Xiidra for Dry Eye Disease User Reviews (Page 2)

• Don...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 28, 2020

"Used Xiidra for three days and experienced all the awful side effects and made one eye feel gritty. Now hoping the pain in my cheeks will go away after discontinuing these acid-like drops. Good thing I got a free sample before shelling out the ridiculous amount of money they want for this."

• VOJ...
• September 15, 2019

"Suffer from dry eye disease (DED), ocular rosacea, and meibomian gland dysfunction with continuous cycles of inflammation and photophobia. Try to keep up lid scrubs, hot compress Bruder Mask, steroid drops, and artificial tears. Had LipiFlow treatment and felt immediate relief, albeit short-lived. Tried lower lid punctal plugs with minimal effectiveness, then upper plugs, and they really helped. Started Xiidra 4 months ago and no longer experiencing dry eye or photophobia. Eyes comfortable, moist, and watery. Had the burning, blurred vision, and bad taste symptoms as others described, but short-lived. Noticed huge improvement initially. Then, a few weeks ago inflammation came back accompanied by thick discharge. Thought I had an eye infection but wasn't the case. Used steroid drops and inflammation subsided, but eye mucus discharge still going strong. Didn't know eyes could produce copious amounts of sticky, thick (snot-like) mucus! I go back to the specialist next week, and if she doesn't have an answer for me, I'm stopping Xiidra. Next?"

• Jul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 13, 2019

"Beware! I spent $300 on a month’s supply of Xiidra, and I have had the worst side effects—burning eyes, metallic taste in my mouth, nasal drip tasting the medicine, and worst of all, nausea. I don’t understand how this drug was approved for use. I tried it every 12 hours for 8 days with no relief, only bad side effects. We should have a class action suit to at least get our money back for such a terrible drug!"

• Con...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 5, 2021

"I started using Xiidra 3 months ago, 1 drop in both eyes twice daily. It burns on application, and I have noticed that my vision acuity has changed for the worse. My eyes frequently itch, and I have developed an enlarged lymph node in my neck that is hard and tender to touch. I have also developed a scalp irritation (dermatitis) that extends ear to ear from the back of my neck hairline up to the middle of my scalp. It itches horribly and wakes me up in the middle of the night. Is Xiidra causing these issues? I don't know. I do know that I did not have these symptoms prior to starting Xiidra. My dry eye issues have improved somewhat but not enough to continue using Xiidra."

• Net...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 18, 2019

"I too have experienced the bad taste, and for that reason, I only use it at night and drink water after administering it. My biggest problem, and I'm noticing it more lately, are the bags under my eyes. Looking back at pics before I started this drug, I had absolutely no puffiness under my eyes. My left is worse than the right. I have been taking the drops faithfully since March of 2018. Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just genetic and coincidentally just showing up in the last four to five months? I'd appreciate feedback if anyone else has experienced this. The eye drops have made a difference, my eyes are no longer red but clear and white now. I'd be interested to hear. Thanks"

• LRL...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 18, 2019

"I have been using Xiidra for over a year when my insurance insisted that I try this rather than Restasis (go figure, it's actually more expensive). It does burn like crazy, but I do feel like my eyes have been much better, and I use significantly fewer OTC drops. My question is, has anyone else had issues with their pressures increasing? There may be no connection, but my pressures have increased significantly in this time and continue to climb despite several medication changes."

• Ber...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2019

"After cataract surgery, my eyes would always look red, and they stayed dry a lot. My eye doctor prescribed Xiidra, and it burned for a while, then stopped. One night I put the drops in my eyes, and my left eye burned so bad I couldn't stand. The next day the burning was still there, along with my eye redder than ever. I stopped the drops and went back to using my over-the-counter lubricant. My eyes feel much better. I'll never use these drops again, they are NOT for everyone!"

• Lau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2023

"Xiidra was NOT approved in Europe due to the risks outweighing the benefits. Please try something else to treat dry eyes and stay away from Xiidra. I wish I would’ve read these reviews before. I did not see a benefit from using Xiidra and noticed my eyes became watery and teary. I had to frequently wipe my tears, which was never a problem before. On the second week of using Xiidra, the inner corner of my eyes felt sore, and when I touched the area, I felt a bump that was tender. It seemed that my lacrimal sac was inflamed, which explained the teary eyes. I also began feeling nauseous the same day and threw up at night. I am a young, healthy adult that goes years without getting sick. The last time I threw up was when I was a kid. Threw away the rest of Xiidra the next day. What are they putting in these eye drops?"

