Alphagan P (Brimonidine)

What is Alphagan P?

Alphagan P (brimonidine) is a relatively selective alpha-2 adrenergic agonist for ophthalmic use.

What is Alphagan P used for?

Alphagan P is indicated for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. It is also used to treat high pressure in the eye (ocular hypertension).

How does Alphagan P work?

Alphagan P works by lowering high fluid pressure in the eye, which in turn, reduces the risk of nerve damage, vision loss, or blindness.

How to use Alphagan P

Alphagan P should be taken in the manner prescribed by the doctor. Taking it for longer periods or in larger amounts than recommended can cause problems in the eyes.

To apply the eye drops, follow the steps mentioned below:

• Tilt your head back slightly.
• Pull down on the lower eyelid
• Hold the eye dropper above the eye. Make sure that the dropper is tipped down.
• Look up. Don’t look into the dropper, look away from it.
• Squeeze out one drop and close your eye.
• Press your fore-finger gently to the inside corner of the eye (near the nose). Do it for about a minute to prevent the liquid from draining into your tear duct.
• Wait for at least 5 minutes before using any other prescribed eye drops.

Alphagan P warnings and precautions

Do not use Alphagan P if you are allergic to brimonidine or if you have used an MAO inhibitor such phenelzine (Nardil), isocarboxazid (Marplan), rasagiline (Azilect), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam) in the last 2 weeks.

Prior to using Alphagan P, consult your doctor if you have heart, kidney or liver disease; circulation problems such as Raynaud's syndrome or Buerger's disease, high blood pressure, or a history of fainting or low blood pressure.

Do not use Alphagan P while wearing contact lenses as it may contain a preservative that can be absorbed by the contact lenses. Avoid touching the dropper as contaminated dropper can cause infection in the eye, resulting in loss of vision or damage to the eye.

Pregnant and lactating women should consult their doctors before taking the drug.

What do I do if I have missed a Alphagan P dose?

If you have missed your Alphagan P dose, you can take the missed dose as soon as you remember but do not take it if it is time for your next dose.

What do I do if I have taken a Alphagan P overdose?

If you have taken an Alphagan P overdose, you should seek medical attention.

Alphagan P interactions

Before taking Alphagan P, consult your doctor if you are using drugs like digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin); beta-blockers such as betaxolol (Betoptic, Kerlone), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), carteolol (Cartrol, Ocupress), nadolol (Corgard), sotalol (Betapace), timolol (Betimol, Blocadren, Cosopt, Timoptic, Istalol),or propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran); blood pressure medications; or antidepressants such as doxepin (Sinequan), amitriptyline (Elavil, Etrafon), nortriptyline (Pamelor) or imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil.

Tell your doctor about all prescription and nonprescription drugs that you use. Also, do not start taking a new medicine without consulting your doctor.

Alphagan P side effects

Alphagan P side effects include hives, breathing difficulty; swelling of face, tongue, lips or throat and other allergic reactions.

Redness or severe swelling in or around the eye, watery eyes, pain in the eye, pounding heartbeats, slow or uneven heart rate, fluttering in chest, numbness, tingly feeling in feet or hands, and shallow breathing are also side effects from Alphagan P. If you get any of these side effects after using Alphagan P, contact your doctor right away.

Burning, stinging or itching of eyes; blurred vision, mildly swollen or puffy eyes, nausea, dizziness, tired feeling, insomnia, dry mouth or nose, headache, increased sensitivity to light, muscle pain, unusual or unpleasant taste in mouth, and upset stomach are some less serious side effects of Alphagan P.