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Olde Furts » Group Forum

Getting the Medicine Down: Compounded Medications & Other Useful Tips

  
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Scooter ~- Our Angel

It's all about- 'The Scootster'
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 10:08am PST 
I had one experience with a flavored medicine. Mom paid extra to have appetite stimulant pills (Cyproheptadine) compounded into a liquid. She hoped to put it in baby food where I wouldn't notice, but it came tuna flavored (they didn't ask!) and VERY strong. I like tuna, but this stuff was horrible! It was rotten tuna, for sure. Maybe it was because the medicine itself was so horrible -- I don't know.

Now I have to take thyroid medication and it will be made into liquid. Even if I can't take it in baby food, I take liquid easier than pills, and the vet likes that it's easier to change the dosage by very small increments with liquid. The vet asked what flavor, but Mom was hesitant about any flavor after that horrible tuna experience. But she could have ordered chicken! I love chicken!

I know some of you get flavored medicines. Does the underlying taste of the medicine have something to do with how the flavored medicines taste? Does chicken flavor taste good? Do any of you take liquid thyroid medicine? (Duh! Mom didn't ask the name of the medicine, but assumes it's methimazole/Tapazole.)


What other experiences has anyone had with specially compounded or flavored medicines? It might help someone else to know what alternatives there are.
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Edie - Forever- Loved

Edie 'naughty- tortie'
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 10:40am PST 
I have been taking felimazole for my throid for a while now and it is in tablet form. I hate taking them and my human finds the all over the home, I am pretty clever I do not spit them out straight away. I did not know you could get it in liquid form? I am wondering if you can in the UK? I will be very interested if anyone knows as I might ask my vet when I need some more. Also Scooter what is the other medication you take? My human would like something to help me gain weight as I am tiny! She was very shocked that the vet thought my weight was okay, I guess it is the lowest acceptable weight. confused
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Maxwell- Sweet Angel

Patience pays- off
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 11:17am PST 
My bridge sister, Jessie, had to take a liquid medicine once. It was not for thyroid. But the vet suggested that we get it flavored. Mom tried the chicken flavor. Whatever the med was we had to get it from a people pharmacy. Mom thinks the medicine itself had a certain cough syrup type smell/flavor already and adding the chicken flavor made it even more unbearable. Jessie hated it and tried to spit it out.

If we recall all they did was squirt a flavor into the med, it didn't come flavored. So I would suggest two things - first that you try to find out if the medicine itself has an underlying taste/flavor before adding anything to it. Mom also adds that she didn't think the chicken flavor was much like real chicken. So second, maybe see if you could smell the chicken flavoring on its own first. If your vet is supplying the med that might not be such an odd request!

Hope that helps.
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Alaidh - my little- angel

The only real- cat is a grey- cat!		 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 12:34pm PST 
I take two medications regularly - methimazole for my thyroid, and prednisolone for an elevated calcium level (which is now back to normal...).

Anyway, they're both in treat form. Sometimes they taste like tuna, sometimes chicken. I LOVE them!! I remind Mummy every day when it's time for my pills!!
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Wally&hearts- ;Forever- Loved

Sophie\\\'s- Forever Love
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 12:49pm PST 
Unfortunately my experience was not a happy one.
I who loves to eat just about anything would not accept disguised liquid medicine. It was horrible. It was chicken but it smelled totally artificial to mom. Absolute waste of money.
There is also something called pill pockets. They are treats with a clever
little pocket where you can stuff the pill.
Well guess what? I HATE IT! Spit it out. I was a very frustrating pill taker.
In the end mom used to shove pills down my throat. *sigh*She really had to shove or else she would find them hidden behind the TV etc..

Have you tried a pill gun? If mom has long fingers it is very quickly down your throat.

Sorry this is not much help cry
hug
Wally
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Miss Wuss ~- Forever- Loved

Don't you touch- me!		 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 12:56pm PST 
I take tapazole for my overactive thyroid. Mom discovered right quick that I was impossible to pill. I'd cheek the pill, eat my treat, and spit it out when she wasn't looking. Mom caught on when she started finding little half-pills all over the place.

