When I was first diagnosed with glaucoma I was given Latanoprost but had to stop using those due to extreme itchiness . I then moved on to using Bimatoprost , which at first seemed fine , no irritation . However , after a few weeks I began to feel very tired but blamed being hypothyroid even though I was fine previously and no change to my medication . Then I started to get arrhythmia , bearable at first but gradually getting worse , plus I was wheezing and had a tight chest , plus lightheadedness , resulting now I am unable to walk far without feeling that my heart is literally going to stop beating, ,seemingly similar to heart failure in effect, which seems a bit dramatic but that’s exactly how it feels .
I explained all of this to the consultant so he has now prescribed Trusopt , but after reading that the side effects can be heart failure ,which is exactly as stated with Bimatoprost . Although according to the leaflet given it’s only 1 in 1000 that this happens to . Then added to this I am still unaware whether I have open or closed angle glaucoma as three consultants say I have closed and two more say it’s open angle , and another saying it can change from one to another !
I am now completely lost as to what to do next . I do have an appointment with a glaucoma clinic in a hospital in January but obviously have to medicate until then . I think maybe I’ll have to try and bring my apointment forward ,
So I wonder , has anyone else had a similar experience with either Bimatoprost or any other glaucoma drops, or am I the only one with peculiar reactions to glaucoma medication ?
Written by
Junep
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I take Timolol which includes bimatoprost and on occasion have experienced tightness in my chest and a racing heart when doing any activity such as running up steps to a train station. My consultant said he could prescribe a drop without the bimatoprost but hasn’t done so far and I just have to put up with it.
At some point or another I've tried virtually every pressure lowering eye drop available and reacted badly to all of them. Sometimes it was after the first dose, other times it was after a few weeks of dosing. My reactions were systemic and much the same regardless of medication. The only thing I seemd to tolerate was diamox, and that wasn't without its nasty side effects.
My eye pressures are now stable thanks to surgeries. Like you, I also started out with a diagnosis of acute angle glaucoma which appeared to morph into open angle glaucoma while receiving treatment.
Hi Alfredv , I have a feeling I may turn out to be similar , I'm doubting any drop will suit . It really is a scary journey . My pressure at the moment is good , one eye is 12 the other is 11. Though no guarantee it will stay like that . I have absolutely no idea what any surgery entails but have read many horror stories with them so I'm very wary of going down that route, though I may not have a choice .
Hi Junep, try not to worry to much about surgery, the horror stories are a minority, I worried about it and put it off far too long until it got to a point where it was an emergency and I had no choice, now my regret putting it off. I would say though now your pressures sound so low they probably won't give you that option right now until all drops are no longer an option.
Could I ask what surgery you had ? I know laser is an option . I'm pondering on that as a nurse told me yesterday that would be her option . At the glaucoma clinic yesterday I was told I have advanced glaucoma not the news I wanted to hear .
read my post selective lazer trab. if you look on the glaucoma site lots of information on this. its the first line of treatment they are now considering on 'virgin' eyes (before you start getting numerous drops). better results for slt before you start taking numerous drops. my consultant offered me this as i had high anxiety with the azarga i also continued with monoprost so 2 drugs a day. with the monoprost before for high pressure i was fine. however it stopped working after 3 years for the high pressure. its the best decision i have made as my pressure was 28 then i got glaucoma. they then gave me beta blocker and monoprost and i was so depressed and falling asleep twice a day. no life. my pressure touch wood is now around 16 and 17. it does not last forever, you can get it done twice. mine is now almost 3 years. however it keeps me off the heavier drugs for the moment. its your decision, however you do no have a choice really. stay on the heavy drugs, or take a chance with slt and hopefully your pressure will reduce enough to go on just monoprost if they recommend that. we have a disease and thank god for these treatments. take care valfrance
Hi Junep, sorry for the slow reply, somehow I missed you reply in my Emails. I had a trabeculectomy, which is were the eye is cut to create a blister so the eye can drain easily, causing a pressure decrease. As for laser if you get the option for this it's really nothing to worry about, this is a standard procedure that takes no recovery, so worth a go.
