Cysteamine Ophthalmic

Cysteamine Ophthalmic is a cystine-depleting agent indicated for corneal cystine crystal accumulation in patients with cystinosis.

• Cysteamine Ophthalmic is available under the following different brand names: Cystaran, Cystadrops.

Common side effects of Cysteamine Ophthalmic include:

• sensitivity to light
• eye redness
• eye pain or irritation
• headache
• visual field defects

Serious side effects of Cysteamine Ophthalmic include:

• not available

Rare side effects of Cysteamine Ophthalmic include:

• none 

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, coordination loss, unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors.
• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights.
• Serious heart symptoms include fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in the chest; shortness of breath; sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, or passing out.

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems that may occur because of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Adult and pediatric dosage

Ophthalmic solution

• 0.44% (Cystaran)
• 0.37% (Cystadrops)

Corneal cystine crystals

Adult and pediatric dosage

• Cystaran: Instill 1 drop in each eye, every waking hour (ie, every 1 hour while awake)
• Cystadrops: Instill 1 drop in each eye, four times a day during waking hours

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See “Dosages”

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, healthcare provider, or pharmacist first.

• Cysteamine Ophthalmic has no noted severe interactions with any other drugs
• Cysteamine Ophthalmic has no noted serious interactions with any other drugs
• Cysteamine Ophthalmic has no noted moderate interactions with any other drugs
• Cysteamine Ophthalmic has no noted minor interactions with any other drugs

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your healthcare professional or doctor for additional medical advice, health questions, or concerns.

Contraindications

• None

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Cysteamine Ophthalmic?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Cysteamine Ophthalmic?”

Cautions

• For topical ophthalmic use only
• Avoid touching eyelids or surrounding areas with the dropper tip of the bottle to avoid contamination
• Benign intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) was reported with cysteamine oral; there have also been reports associated with Cysteamine Ophthalmic, however, all these patients were on concurrent cysteamine oral
• Contains benzalkonium chloride, which may be absorbed by soft contact lenses; contact lenses should be removed before application and may be reinserted after 15 minutes

Pregnancy and Lactation

• There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of ophthalmic cysteamine in pregnant women to inform any drug-associated risks
• Lactation
  • No information is available regarding the presence of cysteamine in human milk, the effects on breastfed infants, or milk production
  • Cysteamine administered orally is present in the milk of lactating rats
  • Unknown whether measurable levels of cysteamine would be present in maternal milk following topical ocular administration