Lumigan - why at night?

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dcheesi@hotmail.com - 23 Jun 2007 12:48 GMT

I've been taking Lumigan for a while now, and I've been told that I
should take it at night, preferably at bedtime. But what I've never
gotten a clear answer for is *why* it needs to be at night? I thought
I'd be able to Google the answer, but I can't find any references.
Does anyone know the reasoning behind this?

Part of the reason I ask is that I sometimes forget, and I'm wondering
how late is too late to take the drops? Obviously you want to avoid
doubling-up doses, but I'm wondering about other effects as well; does
a dose in the early morning do more harm than good somehow?

I also want to look into how early I can take them, as putting the
drops in right at bedtime seems to keep me awake for a while (not sure
if it's the drug or just the act of putting drops in my eyes...). My
doctor mentioned 8pm, but again I'm wondering how 'bad' it would be if
I went outside the time range (eg. 6pm when I get home)?

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Michael Daly - 23 Jun 2007 16:33 GMT

> I've been taking Lumigan for a while now, and I've been told that I
> should take it at night, preferably at bedtime. But what I've never
> gotten a clear answer for is *why* it needs to be at night? I thought
> I'd be able to Google the answer, but I can't find any references.
> Does anyone know the reasoning behind this?

I can't see anything online, including info from Lumigan, that states
that you should take it at night.

One thing I can think of, though, is studies have shown that for a
significant part of the population, intra-ocular pressure seems to peak
overnight (while others see peaks in the day). Perhaps your doctor is
just trying to play the odds and get your medication closest to your
likely peak pressure period.

Many eye drops have side effects that are only noticeable for a short
period after administering. Taking them before bed minimizes the impact
of these things on the patient's life/activities. That may be another
unstated reason. If, for example, you experience short term blurring
immediately after taking them, take that into account.

Lumigan sounds like it's similar to Xalatan and Travatan - I've taken
the latter two and my doctor has suggested switching me to Lumigan last
time I saw him. These two have negligible side effects on me compared
to other types of eye meds, so I don't think taking them at night is a
big deal as far as side effects goes.

> Part of the reason I ask is that I sometimes forget, and I'm wondering
> how late is too late to take the drops? Obviously you want to avoid
> doubling-up doses, but I'm wondering about other effects as well; does
> a dose in the early morning do more harm than good somehow?

Taking them is more important than anything else. You _really_ want to
control the pressure. If you forget at night, take them the next
morning. Overdosing is not an issue with this stuff.

> I also want to look into how early I can take them, as putting the
> drops in right at bedtime seems to keep me awake for a while (not sure
> if it's the drug or just the act of putting drops in my eyes...).

Just take them when it's convenient for you. I've noticed that taking
my eye meds seems to wake me up late at night too. I tend to take them
about an hour or more prior to bed. Experiment until you are
comfortable with the meds. Taking them is important - worrying about
them is not useful.

Mike

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NewsG - 23 Jun 2007 23:01 GMT

You take it at night because that's what the package insert says. Always
read these things first.

"DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
The recommended dosage is one drop in the affected eye(s) once daily in
the EVENING."

http://www.agingeye.net/glaucoma/lumigan.pdf

If you need to know why or want to choose a different time of day, I
would ask a doctor or the manufacturer.

Bill

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dcheesi@hotmail.com - 25 Jun 2007 00:59 GMT

> You take it at night because that's what the package insert says. Always
> read these things first.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Bill

The funny thing is, when I first started taking them the pharmacy
labels did *not* mention taking them in the night/evening. But
recently that has changed. But I still see no evidence online for any
strong reason for it; on the contrary, a few pages mention that early
studies pointed to greater potency at night, but later studies didn't
bear that out; so I'm wondering if all this at-night business is just
a leftover of those early mistaken conclusions?

I'll try to ask my doctor on the next visit, but somehow I never seem
to manage to bring it up when I'm in there...

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notheretoo@hotmail.com - 24 Jun 2007 02:19 GMT

Here are some answers, extracted from the Wills site:

P: Why is it recommended that prostaglandins be taken at night?
Dr. Rick Wilson: Because they dilate the vessels on the surface of
the eye, and it is cosmetically more acceptable to have a red eye
while you sleep rather than all morning.
(http://willsglaucoma.org/supportgroup/20050216.php)

P: My routine is to instill the eyedrop, Travatan, just before I go
to bed. That time varies by four or even five hours. Is there a
problem with that much variation?
Dr. Rick Wilson: Not really, because the prostaglandins are such long-
acting drugs.
(http://willsglaucoma.org/supportgroup/20040818.php)

SP (a glaucoma patient, not a doctor)

On Jun 23, 8:48 am, dche...@hotmail.com wrote:

> I've been taking Lumigan for a while now, and I've been told that I
> should take it at night, preferably at bedtime. But what I've never
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> doctor mentioned 8pm, but again I'm wondering how 'bad' it would be if
> I went outside the time range (eg. 6pm when I get home)?

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shanjone@gmail.com - 26 Jun 2007 21:05 GMT

On Jun 23, 6:48 am, dche...@hotmail.com wrote:

Lumigan can cause visual blurring, so unless you are a night worker
this would only affect your sleeping time and not impair vision.

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