Can you use eye drops while taking other medications?

Quell’s label doesn’t say anything about using it alongside pills or other medicines, so the right person to ask is your pharmacist or doctor. Tell them everything you take, including over-the-counter eye drops, vitamins and supplements, and bring the bottle or a copy of the Drug Facts panel. For other eye drops, the label doesn’t cover combining them either, so ask before using two at once.

What Quell’s label covers and doesn’t

An over-the-counter Drug Facts panel tells you a product’s active ingredients, uses, warnings and directions. Quell’s label lists its actives as Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%), and its Uses line reads: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. The warnings section includes this caution: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only.

What the label doesn’t include is any statement about other medicines, whether that’s a blood pressure pill, an antihistamine or another eye drop. That silence isn’t a promise that every combination is fine, and it isn’t a warning either. It means the question belongs with someone who can look at your full list. You can see the complete panel on our Drug Facts page.

Why your pharmacist wants to know about eye drops

People often leave eye drops, creams and vitamins off a medication list because they don’t think of them as “real” medicine. Pharmacists and doctors want to know about them anyway. Their job is to look at everything you use together, and they can only do that with the full list in front of them instead of guessing.

It also helps with the reverse question. If you start a new prescription and notice your eyes feel different, a pharmacist who knows you’re using a lubricating drop can help you sort out whether the timing is a coincidence.

What to bring to the pharmacy counter

A pharmacist can answer most questions in a few minutes at the counter, often without an appointment. Make it easy for them:

• The Quell bottle or carton, or the Drug Facts page open on your phone.
• A list of every prescription you take, with the dose and how often.
• Any other over-the-counter medicines, including pain relievers, allergy pills and sleep aids.
• Vitamins, supplements and herbal products.
• Any other eye drops or ointments, prescription or not.
• Your eye drop log, if you keep one, showing when you use each product.

If you use one pharmacy for everything, they may already have your prescriptions on file, but they won’t know about over-the-counter purchases unless you tell them.

Can you use eye drops with other eye drops?

This is the most common version of the question, and the answer is the same: Quell’s label doesn’t give directions for using it with another eye drop. That includes prescription drops and other lubricating drops. Ask your eye doctor or pharmacist before combining them; they can tell you whether to use both and, if so, how to time them. Our guide to using Quell with other eye drops explains this in more detail.

If you see more than one doctor

People who see a primary care doctor, an eye doctor and a specialist often find that no single office has the whole list. Before each appointment:

• Update your written list with anything new, including OTC products.
• Hand it to the nurse or doctor at the start of the visit.
• Mention eye drops specifically, since they’re easy to forget.
• Ask whether any new prescription changes how you should use the products you already take.

Ingredients worth mentioning

If your pharmacist wants details, the label lists actives as Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%) and inactive ingredients as: Caprylyl Glycol, Dead Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride), Emu Oil, Glyceryl Laurate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Manuka Honey, Polaxamer 188, Sterile Water, Terminalia Chubula and Tromethamine. Mention any allergies along with your medicines, since the label carries an egg and bird allergy caution. Our ingredient guide goes through what each one is.

Using Quell once you’ve checked

Once your pharmacist or doctor is comfortable with it, follow the label’s directions: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Wash your hands, follow the handling line (Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination), and store the bottle as the carton says: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). Don’t share it with anyone else, including family members who take their own medications.

The label also covers accidental swallowing: If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.

Signs to stop and check in

If your eyes feel worse after starting a new medicine or after adding Quell, call your pharmacist or doctor. The label’s stop line applies regardless of what else you take: Stop use and ask a doctor if you feel eye pain or changes in your vision, if irritation or redness continues, or if the condition worsens or persists for 72 hours. Our list of eye symptoms that need a doctor covers the signs not to wait on.