 Purred: Sun Jun 22, '08 2:01pm PST |
 | |  | | Which medication have you been prescribed, Sassy? I've read that cats are often prescribed human tranquilizers of the benzodiazepine family, which would include old favorites like Valium and Xanax. I'd be interested in hearing why cats might have a reaction opposite to what was expected, and precisely what this reaction is.
Benzodiazepines have a strong somnolent effect, which means that they often relax the subject to the point of falling asleep. Trouble (agitation, nervousness, etc.) can occur when the drug is wearing off--technically, it's a withdrawal symptom, and occurs most commonly when the patient has developed a tolerance for the drug (which your cat won't on a single air flight, don't worry!). This is especially common with Xanax, which has a short half-life (meaning that it stays in the body a shorter time than other drugs like Valium). In the case of Xanax, the body can actually undergo these withdrawal symptoms between doses when a patient has built up a tolerance toward the drug; this is why doctors specify that the benzodiazepines be used only for a limited period of time (at most, a few months). None of this is applicable to your cat, who is not going to become a regular user of sedatives, but I wonder what relationship this information might have to your doctor's statement that the drug could have an effect opposite to what was expected. I'm just curious that way...
Of course, your vet may have prescribed something entirely different. Anyway, I'm interested in this topic, and would like to hear what you were prescribed. |  |  | |  |
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