Bepotastine Ophthalmic : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions & More

When using bepotastine eye drops, be careful not to let the tip of the bottle touch your eye, fingers, or any surface. If the tip touches another surface, bacteria can get into the eye drops. Using eye drops that are contaminated with bacteria can cause serious damage to the eye or loss of vision. If you think your eye drops have become contaminated, call your doctor or pharmacist.

To use the eye drops, follow these steps:

1. Wash your hands well with soap and water.
2. Check the dropper tip to make sure it is not chipped or cracked.
3. Avoid touching the tip of the dropper against your eye or anything else; The eye drops and dropper should be kept clean.
4. While tilting your head back, lower the lower lid of your eye with your index finger to form a pocket.
5. Hold the dropper (tip down) with the other hand, as close to the eye as possible without touching it.
6. Rest the remaining fingers of that hand against your face.
7. While looking up, gently squeeze the dropper so that a single drop falls into the pocket formed by the lower eyelid. Remove your index finger from the lower eyelid.
8. Close your eye for 2 to 3 minutes and tilt your head down as if you are looking at the ground. Try not to blink or squeeze your eyelids.
9. Place a finger on the tear duct and apply gentle pressure.
10. Wipe any excess fluid from your face with a tissue.
11. If you are going to use more than one drop in the same eye, wait at least 5 minutes before instilling the next drop.
12. Replace and tighten the dropper bottle cap. Do not clean or rinse the dropper tip.
13. Wash your hands to remove any medicine.

Before using bepotastine eye drops,

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to bepotastine, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in bepotastine eye drops. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
• Tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you closely for side effects.
• Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had any medical conditions.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while using bepotastine eye drops, call your doctor.
• Tell your doctor if you wear contact lenses. You should not wear contact lenses if your eyes are red, and you should not use bepotastine eye drops to treat irritation that you think may be caused by contact lenses. Bepotastine eye drops contain benzalkonium chloride, which can be absorbed by soft contact lenses. You also shouldn’t apply bepotastine eye drops while wearing contact lenses. Remove contact lenses before using bepotastine eye drops and do not replace them for at least 10 minutes afterward.

Bepotastine eye drops may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• mild taste
• irritated eyes
• headache
• swelling of the inside of the nose and throat

Bepotastine eye drops may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while using this medicine.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor can submit a report online to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).

Unnecessary medications must be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and others cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medicine down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medications is through a drug take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage / recycling department to find out about take-back programs in your community. Check out the FDA drug safe disposal website (http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p) for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

It is important to keep all medicines out of the sight and reach of children, as many containers (such as those containing weekly pills and those for eye drops, creams, patches and inhalers) are not child-resistant and small children can easily open them. To protect young children from poisoning, always close the safety caps and immediately place the medicine in a safe place, one that is upright and out of their sight and reach. http://www.upandaway.org

Don’t let anyone use your medicine. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important that you keep a written list of all the prescription and over-the-counter (over-the-counter) medications you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should take this list with you every time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to take with you in case of emergencies.