, anything less is considered to be quiet.

wish you the best,
mike
Mike Bartolatz
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matphotocards
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:28 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now, now off of it

Post by matphotocards »

I am 48. In June I almost lost sight in my left eye due to Uveitis. In my lifetime, this was my 3rd bout with it, but this was the worst. I had a steroid eye injection, and had been on Predeforte every hour and Atropine dilating drops 1x a day, until September starting out in June every hour, then dropping Predeforte to a few times a day by September, stopping the Atropine. By September my IOP went up to 26, and the inflammation was there but better, and the Dr switched me to Durezol. He gave me a choice between Durezol and Lotemax and I chose the Durezol based on people's postings here. I went to the Dr today, October 30th, having been on Durezol for a little over a month, and my pressure is now up to 33, and my vision is slightly blurred. I was not using dilating drops. I told the Dr that I don't want to be on steroids anymore. The Doctor also noticed that my cornea seems "rough", dry and irritated since using Durezol, which is another reason he is taking me off of it. He told me that Durezol and Lotemax are not steroids, that they are non-steroidal. That confused me. I'm looking at the paper inserts and online and they seem to be steroids. Are they or aren't they? So now I am to take Lotemax for one week, once a day, and then stop those drops altogether. Starting today I am using Combigan 1x a day to decrease the pressure. He also gave OTC Refresh Optive lubricant for the irritation.

I forgot to also mention that I have the HLA-B27 antigen and painful joints, especially the shoulders, which are threatening to "freeze", specifically the left one being the most painful. ...Interesting that it is the left eye and the left shoulder, ...must be the weakest part of my body? I am seeing a rheumatologist as well, and he is assuming I have ankylosing spondylitis, though it can't be proven. He prescribed first Naproxen and then Meloxicam since Naproxen made me nauseous. I also had 3 blood tests and an X-ray which showed nothing significant other than the HLA-B27 antigen and I am now to get an MRI on the shoulder. I am supposed to go to Physical Therapy for the shoulder, but the pain is so severe, and my sister had the same antigen and shoulder problem and PT tore something in her shoulder, so that scared me and I am not sure I want PT, though I know that cautious movement and exercise of the joint is imperative to prevent freezing.
Mike Bartolatz
Posts: 6595
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:58 pm

Re: Well I'm into Durezol now

Post by Mike Bartolatz »

Sorry you are having a rough time at the moment with pressure issue and shoulder pain. Durezol isn't supposed to be used more than a couple of weeks as it Does have risk of raising IOP in longer use. Lotemax is a mild steroid but it too can raise IOP. the NSAID Dr Foster has the best results with for HLA B27 Uveitis is Celebrex given at 200 twice a day for TWO YEARS then the taper off begins. Of course this is OFF ALL STEROIDS WITHOUT INFLAMMATION. if after a couple of months you can't get to this, then MOVE on to a DMARD drug such as Methotrexate, Cellcept alone or in combination with another class of med.
Shoulder arthritis can occur in HLA B27 arthritis. it can occur in the hands like with Psoriatic arthritis and it can occur in the feet, ankles, and Neck and lower back etc in ANY combination. Each of us is different in disease and how we respond to drugs.
I am not HLA B27 pos but I have allot of arthritis including my shoulders so I can empathize with you. the pain can be quite unbearable if the shoulder is placed in the 'wrong' position. I can never seem to tell when it will cause problems.

Wish you the very best,
mike
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