She has the special pet pharmacy make my tapazole into a transdermal gel. Its TOO EASY. All she does is put a latex glove on, squeeze a little bit of the gel onto her finger, and rub it on the inside of my ear. I even kind of like it. Getting my ears cleaned by my servant is really sort of nice. It's quite pricier than the pill ($35 a month vs. $4 for the pill) but she thinks that the hassle free medicating it provides is totally worth it.
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Scooter ~- Our Angel

It's all about- 'The Scootster'
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 1:28pm PST 
Thanks for all the responses so far! What great information.

I'm going to answer Edie first with what little I know about the questions she asked. If anyone else has information for Edie, please chime in.

Edie, I believe the thyroid medicine has to be specially made into a liquid form, and it will probably cost more than the readily-available pills. As you'll see in her post below, Miss Wuss has her medicine specially made into a different form, a gel. Here in the States, it's called "compounding" -- making customized medicines. The pharmacies who make the special compounds are often pharmacies for "people", as Maxwell pointed out. Have your mum ask your vet to see if it's available in the UK.

Also for Edie, the drug which I took as an appetite stimulant was really a human drug (for allergies). The drug is Cyproheptadine (the brand name here is Periactin®). I found this on the internet @ http://www.peteducation.com

"Cyproheptadine is an antihistamine used in the treatment of allergies and asthma. It may also be used to stimulate the appetite of cats. Consult your veterinarian if your pet experiences excitement, seizures, lethargy, coma, increased heart rate, inability to urinate, or fever while being treated with cyproheptadine."

Edie, I'll say my experience with Cyproheptadine was not very pleasant. I had excitement, I howled and howled and was unable to sleep after taking it. But it did stimulate my appetite for a while, and I got back to eating after I had stopped eating almost entirely. Other cats have taken it without those side effects, so I don't know how it might affect you, or if it's even available in the UK.
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Edie - Forever- Loved

Edie 'naughty- tortie'
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 2:03pm PST 
Thank you Scooter that was very helpful my Mom is going to look into it further. I do have a pretty good appetite but my condition means its harder to put on weight, my Mom thinks my pills need increased but the vet was not keen to do this. I think it maybe because they cant reduce it slightly and a second pill maybe too much. I might also have a look out for one of those pill guns. Mom said it is lucky I dont have so many teeth, makes it easier to get pill to back of throat, but like I said I am very sly. Mom laughed at tales of pills found behind tv etc as she has the same experiences.
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Scooter ~- Our Angel

It's all about- 'The Scootster'
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 2:06pm PST 
Me again. big grin

Thanks, Maxwell and Wally for your insight on the "flavors." That's what Mom suspected, so I guess I'll be taking it "straight up" ...*shudders*... Maybe it will truly have "no flavor."

Maxwell, the vet is having mom get the medicine from an online pet pharmacy she trusts. She says she has trouble getting the small doses needed for cats compounded here in Albuquerque, since it has to be done at a "people" pharmacy. My other medicine that was specially compounded came from Denver, but now my vet is using an online source. So, Mom won't be able to do a smell test -- but those are excellent ideas if it were being compounded here.

Alaidh, I don't like any kind of cat treats. I never have, so that would be like trying to give me a pill. That's a great option for others, though.

Wally, Mom is pretty sure the pill pocket would be torture for me, too. And she's tried the pill popper -- no luck (short fingers might be her problem there). And you WERE a great help, Wally, confirming what Mom suspected.

And Miss Wuss, that's great information! I'm glad to know about that option. If I HATE taking the liquid, Mom will sure check into the transdermal gel.

I'll let you know how the "no flavor" medicine tastes.


THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

Anyone else who has information, please continue to post so that others will learn.
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Scooter ~- Our Angel

It's all about- 'The Scootster'
 
 
Purred: Fri Aug 31, '07 2:10pm PST 
Edie, I didn't see your second post -- I was writing mine at the same time.

That's exactly one of the advantages the vet said I would have with the liquid medicine (plus she knows I don't like pills). It can easily be changed by small amounts to get the dosage just right. That may well be worth your mum checking into.
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