Tobramycin-Dexamethasone Coupons & Prices

A tobramycin and dexamethasone coupon from Rx.com can lower what you pay at the pharmacy counter for this generic eye medication, which combines the antibiotic tobramycin with the steroid dexamethasone. The generic is the equivalent of TobraDex ophthalmic suspension, the eye drops you shake before each use. The combination is also made as an ophthalmic ointment and as TobraDex ST, but those forms are sold under the brand name, so a generic price applies to the drops. Cash prices for the same prescription can differ a lot from one pharmacy to the next, even between stores a few miles apart, so it pays to compare. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's price at pharmacies near you.

What is tobramycin and dexamethasone, and how does it work?

Tobramycin and dexamethasone ophthalmic is a two-in-one eye medicine. Tobramycin 0.3% is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that treats or helps prevent bacterial infection on the surface of the eye. Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid that calms swelling, redness, and irritation. The standard suspension contains dexamethasone 0.1%; the ST formulation contains 0.05%. The combination is made as an eye drop suspension and as an ophthalmic ointment, and generic versions are approved as the suspension.

The FDA-approved use is for steroid-responsive inflammatory eye conditions where a corticosteroid is called for and where a superficial bacterial eye infection, or the risk of one, also exists. Per the label, that includes inflammation of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, the cornea, and the anterior segment of the eye; chronic anterior uveitis; and corneal injury from chemical, radiation, or thermal burns or from a foreign body. Only your eye doctor can decide whether this combination is right for your situation. This product is never injected into the eye.

What tobramycin and dexamethasone costs without insurance

There is no manufacturer savings card for this generic. If you are paying cash, the number that matters is the price at the specific pharmacy you walk into, and those prices are set store by store rather than nationally. The same bottle can carry very different cash prices at a chain, a grocery-store pharmacy, and an independent across town, which is exactly why comparing before you fill is worth the two minutes.

Rx.com compares prices across more than 60,000 participating pharmacies and gives you a free coupon to show at the counter. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's price for the drops near you. The coupon is for cash-paying customers and cannot be combined with insurance, though it is always worth checking both ways, since sometimes the coupon price beats your copay and sometimes it doesn't.

TobraDex and other eye medication alternatives

TobraDex is the brand name for this combination, and the FDA-approved generic covers the ophthalmic suspension. The ophthalmic ointment and TobraDex ST (which uses dexamethasone 0.05%) are marketed as brand-name products, so ask your pharmacist what is actually stockable for the form you were prescribed. Whether a pharmacist can hand you a generic in place of a brand depends on your state's substitution law, the FDA therapeutic-equivalence rating, and what your prescriber wrote, so it is a question worth asking at the counter rather than assuming.

Other prescription eye products your doctor may consider, depending on whether you need an antibiotic, a steroid, or both:

• Neomycin, polymyxin B, and dexamethasone (brand Maxitrol) is a different antibiotic-plus-steroid combination.
• Loteprednol and tobramycin pairs the same antibiotic with a different corticosteroid.
• Prednisolone acetate is a steroid-only eye drop.
• Moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin are antibiotic-only eye drops with no steroid.

These are not interchangeable. Adding or removing a steroid changes the risks, so this is a conversation for your prescriber, not a switch to make on your own.

Safety information to know

This medicine has no boxed warning, but it is not for injection into the eye. It should not be used if you have epithelial herpes simplex keratitis (dendritic keratitis), vaccinia, varicella, other viral diseases of the cornea and conjunctiva, mycobacterial eye infection, or fungal eye disease, or if you are allergic to any ingredient. Steroids can mask or worsen an existing infection, slow healing, and encourage a secondary bacterial or fungal infection; a corneal ulcer that will not clear should raise suspicion of fungal invasion. In diseases that thin the cornea or sclera, steroid use can lead to perforation.

Prolonged corticosteroid use in the eye can raise eye pressure and lead to glaucoma with optic nerve damage, loss of visual sharpness or visual field, and cataract formation behind the lens. Because of this, the label says eye pressure should be routinely monitored, while noting that monitoring can be difficult in children and in uncooperative patients. Aminoglycoside sensitivity can cause lid itching and swelling and conjunctival redness, and may cross-react with other aminoglycosides. Do not wear contact lenses during treatment; the suspension contains benzalkonium chloride 0.01% as a preservative. Shake the suspension well before each use. Safety and effectiveness have not been established in children under 2 years. This is general information, not medical advice, so follow your own provider's instructions.