Salagan or Evoxac

[katie3]

Hoping to get your thoughts on Salagan vs Evoxac... I have been on Salagan about three weeks and notice some improvement.. but it is very short acting.. wondering if this might improve... if I should keep waiting or maybe try Evoxax. Id love to hear what you think..... I'm tolerating Salagan well....  Thank you, thank you ....

Katie

52 yr female,  Salagan 5mg 3 to 4, Systane gel drops, biotene spray , gel and toothpaste, Mucinex, saline spray, humidifier, Xylimelts....Oragel etc.....

[Kathy57]

Katie,

I switched to Evoxac because it lasts longer for me.  I took the maximum dose of Pilocarpine and I really didn't get much relief.

I do have an extremely dry mouth.  Many people do just fine with Pilocarpine and take only small doses.  I guess it depends on how dry your mouth is.  Unfortunately my dry mouth is the worst symptom for me, but then my eyes aren't so bad.  I get by with flaxseed oil, Genteal eye drops, and Genteal eye gel.

Evoxac is much more expensive than Pilocarpine, but I'm lucky that my insurance pays for either.

Good luck.  You will find what works best for you.

Kathy

[Liz D.]

Katie,

I prefer Evoxac because Salagen gave me a terrible headache.  Plus I don't recall having any more saliva than normal, but that's probably because I was concentrating on my headache. ??.

Evoxac will make you sweat when you first take it but then your body adjusts to it.

Also, Evoxac now comes in a generic form and is not as expensive anymore.  Not sure what the price difference is now between the Evoxac and Salagen.

Liz D.

[SunshineDaydream]

I have been taking Evoxac for 2+ years. Within about 30 minutes after taking it, I get saliva for about 4 hours. It helps my ability to speak and avoid waking up with a sore throat throughout the night and in the morning. Hopefully it is also helping with dental issues. A bonus for me is it also helps with tear production, though sometimes too much in that area as I have to keep a tissue handy to wipe away excess. I haven't experienced excessive sweating. Can be taken up to three times per day, so up to 12 hours of saliva for me.

The generic with numbers printed on it did not work for me at all. I take the name brand (Evoxac printed on the side of capsule) manufactured by Ranbaxy.

Evoxac has worked well for me so I haven't tried Salagen or its generic.

[cccourt1942]

I was started with an Rx of pilocarpine which was (at the time) a maximum amount for me: 20mg per day.  After a few days I had to stop.  Severe stomach issues.  Before I started on the pilocarpine was Rxed, a dentist had told me about Xylimelts. 

I read about the side effects of pilo (online) and determined the side effects could be dealt with....because for the 3 days I had taken it, I had what felt like normal amount of saliva for the first time in years.  I began with 5mg in the am and 5mg in the pm.  After a few weeks, I took 7.5mg and 5mg...and so forth and so on.  It took me a year to work up to 20mg. The NEXT year I worked up to 25mg.  And that is the max I am allowed to take.  I use Xylimelts on days I have occasion to talk more. 

Each time I see these meds discussed, I think about asking for Evoxac.  A lot of people prefer it to the Salagen/Pilocarpine. 

I stay with my pilo as I recall how hard it was to work up to the amount which was effective for me.

ccc