Azopt eye drops: instructions for use, price and reviews

The main medications used for glaucoma are eye drops that reduce intraocular pressure.

Eye drops for glaucoma are divided according to their mechanism of action:

1. Drugs that promote the outflow of eye fluid.

2. Drugs that reduce the production of aqueous humor.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics

The active substance of the drug blocks carbonic anhydrase II , which slows down the formation of bicarbonate ions, and also reduces the transport of sodium and liquid. This causes a decrease in the production of intraocular fluid in the ciliary body of the eye. As a result, intraocular pressure decreases.

The drug penetrates the systemic bloodstream. The active component is adsorbed in red blood cells . A metabolite of N-desethyl brinzolamide is formed , which also accumulates in erythrocytes and binds to carbonic anhydrase .

The half-life is 111 days. Communication with plasma – 60%.

The active substance and its metabolite are excreted unchanged mainly in the urine.

The following drugs reduce the production of aqueous humor:

α2-adrenergic receptor agonists;
carbonic anhydrase inhibitors;
β-blockers.

α2-adrenergic receptor agonists

Clonidine (clonidine),
Brimonidine is a drug that reduces intraocular pressure more effectively than clonidine. These drugs have a dual mechanism for reducing intraocular pressure - they reduce the production of ocular fluid and cause the ciliary muscle to contract, which helps improve its outflow.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

dorzolamide hydrochloride (Trusopt),
brinzolamide (Azopt).

These drugs block the ciliary body enzyme, carbonic anhydrase. This reduces the production of aqueous humor, and as a result, a decrease in intraocular pressure occurs.

β-blockers

Proxodolol,
Timolol (arutimol, okumed, timohexal).

These drugs are contraindicated for concomitant corneal dystrophy, dry keratitis, bradyarrhythmia and bronchial asthma.

Contraindications

Drops should not be used for:

hypersensitivity to their components;
severe renal impairment.

In addition, it is undesirable to use the drug in childhood. The safety of its use in children has not been established.

Prescribe medication with caution to patients:

with angle-closure glaucoma ;
with severe liver dysfunction .

The effectiveness of the drug in these cases has not been studied.

If signs of intolerance to the drug appear, its use should be discontinued.

special instructions

When using Adopt drops, one should not forget that Brinzolamide is a sulfonamide. With its systemic absorption, severe side effects may develop, including toxic epidermal necrolysis, Steven-Johnson syndrome, aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis, and hepatonecrosis. If the instructions for use of the medicine are violated, then with repeated use the risk of developing sensitization increases. If serious consequences develop, you should immediately stop using Azopt and contact your doctor.

Azopt eye drops contain the preservative substance benzalkonium chloride. It can be deposited on the surface of contact lenses, so the latter should be removed before instillation and not put back for at least a quarter of an hour.

If the patient uses other eye drops at the same time, the interval between instillations should be about 15 minutes.

When instilling, avoid contact of the tip of the dropper with any non-sterile surfaces, including the mucous membrane of the eye. Since transient blurred vision may develop immediately after instillation of Azopt, you should not drive a vehicle or work with dangerous equipment during this period.

Side effects

Most often, when using the product, a bitter taste in the mouth and temporary blurred vision are observed immediately after instillation. The unpleasant taste most likely appears due to the penetration of eye drops into the nasopharynx. Closing your eyelids tightly after using the drug may reduce the likelihood of this reaction.

In addition, the following adverse reactions have been reported in some cases when using the medication:

