Loteprednol Etabonate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Loteprednol Etabonate is a corticosteroid sold in the U.S. under 5 brand and generic names, for allergic conjunctivitis, bacterial conjunctivitis and viral conjunctivitis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Corticosteroid
- Treats (across its forms)
- Allergic Conjunctivitis, Bacterial Conjunctivitis and Viral Conjunctivitis
- Available as
- Drops · Suspension · Topical
- Sold as
- 5 products — Alrex, Eysuvis and Inveltys, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $20 per ml — not your price
How Alrex is dosed
From the FDA label for Alrex (application NDA020803). Other loteprednol etabonate products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
One drop instilled into the affected eye(s) four times daily.
Everything below is the FDA label for Alrex (drops). Loteprednol Etabonate is also sold as suspension and topical, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Alrex side effects
Reactions associated with ophthalmic steroids include elevated intraocular pressure, which may be associated with optic nerve damage, visual acuity and field defects, posterior subcapsular cataract formation, secondary ocular infection from pathogens including herpes simplex, and perforation of the globe where there is thinning of the cornea or sclera. Ocular adverse reactions occurring in 5-15% of patients treated with loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension (0.2-0.5%) in clinical studies included abnormal vision/blurring, burning on instillation, chemosis, discharge, dry eyes, epiphora, foreign body sensation, itching, injection, and photophobia. Other ocular adverse reactions occurring in less than 5% of patients include conjunctivitis, corneal abnormalities, eyelid erythema, keratoconjunctivitis, ocular irritation/pain/discomfort, papillae, and uveitis. Some of these events were similar to the underlying ocular disease being studied. Non-ocular adverse reactions occurred in less than 15% of patients. These include headache, rhinitis and pharyngitis. In a summation of controlled, randomized studies of individuals treated for 28 days or longer with loteprednol etabonate, the incidence of significant elevation of intraocular pressure (≥10 mm Hg) was 2% (15/901) among patients receiving loteprednol etabonate, 7% (11/164) among patients receiving 1% prednisolone acetate and…
Who shouldn’t take Alrex
ALREX, as with other ophthalmic corticosteroids, is contraindicated in most viral diseases of the cornea and conjunctiva including epithelial herpes simplex keratitis (dendritic keratitis), vaccinia, and varicella, and also in mycobacterial infection of the eye and fungal diseases of ocular structures. ALREX is also contraindicated in individuals with known or suspected hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients of this preparation and to other corticosteroids.
Every loteprednol etabonate product we track (5)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Drops | Generic | $20 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Drops | Generic | $20 | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | Generic | $20 | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $20 | View → | |
| 5 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $20 | View → |
Combination products containing loteprednol etabonate
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
How long loteprednol etabonate keeps
No loteprednol etabonate label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does loteprednol etabonate expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about loteprednol etabonate
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 913 reports naming loteprednol etabonate, and the FDA flagged 36% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- eye pain144 reports
- eye irritation110 reports
- ocular hyperaemia65 reports
- headache56 reports
- vision blurred47 reports
- fatigue46 reports
- eye swelling45 reports
- photophobia38 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean loteprednol etabonate caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Alrex?
ALREX ® (loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension, 0.2%) contains a sterile, topical anti-inflammatory corticosteroid for ophthalmic use. Loteprednol etabonate is a white to off-white powder.
What kind of drug is loteprednol etabonate?
The FDA classifies loteprednol etabonate as a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids mimic the body's natural stress hormone cortisol: they enter cells and bind a glucocorticoid receptor that switches off genes for inflammatory chemicals, calming swelling, redness, and an overactive immune response. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take loteprednol etabonate with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run loteprednol etabonate against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is loteprednol etabonate sold under?
We track 5 loteprednol etabonate-containing products in the U.S.: Alrex, Eysuvis, Inveltys, Lotemax and Loteprednol Etabonate. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does loteprednol etabonate come in?
Across the brands we track, loteprednol etabonate is currently marketed as drops, suspension and topical, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic loteprednol etabonate?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic loteprednol etabonate product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Loteprednol Etabonate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/loteprednol-etabonate
- MLA
- “Loteprednol Etabonate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/loteprednol-etabonate.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for loteprednol etabonate on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.