Simbrinza

It's possible for Simbrinza (brinzolamide / brimonidine) to cause headaches as a side effect. People have reported headaches while they used brimonidine, one of the ingredients in Simbrinza. Consider making some lifestyle changes to help manage headaches, such as drinking plenty of water during the day and breathing exercises to minimize stress. Speak with your prescriber if you get headaches after you use Simbrinza (brinzolamide / brimonidine) and they're too bothersome for you to handle.

No, Simbrinza (brinzolamide / brimonidine) doesn't contain a beta blocker. Simbrinza contains two active ingredients, brinzolamide (a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor) and brimonidine (an alpha-2 agonist). These three types of eye drops work differently to lower eye pressure. Depending on how severe your eye condition is, it's possible that your eye specialist might prescribe multiple eye drop medications for you to use. For example, they might prescribe a beta blocker eye drop medication, such as timolol (Timoptic) or betaxolol (Betoptic S), to take with Simbrinza (brinzolamide / brimonidine).

You can put Simbrinza (brinzolamide / brimonidine) in the refrigerator or in a safe place at room temperature. The recommended temperature range for storage is 36 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

No, Simbrinza isn't available as a lower-cost generic. But the two active ingredients in Simbrinza, brinzolamide and brimonidine, each come as separate eye drop medications that are both available as lower-cost generics. If you end up switching to using brinzolamide and brimonidine as separate eye drop medications, just make sure that you place the drop of each medications into eye about 5 minutes apart. This helps each medication get fully absorbed into your eye.

Some examples of reasonable alternatives to Simbrinza (brinzolamide / brimonidine) that you can consider include Combigan (brimonidine / timolol) and Cosopt (dorzolamide / timolol). In general, glaucoma eye drops differ by how they work in the eye, how many times a day they're used, and whether they're available as lower-cost generics. Additionally, glaucoma eye drops can come as single-ingredient medications or as a combination of two medications. Speak with your eye specialist to learn more about what other treatment options are appropriate and available for you.

Simbrinza and Cosopt are combination eye drop medications for glaucoma and high eye pressure. But they contain different active ingredients and have different instructions. Simbrinza contains brinzolamide and brimonidine. You have to shake the Simbrinza bottle well before using, and you use the eye drops three times per day. On the other hand, Cosopt contains dorzolamide and timolol. You don't need to shake the Cosopt bottle, and you use the eye drops twice per day. Studies showed that the active ingredients in each eye drop medication work well and are first-choice treatment options. Talk to your eye specialist to learn more about comparing between Simbrinza and Cosopt.

Simbrinza and Combigan are both combination eye drop medications containing two active ingredients that work differently to help lower eye pressure. Simbrinza contains brimonidine and brinzolamide, whereas Combigan contains brimonidine and timolol. You'll need to shake the Simbrinza bottle before each time you use the eye drops, and it's used three times per day. But Combigan doesn't require any shaking before use and the eye drop is used twice per day. Both brand names are good choices for treating high eye pressure. Ask your eye specialist about comparing between Simbrinza and Combigan.