Patient Leaflet Updated 31-Jul-2023 | Aspire Pharma Ltd
Dorzolamide/Timolol 20mg/ml + 5mg/ml eye drops, solution in single dose container
Dorzolamide/Timolol 20mg/ml + 5mg/ml eye drops, solution in single-dose container
dorzolamide/timolol
1. What this medicine is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you use this medicine
3. How to use this medicine
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store this medicine
6. Contents of the pack and other information
This medicine contains two medicines: dorzolamide and timolol.
These medicines lower pressure in the eye in different ways.
This medicine is prescribed to lower raised pressure in the eye in the treatment of glaucoma when beta-blocker eye drop medicine used alone is not adequate.
If you are not sure whether you should use this medicine, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Talk to your doctor before using this medicine.
Tell your doctor about any medical or eye problems you have now or have had in the past:
Tell your doctor before you have an operation that you are using this medicine as timolol may change effects of some medicines used during anaesthesia.
Also tell your doctor about any allergies or anaphylactic reactions.
Tell your doctor if you have muscle weakness or have been diagnosed as having myasthenia gravis.
If you develop any eye irritation or any new eye problems such as redness of the eye or swelling of the eyelids, contact your doctor immediately.
If you suspect that this medicine is causing an allergic reaction or hypersensitivity (for example, skin rash, severe skin reaction, or redness and itching of the eye), stop using this medicine and contact your doctor immediately.
Tell your doctor if you develop an eye infection, receive an eye injury, have eye surgery, or develop a reaction including new or worsening symptoms.
When this medicine is instilled into the eye it may affect the entire body.
This medicine has not been studied in patients wearing contact lenses. If you wear soft contact lenses, you should consult your doctor before using this medicine.
There is limited experience with dorzolamide/timolol (preserved formulation) in infants and children.
In studies with dorzolamide/timolol (preserved formulation), the effects of dorzolamide/timolol (preserved formulation) were similar in both elderly and younger patients.
Tell your doctor about any liver problems you now have or have suffered from in the past.
This medicine can affect or be affected by other medicines you are using, including other eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma. Tell your doctor if you are using or intend to use medicines to lower blood pressure, heart medicine or medicines to treat diabetes. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using, have recently used or might use any other medicines. This is particularly important if you are:
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
Use in pregnancy
Do not use this medicine if you are pregnant unless your doctor considers it necessary.
Use in breast-feeding
Do not use this medicine if you are breast-feeding. Timolol may get into your milk. Ask your doctor for advice before taking any medicine during breast-feeding.
No studies on the effects on the ability to drive or use machines have been performed. There are side effects associated with this medicine, such as blurred vision, which may affect your ability to drive and/or operate machinery. Do not drive or operate machinery until you feel well or your vision is clear.
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. The appropriate dosage and duration of treatment will be established by your doctor.
The recommended dose is one drop in the affected eye(s) in the morning and in the evening.
If you are using this medicine with another eye drop, the drops should be instilled at least 10 minutes apart.
Do not change the dose of the medicine without consulting your doctor.
If you have difficulty administering your eye drops, seek the assistance of a family member or carer.
Do not allow the single-dose container to touch the eye or areas around the eye. It could cause injury to your eye. It may also become contaminated with bacteria that can cause eye infections leading to serious damage of the eye, even loss of vision. To avoid possible contamination of the single-dose container, wash your hands before using this medicine and keep the tip of the single-dose container away from contact with any surface. A new single-dose container should be opened immediately prior to each use; there is enough solution in each container for both eyes if your doctor has told you to use the drops in both eyes.
Discard the opened container with any remaining contents immediately after use
Open the sachet which contains a strip of 5 individual single-dose containers.
1. Wash your hands.
2. Take the strip of containers from the sachet.
3. Detach one single-dose container from the strip.
4. Put the remaining strip back in the pouch and fold the edge to close the pouch.
5. Twist the lid to open the container. Continue twisting until the lid detaches. Do not pull the lid to remove.
6. Hold the container between your thumb and index finger.
7. Check for any sharp edges or burrs around the container opening before administering a drop.
8. Tilt your head backwards or lie down. Look up and pull the lower eyelid downwards with the other hand. Do not allow any part of the container to touch your eye or any area around your eye. Gently squeeze the container to let one drop fall into the space between the lid and the eye. Do not blink while applying the drop to your eye. Each single-dose container contains enough solution for both eyes.
9. Close your eye and press the inner corner of the eye with your finger for about two minutes. This helps to stop the medicine from getting into the rest of the body.
10. Wipe off any excess solution from the skin around the eye.
If your doctor has told you to use drops in both eyes, repeat steps 7 to 10 for your other eye. After putting the drop into the eye(s), throw away the used single-dose container even if there is solution remaining to avoid contamination of the preservative free solution.
Store the remaining containers in the sachet; the remaining containers must be used within 7 days after opening of the sachet. If there are any containers left 7 days after opening the sachet they should be safely thrown away and a fresh sachet opened. It is important to continue to use the eye drops as prescribed by your doctor.
