A friend has recommended this eyedrop to me, but after reading the box I’m kind of… dubious. There’s “…for the relief of redness of the eye due to minor eye irritations” and then a bit later “…overuse may cause more eye redness.”. Is this a pointed case of the difference between poison and cure? How does Visine work to get rid of red eyes that can later lead to worse red eyes?
Some of Visene’s products are vasodilaters, at least those intended to relieve redness. IANAD but I have heard from health professionals that too much of the product can lead to heart complications. Reportedly, hookers sometimes use Visene to knock out their Johns and this has in the past actually led to several deaths. Admittedly, that does sound like an UL and I’m all ears if someone can refute it but it was relayed to me by a RN.
Regardless of the veracity of that tale, I usually just take their eye products that soothe. While the redness may be annoying, it’s not worth subjecting one’s self to a possible health risk to alleviate.
Btw, the hookers reportedly accomplish this (knocking out a customer so they can roll them) by squirting I assume a copious amount into an unsuspecting mark’s drink. I didn’t mean to imply they hold them down and put drops in their eyes until they’re dead.
From WebMD…
And Snopes doesn’t mention anything about hookers but does say that Visine is sometimes thought to trigger diarrhea, but apparently doesn’t work that well. No mention of anyone being killed.
Sigh. Hit submit too soon… :smack:
Change that last sentence to read “No mention of anyone being killed, but it can apparently cause a series of serious medical problems. Neither diarrhea or heart complications are one of them though.”
Yes, in the meantime I’d found the article too.
Vasoconstrictors, you mean. They make the capillaries (“vasos”) tighten up (“constrict”).
As for the deaths, there is indeed one death from intentional Visine poisoning - but it was given along with other medications, so it’s hard to say what interacted with what. It’s referenced on this information sheet (page 3). Warning: PDF
(bolding mine)
Still, as an OTC user, your biggest worry is rebound redness. Capillaries that have been chemically forced to constrict have a habit of dilating further than before once they’re free of chemical influences. The general advice is to not use Visine for more than a couple of days to minimize this effect.
Okay, I just went to Snopes . com and searched “visine.” There’s a UL that a Visine® spiked drink will cause diarrhea. T’ain’t true, nor is the Visine=unconsciousness UL. However, it does cause vomiting, labored breathing, and a handful of other nastiness.
It’s dangerous, and it’s not a harmless prank. I didn’t bring back a quote, because I couldn’t decide which excerpt to pick. Go look it up at www.snopes.com
AskNott, that link discusses prune juice in Dr. Pepper. 
The one you want is linked several times above though and I’m afraid it does say one of the potential effects of the vasoconstrictor (thanks) Tetrahydrozoline is “Sending the ingester into a coma”.
It’s not the only med that the cure can cause the symptoms. It’s well known that Albuterol (sp??) a rescue inhaler for asthma sufferers can relieve the asthma attack, but if it’s used too much it can CAUSE an asthma attack known as a paradoxical bronchial spasm.
The rebound effect applies to other vasoconstrictors as well, i.e., nasal sprays. You squirt 'em up there, they seem to work, but then the symptoms reappear worse than before. Bummer.
Interesting, thanks. The idea of hookers holding down men while applying eye-drops is pretty funny. Diarhea and vomiting is not though, so I guess it’s just red eyes for me.