Hi junep, don't worry your not the only one with a bad reaction to dropg. if you read my posts on my history. i have hypothyrodism too. i was prescribed azarga, i live in france and i had similar reaction as you. all i could do was sleep and i had extreme anxiety for 2 weeks and could not eat. at the time it was covid. i contacted my consultant and she told me that it sounded like i had covid and to get a test. i informed her that not everyone is the same and it was not covid but a reaction to this drug. i have open angled glaucoma, i changed consultant and i got slt laser, and touch wood three years late i am only on monoprost. if you are not getting along get an early appointment to see your consultant again. make sure anything you are given has no preservatives. I have a problem with beta blockers similar to your side effects. it looks like truspost is not a beta blocker. take care valerie
Hello. Some people suffer from side effects whatever eyedrop they are prescribed.
Doing punctal occlusion where you close your eyes and press on your tear duct for up to 2 minutes can help reduce or even stop drops getting to the back of the throat via the the tear duct which encourages the side effects.
Your eye specialist can try up to 2-3 different eyedrops, but if these do not work for whatever reason, whether that is side effects or not reducing the eye pressure enough, they will have to look at other options such as laser or surgery.
Hi Trish . Yes I did the pressing on the tear ducts and yes it did help. However added to the heart thing the tiredness was progressively getting worse I could have just lay around all day totally drained so the quality of life was drastically affected . I realise that only leaves laser or surgery which scares me senseless as I've read stories about loads of problems with sight after the ops doesn't really encourage me to go for that . I'm going to a glaucoma clinic tomorrow so will see what they have to say . Strange thing is my eyes feel so much worse since using the drops , prior to that I had no oroblem with my eyes though I do realise you don't always have any symptoms . What an evil condition .
If you have the opportunity to hear a Glaucoma UK webinar today 12 th December at 7pm -8pm, then you may be interested to hear about eye surgery and even ask questions. You do need to register to hear it live or see it later on You Tube. It is on the Glaucoma UK website to register.
I think I type into Google... Glaucoma UK Digital Webinar.
I’m not too worried about the pain , it’s really about the afterwards , and chances of things going wrong . Also long term are there things that can happen , detrimental to your eyes / sight ?
The next step would be laser. What type of laser very much depends on the type of glaucoma you have. If you have primary open angle glaucoma or normal tension glaucoma, then in would be SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty). If you have primary angle closure glaucoma or narrow drainage angles it will be an Iridotomy.
Laser procedures make extra drainage holes in the eye or make new ones to help reduce the eye pressure. Laser treatment can last up to 2-3 years, sometimes longer, and can be repeated if a viable option. This is normally considered if it was successful the first time.
If laser is successful, it can reduce the amount of drops a person uses or even stop them altogether. On occasions, they are asked to continue with the drops as the laser has not worked as well as hoped and not reduced the eye pressure enough to stop them altogether.
Well there is confusion as to whether I have open angle or closed as it was put . I’ve had 3 doctors say closed and 2 say open , plus one who said it can change from one to another. It doesn’t fill me with confidence .
Yet another question ! I have to wait for the docs to assess the tests that were done on Tuesday at the glaucoma clinic before . However when I spoke to a receptionist today enquiring how long would it be to get a prescription , she asked how did I know the drops were causing my arrhymia , wheezy chest etc , and advising me to see my doctor to get things checked out . Which ok yes it makes sense I guess , but if there does prove that I may have heart problem , how can it be determined what caused it as I said the arrhythmia hardly ever happened prior to me using the Bimatoprost ?
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Glaucoma and light tolerance 
Visual field deterioration 6 weeks after cataract and Hydrus stent surgery?
Anxiety through the roof
Hi has anyone recently had a cataract operation to help with their glaucoma?
