What Causes Swelling In Upper Eyelid While On Mucinex?

Posted on Thu, 10 Dec 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 10 Dec 2015 Answered on

Mon, 4 Jan 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I woke up with a slightly swollen upper eyelid on one eye which has never occurred before. There are no other symptoms. Male age 50, pre-hypertensive, no other disease process, seasonal allergies (rhinitis) for which I take Mucinex DM. Should I have it checked by my GP tomorrow or are there home remedies to try first?

Answered by Dr. Ashwini Kolur (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
avoid rubbing, over the counter antihistamine eye drops

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to HCM
I have gone through your query and pictures.
The pictures are not very clear, but I feel there is slight swelling and redness in rt eye.

I would like to know some how long you have been facing these?
Is it associated with pain, watering of eye?
Is there any history of trauma?

The first thing you can do, regardless of the cause of your swollen eyelid is avoid touching, rubbing or staring at the swelling. Staring at the swollen eyelid will only lead to touching and rubbing, so stay out of the mirror and avoid the temptation.
Avoid wearing make-up, including powders and base. Particles can fly through the air and irritate your eyelids even more.
Try using a cold cloth or even cucumbers twice a day.
Over-the-counter antihistamines and/or eye drops can help too.
Physical check up is necessary to find out the cause. You need to consult your ophthalmologist to get antibiotic and anti allergic eye drops prescribed.
Application of hot compression to the swelling provides symptomatic relief.
It is better see the doctor to find the cause rather than trying home remedy, but still you see them, follow the instructions as suggested.

This provisional advice provided by me is based entirely on the input provided to me. I would suggest examination by the doctor.

Hope this helps.
Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Sonia Raina

Follow up: Dr. Ashwini Kolur (4 hours later)

Thank you for the reply. The situation started one day ago and has not happened before. I woke up with it. There is no trauma to the eye. There is no discharge from the eye and very slight pain above the eye. The affected eye is the right eye.

Answered by Dr. Ashwini Kolur (29 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
observation with above mentioned measures

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Kindly follow the instructions for two days and watch for any improvement. Use over the counter antihistamine eye drop. It might be due to some allergy.
In case of pain, swelling or redness increases, I would suggest you to see your GP, for examination and finding the cause.

Hope this helps.
Wishing you speedy recovery.
Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D