• ARA...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 18, 2019

"I’ve been using Xiidra for almost a year now. My eyes were so bad that it was hard to drive, work, etc., because my eyes would be so dry and hurt so bad. The thing is, Xiidra works for my dry eye symptoms, but has caused awful sinus/throat issues. It’s so difficult to breathe, swallow, it constantly feels like there’s a huge ball of mucus in my throat. I’ve taken antibiotics and have scheduled an allergy test because I thought it was a sinus infection or allergies. Turns out it’s the eye drops, which sucks because they work."

• Jac...
• December 11, 2020

"It is a worthless product and appears to be a scam. There is not enough solution to get two good drops, and the vials are nearly empty. It was a mistake to buy and pay a load of money for the useless product. Please don't buy it, most likely will not help you."

• SLC...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 27, 2019

"At first, it cleared up my eye floaters. Expensive, but really worked. Second month, the burning was incredible, but minor floaters. Vision was blurry for about 20 minutes. As the months went on, the burning continued, vision was blurry longer, and seemed to have a lot more liquid? My Dr. basically shrugged it off. Then the sinus infections started. Worst I've ever had in my life. Now I am having bronchial/respiratory distress. Comes in waves, not able to always draw a breath when coughing. I can cough something up, it's that same bitter, nasty taste we have all learned to live with on this vile medication. Calling the Dr. tomorrow as this is day 3 of these symptoms, and I'm convinced it's the Xiidra. I'd rather have dry eye."

• Rac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 12, 2019

"Xiidra did burn every time I'd dispense a drop. It would go away pretty quickly. I did experience the awful taste. It definitely worked for my dry eyes, however, the mucus build-up was a deal breaker for me. I had terrible drainage and a plug of mucus that would never go away. I could barely swallow at times without gagging. Cold and sinus meds didn't help. I figured out it was the drops and stopped them. Sinus troubles started getting better within 3 days. It's a real shame that this happened. My eyes were definitely feeling better, but I couldn't live with the side effects."

• Kda...
• September 1, 2019

"Definitely helped with the dry eye. I used it for half a year. But... I’ve also been experiencing sinus issues and clogged/popping/ringing ears for six months. I’ve been in three rounds of steroids and seen many doctors about the sinus issues. It would never go away. I ran out of Xiidra two weeks ago. Now the issues are going away. Surprise, surprise. I’m still going to the ENT next week, but I think I figured out my six-month sinus and ear issues."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2020

"I started taking Xiidra, and I loved it, but then I started noticing dizziness and a lot of pain in my cheeks, and lots and lots of nasal discharge. Very soon, I realized that I had gotten a really bad sinus infection and am still suffering with it. Xiidra definitely worked for dry eyes, but there is no way I could take it, as it caused a severe sinus infection I have been having for several weeks."

• Bub...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2019

"I have been using this for 1.5 months. I recently used two vials in 1 eye because I felt extra dry, and it has been 3 full days now of constant eye watering in 1 eye. It has gotten so bad that the skin under and around my eye has become red and tender, so painful. I can’t get my eye to stop watering, and I am miserable. Has this happened to anyone else?"

• Mel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2019

"I have been using Xiidra for less than a month for dry eye, and within the first couple of weeks, I rushed to see my doctor with an emergency of detached gel in my right eye and a hematoma behind my right eye. I had thousands of gray spots and a dark black floater blurring my vision. My doctor told me that the reaction wasn’t from Xiidra and refilled my prescription. I continued to use it, and recently I have had large gray spots blurring my vision and darker spots floating across my vision. I believe the condition definitely is from Xiidra because I didn’t have this condition prior to taking it. My dry eye condition hasn’t improved. I stopped taking it."

• JKa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 5, 2019

"Since I started using Xiidra, I have had extreme balance issues. This is not vertigo or dizziness. Started using Xiidra approximately July 2018. August 2018, I experienced horrible one-time vertigo. After that, I had balance issues. Wondering if there is a correlation to Xiidra. Had used Restasis prior to Xiidra with no balance issues."

