You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to timolol, or if you have: asthma or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); certain serious heart conditions, especially "sick sinus syndrome" or 2nd or 3rd degree "AV block"; severe heart failure; or.
Plasma half-life of Timolol is approximately 4 hours and metabolites are primarily excreted in urine [4].
Timolol eye drops or gel-forming solution may cause side effects.Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- eye irritation.
- double vision.
- headache.
- depression.
- dizziness.
- nausea.
Timolol eye drops are usuallyinstilled once or twice a day, at evenly spaced intervals, until pressure in the eye is controlled (about 4 weeks). Then it may be instilled once a day. Timolol gel-forming solution is usually instilled once a day.
International guidelines recommend that betaâ€blockers are contraindicated in asthma over safety concerns regarding acute bronchoconstriction 1, 2, 3. This effect results from endogenous and exogenous catecholamine antagonism at the pulmonary beta2â€adrenoceptor leading to unopposed cholinergic tone.
Timolol may cause heart failure in some patients. Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort, dilated neck veins, extreme fatigue, irregular breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs, weight gain, or trouble breathing.
People taking beta-blockers should therefore avoid taking potassium supplements, or eating large quantities of fruit (e.g., bananas), unless directed to do so by their doctor.
A large study published last month in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that beta blockers did not prolong the lives of patients – a revelation that must have left many cardiologists shaking their heads (JAMA, vol 308, p 1340).
I did much of the clinical work on apraclonidine, a relatively selective alpha-2 agonist. It is probably the safest drug we have seen so far in the therapy of glaucoma. The only disadvantage to apraclonidine is that 15%-25% of patients develop a localized allergy involving the eyes, the eyelids and surrounding skin.
Cardioselective beta-blockers, e.g. bisoprolol and metoprolol succinate, are less likely to cause fatigue and cold extremities than non-selective beta-blockers.
SLEEP POSITIONAn eye's compression against a pillow or arm raises the IOP, and the lateral decubitus position produces a greater elevation in pressure in the eye with worse glaucomatous damage than in the healthier eye.
Treatment needs to be carried out for life. Glaucoma can be controlled, but there is currently no cure. When medication is chosen, eye drops are usually prescribed. Some of the drops need only be used once daily while some require twice or three times a day dosing.
As seen in figure 1, the most commonly prescribed beta-blocker medications are metoprolol succinate and metoprolol tartrate. While both drugs are used to treat heart-related issues, their applications are very different.
Beta-blockers can cause lung muscle spasms that make it difficult to breathe. This is more common in people who have lung conditions. High blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Beta-blockers can trigger high blood sugar in people with diabetes.
UK scientists have found that a derivative of the spice turmeric could be used to treat people with early signs of glaucoma. A way of producing 'curcumin' as eye drops has been developed, which could help prevent sight loss in people with glaucoma.
Do not stop taking timolol without talking to your doctor first. If timolol is stopped suddenly, it may cause chest pain or heart attack in some people.
Timolol, which has a substantial effect when tested during the day, has been found to have no measurable effect at night. This has been attributed to the existence of a baseline rate of flow that cannot be further suppressed by any drug, or to the absence of timolol-blocking activity in the sleeping eye.
Conclusions: The use of refrigerated fixed combination of dorzolamide 2% plus timolol 0.5% (COSOPT) solution is associated with less ocular discomfort than the use of the same fixed combination at room temperature.
Timolol is available under the following different brand names: Blocadren and Timol.
This has been reported secondary to the use of timolol, betaxolol and levobunolol3. Hair loss starts from 1 to 24 months after commencing treatment, but hair growth normally returns to normal 4-8 months after stopping the beta-blocker (3).
Erectile dysfunction (ED) has long been recognized as a side effect of systemic and topical β-blocker (BB) therapy, with a number of studies in the 1980s reporting on the sexual side effects of various topical BBs including timolol[2,3] and betaxolol.
A number of studies have now shown that certain classes of ocular hypotensive drugs control IOP at night better than others. Specifically, the prostaglandin analogues seem to be the most effective in flattening the circadian IOP curve.
This medicine may cause changes in your blood sugar levels. Also, this medicine may cover up signs of low blood sugar, such as a rapid pulse rate. Check with your doctor if you or your child have these problems or if you notice a change in the results of your blood or urine sugar tests.
Nervous System/PsychiatricDizziness, increase in signs and symptoms of myasthenia gravis, paresthesia, somnolence, insomnia, nightmares, behavioral changes and psychic disturbances including depression, confusion, hallucinations, anxiety, disorientation, nervousness, and memory loss.
Ophthalmic timolol may cause serious adverse effects, such as symptomatic bradycardia, various conduction disorders in the heart, orthostatic hypotension, syncope and falls, all of which can be particularly troublesome in the frail elderly.
Timolol is a beta-blocker that affects the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins). Timolol is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). Timolol is sometimes given with other blood pressure medication.
The only known difference between these preparations is the maleate salt. 28 healthy subjects (26 completed) to timolol hemihydrate or timolol maleate given in both eyes twice daily, in a double masked fashion, for 1 week.
Drug concentrations are fixed. Combigan contains timolol 0.5%, but some patients might be controlled by timolol 0.25%. This issue also pertains to brimonidine, which is available in various concentrations below 0.2%.
