Brimonidine and brinzolamide

Generic name: Brimonidine And Brinzolamide
Drug class: Ophthalmic glaucoma agents

Usage of Brimonidine and brinzolamide

Brinzolamide ophthalmic" href="/drugs/brimonidine-and-brinzolamide-ophthalmic-2049/">Brimonidine and Brinzolamide ophthalmic (eye) drops is used to treat increased pressure in the eye caused by open-angle glaucoma or a condition called ocular (eye) hypertension. Both eye conditions are caused by high pressure in your eye and can lead to pain from pressure in your eye and then can eventually harm your vision. This medicine can help you keep your sight by reducing the pressure in your eye and stopping eye pain.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Brimonidine and brinzolamide side effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

More common

Blurred vision

discoloration of the white part of the eye

eye irritation or redness

Less common

Decreased vision

eye pain

eyes sensitive to light

red, sore eyes

Rare

Burning, dry, or itching eyes

discharge or excessive tearing

hives or welts

redness, pain, or swelling of the eye, eyelid, or inner lining of the eyelid

skin rash

Incidence not known

Chest pain, discomfort, or tightness

constricted, pinpoint, or small pupils (black part of the eye)

fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse

fever

hoarseness

irritation

itching

joint pain, stiffness, or swelling

lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting

redness of the skin

slow or irregular heartbeat

swelling of the eyelids, face, lips, hands, or feet

tearing

throbbing pain

trouble breathing or swallowing

unusual tiredness

Incidence not known

Blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin

chills

cough

diarrhea

muscle pain

red irritated eyes

red skin lesions, often with a purple center

sore throat

sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips

Get emergency help immediately if any of the following symptoms of overdose occur:

Symptoms of overdose

Confusion

dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position

muscle cramps or pain

numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness in the hands or feet

seizures

sweating

trembling

weakness and heaviness of the legs

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

Burning and stinging sensation

change in color vision

change in taste

difficulty seeing at night

drowsiness

feeling of having something in the eye

headache

increase in blood flow to the whites of the eyes

increased sensitivity of the eyes to sunlight

lack or loss of strength

loss of taste

paleness of the eye or inner lining of the eyelid

redness and tiny bumps on the lining of the eyelid

Less common

Dry eyes

dry mouth

muscle pain

sneezing

stuffy or runny nose

trouble sleeping

Rare

Acid or sour stomach

belching

body aches or pain

cough

crusting in the corner of the eye

double vision

dryness or soreness of the throat

excessive muscle tone

hair loss or thinning of the hair

heartburn

hoarseness

indigestion

muscle stiffness, tension, or tightness

nausea

stomach discomfort, upset, or pain

tender, swollen glands in the neck

voice changes

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Brimonidine and brinzolamide

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Use of Simbrinza™ is not recommended in children younger than 2 years of age.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of Simbrinza™ in the elderly.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Aspirin

Ceritinib

Iobenguane I 131

Memantine

Metformin

Topiramate

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Relate drugs

How to use Brimonidine and brinzolamide

Your eye doctor will tell you how much of this medicine to use and how often. Do not use more medicine or use it more often than your doctor tells you to.

If you are wearing contact lenses, remove them before you use this medicine. Wait at least 15 minutes before putting the contact lenses back in.

To use the eye drops:

Wash your hands with soap and water.

Shake the eye drops well just before each use.

Lie down or tilt your head back. With your index finger, pull down the lower lid of your eye to form a pocket.

Hold the dropper close to your eye with the other hand. Drop the correct number of drops into the pocket made between your lower lid and eyeball.

Gently close your eyes. Place your index finger over the inner corner of your eye for 1 minute.

If you think you did not get the drop of medicine into your eye properly, repeat the process with another drop.

Do not rinse or wipe the dropper or allow it to touch anything, including your eye.

Put the cap on the bottle right away.

Wash your hands after using the eye drops to remove any medicine.

Do not use this medicine if the solution changes color or becomes cloudy.

To keep the medicine as germ-free as possible, do not touch the applicator tip to any surface (including the eye). Also, keep the container tightly closed. Serious damage to the eye and possible loss of vision may result from using contaminated eye drops.

This medicine can be used with other eye drops. Wait at least 5 minutes before using other eye drops. This will help prevent the second medicine from “washing out” the first one.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

For ophthalmic dosage form (eye drops):

For glaucoma or hypertension of the eye:

Adults—Instill one drop in the affected eye(s) 3 times a day.

Children 2 years of age and older—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Children younger than 2 years of age—Use is not recommended.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

You may also keep the medicine in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

Warnings

It is very important that your doctor check your or your child's progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects.

If itching, redness, swelling, or other signs of eye or eyelid irritation occur, check with your doctor. These signs may mean that you are allergic to brimonidine or brinzolamide.

Serious allergic and skin reactions (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis) may occur while using this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have black, tarry stools, blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, chills, dark urine, joint or muscle pain, rash, red skin lesions, often with a purple center, sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips, unusual bleeding or bruising, unusual tiredness or weakness, or yellow eyes or skin.

If you hurt your eye, develop an eye infection, or need to have an eye surgery, talk with your doctor right away. Your doctor may want you or your child to use a new bottle of eye drops to help prevent an eye infection or keep an infection from getting worse.

You should not use this medicine together with acetazolamide (Ak-Zol®, Diamox®), dorzolamide (Cosopt®, Trusopt®), or methazolamide (Neptazane®). Using these medicines together may increase risk for unwanted effects.

This medicine may cause blurred vision or other vision problems. If any of these occur, do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are not able to see well. If these reactions are especially bothersome, check with your doctor.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.