If you are not sure how to administer your medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
If you put too many drops in your eye or swallow any of the contents of the container, among other effects, you may become light-headed, have difficulty breathing, or feel that your heart rate has slowed. Contact your doctor immediately.
It is important to take this medicine as prescribed by your doctor.
If you miss a dose, use it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the forgotten dose.
If you want to stop using this medicine talk to your doctor first.
If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
You can usually carry on taking the drops, unless the effects are serious. If you’re worried, talk to a doctor or pharmacist. Do not stop using this medicine without speaking to your doctor.
Generalised allergic reactions including swelling beneath the skin can occur in areas such as the face and limbs, and can obstruct the airway which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing, hives or itchy rash, localised and generalised rash, itchiness, severe sudden life-threatening allergic reaction.
The following adverse reactions have been reported with this medicine or one of its components either during clinical trials or during post-marketing experience:
Very Common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
Burning and stinging of the eyes, taste perversion.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Redness in and around the eye(s), watering or itching of the eye(s), corneal erosion (damage to the front layer of the eyeball), swelling and/or irritation in and around the eye(s), feeling of having something in the eye, decreased corneal sensitivity (not realising of getting something in the eye and not feeling pain), eye pain, dry eyes, blurred vision, headache, sinusitis (feeling of tension or fullness to the nose), nausea, weakness/tiredness and fatigue.
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Dizziness, depression, inflammation of the iris, visual disturbances including refractive changes (due to withdrawal of miotic therapy in some cases), slow heartbeat, fainting, difficulty breathing (dyspnoea), indigestion, and kidney stones.
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):
Systemic lupus erythematosus (an immune disease which may cause an inflammation of internal organs), tingling or numbness of the hands or feet, insomnia, nightmares, memory loss, an increase in signs and symptoms of myasthenia gravis (muscle disorder), decreased sex drive, stroke, temporary short sightedness which may resolve when treatment is stopped, detachment of the layer below the retina that contains blood vessels following from filtration surgery which may cause visual disturbances, drooping of the eyelids (making the eye stay half closed), double vision, eyelid crusting, swelling of the cornea (with symptoms of visual disturbances), low pressure in the eye, ringing noises in your ear, low blood pressure, changes in the rhythm or speed of the heartbeat, congestive heart failure (heart disease with shortness of breath and swelling of feet and legs due to fluid build-up), oedema (fluid build-up), cerebral ischaemia (reduced blood supply to the brain), chest pain, palpitations (a quicker and/or irregular heartbeat), heart attack, Raynaud’s phenomenon, swelling or coldness of your hands and feet and reduced circulation in your arms and legs, leg cramps and/or leg pain when walking (claudication), shortness of breath, respiratory failure, rhinitis, nose bleed, constriction of the airways in the lungs, cough, throat irritation, dry mouth, diarrhoea, contact dermatitis, hair loss, skin rash with white silvery coloured appearance (psoriasiform rash), Peyronie’s disease (which may cause a curvature of the penis), allergic type reactions such as rash, hives, itching, in rare cases possible swelling of the lips, eyes and mouth, wheezing, or severe skin reactions (Stevens Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis).
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):
Shortness of breath, foreign body sensation in eye (feeling that there is something in your eye), increased heart rate, increased blood pressure.
Like other medicines applied into your eyes, timolol is absorbed into the blood. This may cause similar side effects as seen with oral beta-blocking agents. Incidence of side effects after topical ophthalmic administration is lower than when medicines are, for example, taken by mouth or injected. Listed additional side effects include reactions seen within the class of beta-blockers when used for treating eye conditions:
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):
Low blood glucose levels, heart failure, a type of heart rhythm disorder, abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle pain not caused by exercise, sexual dysfunction, hallucination.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme (website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store). By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use the unopened sachets of this medicine after the expiry date shown on the carton and sachet. The first two digits indicate the month; the last four digits indicate the year. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not store above 25°C.
Do not refrigerate or freeze.
Store in the original package in order to protect from light.
You can use this medicine 7 days after first opening the sachet. Discard any unused single-dose containers after this time.
Discard the opened single-dose container with any remaining solution immediately after first use.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
This medicine is a clear, colourless to nearly colourless slightly viscous solution. Each aluminium sachet contains 5 low density polyethylene single-dose containers containing 0.166ml of solution.
Pack sizes:
30 x 0.166ml (6 sachets with 5 single-dose containers)
60 x 0.166ml (12 sachets with 5 single-dose containers)
120 x 0.166ml (24 sachets with 5 single-dose containers)
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Manufacturer
This leaflet was last revised in December 2022
1010425 - P5.1
4 Rotherbrook Court, Bedford Road, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3QG, UK
+44 (0)1730 231148
http://www.aspirepharma.co.uk
+44 (0)1730 231148
+44 (0)1730 231148
