Brimonidine Tartrate Side Effects

Brimonidine tartrate is a prescription medicine that is commonly used for the treatment of high levels of fluid pressure in the eye, often due to open-angle glaucoma. The eye drops decrease pressure, lessening the possibility of vision loss, blindness, or permanent damage to the eye nerves. As with any type of medication or supplement, some possible negative side effects are associated with brimonidine tartrate use.

Common Side Effects

• Many side effects could possibly occur as a result of using brimonidine tartrate. In general, these side effects are considered to be minor, as they tend to go away as the eyes get used to the drops. However, if the side effects get worse or do not go away, medical attention is necessary. These common side effects are swelling or inflammation of the eyelids, blurry vision, unusual vision, signs of allergic reaction, light sensitivity, muscle ache, stomach issues, weakness, watery eyes, swollen or red eyes, headache, sensation of foreign substances being located within the eyes, cornea straining, cornea tissue loss, exhaustion, dry mouth, eye ache, drowsiness, dizziness, tearing, stinging, burning and respiratory-related symptoms.

Caution

• Brimonidine tartrate is not for everyone. People should exercise caution when considering whether or not to use this medication. It is important to notify your doctor of all medications you might be taking, especially those classified as MAO inhibitors, such as the antidepressants like Parnate and Nardil.

Warning

• Those with low blood pressure, depression, or problems with circulation should be careful when they take brimonidine tartrate. People with kidney or liver related issues also should be very careful with Brimonidine tartrate, as the effects of the medication on those conditions are not fully understood.

Drowsiness

• One common side effect of brimonidine tartrate is extreme drowsiness. As a result, it is very important that individuals using the medication do not drive or operate heavy machinery (or engage in any activity that requires full alertness) until they are well aware of what kind of effect the medicine will have on them.

Drug Interactions

• When more than one medicine is taken at the same time, it could result in drug interactions. Drug interactions are capable of changing (either decreasing or increasing) a medicine's effectiveness. Some drugs that could lead to interactions with brimonidine tartrate are high blood pressure medications (such as beta blockers like atenolol and acebutolol), barbiturates (like secobarbital and phenobarbital), narcotic painkillers (like napsylate and acetaminophen), and heart medications (like isosorbide dinatrate and digoxin).