Restasis Dosages: Your GoodRx Guide

If you’ve ever had symptoms of dry eye, you know how uncomfortable they can be. Many people experience a burning sensation, blurry vision, or red, watery eyes. There are a few causes of dry eye, including a lack of tears or not enough oil in your tears. Fortunately, there are many ways to treat it, ranging from over-the-counter (OTC) artificial tears to prescription eye drops, such as Restasis (cyclosporine).

Restasis is a prescription-only eye drop that’s FDA-approved to treat chronic dry eye. Sometimes, dry eye is caused by inflammation in and around your eyes. Restasis helps lower this inflammation, allowing your eyes to make more tears.

Restasis was only available as a brand-name medication until February 2022, when the FDA approved a generic version. There are other eye drops that contain cyclosporine as the active ingredient, but at a stronger dose per drop. Verkazia and Cequa are two examples. In this article, we’ll focus on Restasis and its generic, which both contain 0.05% cyclosporine.

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If you or a loved one have been prescribed Restasis, you may wonder how to get the most out of the medication. Here, we’ll review some general information about Restasis dosages. But always follow your healthcare provider’s directions. They may have specific instructions for how you should take Restasis in your situation.

What’s the typical Restasis dosage for adults?

The usual Restasis dosage for adults is one drop in each eye twice a day. The doses should be separated by about 12 hours.

Before taking your dose, gently turn the vial upside down a few times. Don’t shake it. This helps make sure the medication is mixed well throughout the liquid. When using a dose of Restasis, make sure to avoid touching the tip of the dropper vial to your eye or other surfaces. This helps avoid contamination and possible eye injuries.

Restasis vials are single-dose vials. This means they have enough medication for one drop in each. They also don’t have any preservatives. So, the vial should be thrown away after each dose. Don’t save open vials for a later time.

You may be using more than one kind of eye drop for dry eye. So, it may be helpful to know that Restasis can be used with lubricating eye drops like artificial tears. But you should separate the different eye drops by at least 15 minutes.

You shouldn’t use Restasis eye drops while wearing contact lenses. In fact, if you have less tear production, it’s often best to avoid wearing contacts in general. But if you do wear contacts, remove them before each dose of Restasis. Then, wait at least 15 minutes after your dose before putting your contacts back in.

What’s the typical Restasis dosage for children?

The Restasis dosage for adolescents ages 16 and older is the same as the adult dosage — one drop in each eye twice a day, separated by about 12 hours. As discussed above, separate any other eye drops from Restasis by at least 15 minutes. And remove contact lenses before each dose, waiting at least 15 minutes before putting them in again.

Restasis is only approved for adolescents ages 16 and older. It hasn't been studied for safety or effectiveness in children younger than this.

Are there any dosage adjustments for medical conditions?

Since Restasis is an eye drop, it works mainly in your eyes — almost no medication reaches your bloodstream. This means it has very few body-wide effects. So, Restasis dosage changes generally aren’t needed for certain health conditions, like kidney or liver problems.

What happens if you miss a dose of Restasis?

If you miss a dose of Restasis, use it as soon as you remember. But if it’s getting close to time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Then, take your next dose at the regular scheduled time. Don’t take an extra or double dose to make up for a missed dose.

What should you do if you use too much Restasis?

If you accidentally take an extra dose of Restasis, it’s not likely to cause significant health problems. As mentioned earlier, Restasis isn’t well absorbed into the body. But it’s possible that you could have some extra side effects, such as eye irritation, if you use more Restasis than usual.

If you see someone applying a large amount of Restasis to their eyes, or if someone takes it by mouth, let a healthcare provider know or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

How to save on Restasis

Restasis is available as a brand-name medication. But you can also find it as a lower-cost generic. GoodRx can help you save on the average retail price of the brand and generic versions of Restasis.

The price of generic Restasis at certain pharmacies is as low as $97.64 with a free GoodRx discount.

There are also ways to save on brand-name Restasis:

• Save with a copay savings card. If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible for a savings card from the manufacturer that could lower your prescription cost to $0.

• Save with patient assistance programs. If you’re uninsured or underinsured or have government insurance, you may be eligible to get Restasis at no cost through the manufacturer’s patient assistance program.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Austin Ulrich, PharmD, BCACP

Austin Ulrich, PharmD, BCACP, is a board-certified ambulatory care clinical pharmacist. In his early career, he provided direct patient care in a variety of settings, including hospital and community pharmacies, and in a primary care clinic as a clinical pharmacist.

Edited by:

Christina Aungst, PharmD

Christina Aungst, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She began writing for GoodRx Health in 2019, transitioning from freelance writer to editor in 2021.

Reviewed by:

Stacia Woodcock, PharmD

Stacia Woodcock, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky and is licensed in New York and Massachusetts.

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