infectious diseases: nasopharyngitis , sinusitis , pharyngitis ;
ophthalmological system: pain and foreign body sensation, eye hyperemia blepharitis , eye irritation and dryness , eye itching, eye discharge, corneal erosion punctate keratitis , corneal epithelial defect, precipitates in the eye, increased intraocular pressure , edema , ocular edema, diplopia , photophobia, blurred vision, conjunctival hyperemia , pterygium , asthenopia , abnormal eye sensitivity, eye hypoesthesia , formation of scales along the edges of the eyelids, conjunctivitis , increased lacrimation, keratitis , keratopathy , corneal coloring, disorders of epithelium , increased excavation of the optic disc , meibomianitis , photopsia , scleral pigmentation , keratoconjunctivitis , subconjunctival cyst , itching and swelling of the eyelids;
CVS: irregular heart rate, cardiorespiratory distress , bradycardia , angina pectoris ;
Gastrointestinal tract: dry mouth, esophagitis , nausea, indigestion, abdominal discomfort , flatulence , oral hypoesthesia , diarrhea , vomiting, pain in the upper abdomen, increased intestinal motility , stomach discomfort, paresthesia ;
skin: urticaria , rash, baldness , itching , skin thickening;
circulatory system: decreased level of red blood cells , increased amount of chlorides in the blood ;
Central nervous system: apathy , worsening mood, nightmares, nervousness, depression , insomnia , headache , drowsiness , amnesia , dizziness , irritability, impaired motor coordination, memory impairment, increased anxiety and fatigue, paresthesia ;
hearing organs: tinnitus;
respiratory system: cough, shortness of breath , pain in the throat and larynx, nasal congestion, sneezing, bronchial hyperactivity , nosebleeds, throat irritation, runny nose , dry nose;
musculoskeletal system: lower back pain, myalgia , muscle spasms ;
reproductive system: decreased libido , erectile dysfunction ;
other: pain in the chest, asthenia .

If adverse reactions occur, the use of drops should be discontinued.

AZOPT (drops)

as responsibly as possible, but it so happened that she herself came down with a fever, the husband was left to his own devices, suppressed the inflammation and that’s it, then he stopped dripping.
As a result, a week later there was a new outbreak. That’s why I insist not to self-medicate, but to go urgently to a doctor, because the second outbreak was accompanied not only by inflammation, tearing, but also by increased eye pressure. If inflammation can be noticed even by a person far from medicine, then high blood pressure is at least noticeable by those who constantly encounter it. It was my mother-in-law who pointed out to me that my husband’s blood pressure had increased. How did she determine? Firstly, the upper eyelid is swollen. Secondly, if you lightly press on the eyelid and suddenly release it, the occurrence of painful sensations may indicate that the pressure has nevertheless jumped.

At the family council, it was decided to go not just to the eye doctor, but to the regional clinic and even go to the hospital and undergo a course of treatment (drips, injections, drops), because this year alone the disease has returned 4 times, and there is still six months ahead. I won’t swear at our doctors and the entire system in general here, but we were able to get through to an ophthalmologist at our place of residence only after 10 days, when we had already recovered, thanks to at least they gave us a referral to a regional clinic.

What was the treatment - for the first few days I took Albucid and Floxal, and when I found out about high blood pressure, I took special drops - Azopt, stopped Albucid and replaced them with other anti-inflammatory drops Vitabact.

Azopt and Dorzopt were once prescribed to us by an ophthalmologist, so these were proven drops that helped lower blood pressure and did not cause side effects.

They dripped according to the instructions - twice a day - it’s very convenient, in the morning I woke up my wife - she dripped and in the evening again, in the afternoon he independently dripped only anti-inflammatory drops.

The drops are white, slightly oily. I don’t know what exactly is the matter - the density of the drops or because of the narrow dropper and long neck on the bottle, but a lot of time will pass before you get the coveted drop. So I advise you to turn it over and lightly press on the bottle, and then open your eye and drip - you shouldn’t once again make the patient wait and make him nervous. Moreover, I myself even began to get nervous, when will the drop appear?!

The shelf life is 2 years, after opening it can be stored for only 4 weeks, while the drops are quite expensive, costing 700-800 rubles. Volume - 5 ml.

After instillation there are no unpleasant sensations. If we talk about effectiveness, then the drops are certainly excellent, this was noticeable both from the external condition of the eye, and then at an appointment with the ophthalmologist (after 10 days), when the doctor said that the pressure was normal and stopped using the drops.

Does it make sense to buy them? Of course yes, if prescribed by a doctor.

Azopt instructions:

Of course, it’s better not to know about the existence of these drops at all, but since this is the situation, we treat them. It’s good that they help quickly and do not cause side effects, otherwise the list of possible ailments is downright scary.

Interaction

carbonic anhydrase inhibitors intended for oral use, as this increases the risk of side effects. Salicylates in high doses also increase the likelihood of adverse reactions.