Re: (Reiter's) Iritis - Prevention / Treatment ?

[Guest guest]

If you start to get chronic uveitis/iritis most doctors will try the

Plaquenil 200mg daily at bedtime (sleep through any side effects) increasing the

dose to 400 at 3-6 months. Daily small dose of folic acid. The Plaquenil is

giving at such low doses, it hardly ever gives any side effects except a small

amount of loss of hair and blonding of hair. I was on it for many years before

they had to do more aggressive techniques....for glaucoma/iritis. If you

require months/years of steroid drops, they have come out with the new

treatment

of steroid implant...right into the eye. I wish that it was marketed many

years ago. I had read about the research being done....and now it is here. :-)

So last resort...they will put this implant in and you do not have to use

steroid drops anylonger. Best regards, Connie

_New implant helps ease chronic eye inflammation_

(http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=4681)

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[Guest guest]

Hans,

Welcome! I have had chronic iritis for about 27 years. Mine goes up and down

within a low range--the inflammation never gets severe--but it is extremely

stubborn, and never goes completely away. When I have a flare, even though the

overall inflammation is comparatively low, it is extremely difficult to suppress

the inflammation. I have also had a small cataract for about 25 years, and I

certainly know all about the droopy eyelid thing... Until the last stubborn

flare, which began last year, I was successful for many years in keeping my

iritis at a very low level most of the time by using non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory eye drops, in addition to an oral anti-inflammatory drug. The

key is that you must stay on both the oral and eye drop NSAIDs, even if your

symptoms abate. My last flare, which has finally resulted in surgery, was

caused by going off my oral NSAID due to gastritis. There are many good

non-steroidal eye drops. Lotemax worked well for me as a " maintenance "

drop, and so did Voltaren, although curiously enough Voltaren in pill form

doesn't work at all for me. The key is finding a good ophthalmologist who is

willing to prescribe the drugs even in the absence of visible inflammation, and

work with you to find the drug or combination of drugs that will do what you

need at a minimum dosage. If you can find a uveitis specialist, all the better.

Best of all is an ocular immunologist, I am told, but there aren't many of those

around. Using NSAIDS for maintenance should minimize flares necessitating the

use of steroids. Good luck--let us hear how you are doing. This is a great

group, and I know you will get lots of support.

Pat

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[Guest guest]

Hi Pat,

Thank you for your thoughtful note. I will look into NSAID drops. Do you

think that's useful

for people in whom the iritis *does* go away completely for months?

I worry about NSAIDs and the digestive tract -- I've already taken a lot of

ibuprofen. I just

saw a news segment which reported that NSAIDs also cause hypertension in many

people.

What a juggling act!

Best wishes,

-Hans.

[Guest guest]

Hans, when I was on Methotrexate, I was prescribed folic acid. My dosage was

1 mg a day. Some doctors prescribe it differently. It was by prescription.

Unless you are on Methotrexate, it isn't needed. Methotrexate lowers the

immune system and can cause mouth ulcers. The folic acid helps prevent this side

effect.

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[Guest guest]

Connie,

Thank you for this information. What is the folic acid for; how much is taken;

and is it

usually by prescription?

Best wishes,

-Hans.