• ABa...
• December 31, 2020

"I have tried Restasis, over-the-counter Refresh tears and gel drops and plugs. None of these have really helped. Then I went to another eye doctor who recommended I try Xiidra. I am SO glad I did! This eye drop helps with eye inflammation too (look it up!), and I have long felt this was part of my issue. I have lupus with secondary Sjögren’s syndrome. I must look at a computer for work all day. These drops have made all the difference. In the beginning, they made my eyes burn upon instillation, some dizziness, and the metallic taste...even some sinus symptoms, but all of that subsided after a few weeks. I am so glad I stuck with it and gave these eye drops a chance!!"

• Joy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2020

"Application of product difficult, i.e., leaning head down and pinching the top of the nose between the eyes for a long period of time. Burning and pain continued for at least 20 minutes, and blurriness remained for hours after application, and a bad taste in the back of the mouth and throat for a long period of time. I continued using as prescribed, thinking side effects would disappear, but nothing changed or improved after 20 days of use. I discontinued use and contacted my eye doctor."

• VKP...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 23, 2019

"I have suffered from severe dry eye for a long time. Initially, I had been prescribed Restasis, but it turns out I’m one of the few who happens to be allergic to it. I’ve gone through an arsenal of dry eye treatments to include LipiFlow. Nothing worked. Six months ago, I looked into IOL surgery with the hopes of forgoing contacts and lessening my dry eye symptoms, but my doctor wanted to improve my tear film and production before even considering it and prescribed Xiidra. It’s very expensive without the help of insurance, even with the discount card from the manufacturer, and it stings even after religious use for the past six months. But after 10 minutes, I use a preservative-free artificial tear to remedy that. After about two months, my eyes started to feel better. They weren't as dry, and I was using artificial tears less frequently. I also no longer wanted to pluck my eyeballs out of my head, which was a good sign. My vision has improved so much that I had to change my prescription."

• Mun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2019

"I have only been using Xiidra for two weeks. Initially, I was concerned by the burning sensation and began reading reviews. It frightened me so much, I almost discontinued use. The burning sensation abated within a day or two, and I can’t believe the improvement! I tried Restasis when it first came out, but there didn’t seem to be a noticeable difference. I have gone through more OTC eye drops, warm compresses, and everything else that has been suggested. Couldn’t make it through a night without feeling as though there were shards of glass in my eyes. I use an eye ointment at night and wear an eye mask, but until Xiidra, I have had no relief. Yes, it’s expensive, and I am fortunate that my health plan covers most of the cost. But I would pay full price anyway. You only get one set of eyes. I am so thankful that this product came along!"

• nic...
• December 9, 2020

"Xiidra is totally worthless, it costs a fortune, and most of the ampules are empty! Novartis Customer Service is likewise worthless... and yet they are advertising like no tomorrow with the 'dry eye monster.' Sad to see yet another scam during this pandemic."

• Mam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2023

"I've had dry eyes for going on 50 years. I'm literally never without artificial tears nearby. I've tried everything. I'm no weenie, but I could not tolerate the stinging and burning with Xiidra. I gave it about three weeks but then stopped it. I consider the best treatment (ever) for me has been scleral lenses that keep my corneas happy. No cornea likes to be dried out, and the moisture provided by scleral lenses is priceless."

• MPa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 12, 2019

"After 3 years of taking Xiidra and it being the wonder drug that cured my dry eye disease, I began to have thick mucus in my eyes, eye pain, and extreme dryness. It has been a nightmare and took weeks and weeks before we realized that all of a sudden I could no longer tolerate the Xiidra. I am very disappointed that a drug that previously worked so well could make me so sick. With my first skipped dose, the mucus went away."

• lio...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2021

"This product is absolutely awful! It needs to be recalled. Complete waste of $70 for copay, but insurance insisted I try this first. After reading the reviews of how dangerous it is, I’m glad I only tried it for a few days randomly because I didn’t have the time to dedicate to two hours of blurred vision every time I applied the drops; forget driving to work, so I didn’t even use it in the morning. Also, it burned my eyes, feeling like I had applied lemon juice. $70 down the toilet. Rating = 0."