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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 26. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 11:54:05
Something I thought you all might find a little amusing....
My cat has been placed on amitriptyline 10 mg daily.
The reason is because she has started peeing on our bed roughly once per day. Medical tests show no health problems. We tried "Feliway" phermone mood tranquilizer but it has no effect. FWIW, the veternarian highly recommends Feliway even though she doesn't sell it (so there is no profit motive). Since starting "kitty Elavil" she has been a very good kitty.
Ted
Posted by noa on May 25, 2003, at 12:32:28
In reply to My cat takes Elavil, posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 11:54:05
Hey, I've heard of imipramine used for nighttime enuresis in kids. Is Elavil imipramine or amytriptaline, I can't remember.
Hope it works!
Posted by Tabitha on May 25, 2003, at 12:42:36
In reply to My cat takes Elavil, posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 11:54:05
So, er, you got a new bed too, right?
Hi Ted!
Posted by Dinah on May 25, 2003, at 15:18:50
In reply to My cat takes Elavil, posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 11:54:05
I've got a dog or two who could use psychotropic meds. :) We're keeping my parents' neurotic standard poodle for a few days. You should see the house after a thunderstorm!
Posted by BekkaH on May 25, 2003, at 17:59:15
In reply to Re: My cat takes Elavil, posted by noa on May 25, 2003, at 12:32:28
Posted by BekkaH on May 25, 2003, at 18:07:16
In reply to My cat takes Elavil, posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 11:54:05
I know a human who takes Elavil for a bladder disorder known as interstitial cystitis. Elavil causes urinary retention. For those who have medical conditions in which severe urinary frequency is a symptom, urinary retention can actually be a desirable side effect.
Posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 18:14:57
In reply to Re: My cat takes Elavil, posted by Tabitha on May 25, 2003, at 12:42:36
> Hi Ted!
Hi Tabby!!
> So, er, you got a new bed too, right?
No, but my wife did LOTS of laundry. LOTS. We have several waterproof mattress pads which are really important at times like this.
Ted
Posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 18:19:26
In reply to Re: My cat takes Elavil, posted by Dinah on May 25, 2003, at 15:18:50
Hi Dinah,
> I've got a dog or two who could use psychotropic meds. :)
Dogs take Prozac, but it (and other SSRIs I think) is poisonous to cats. So, cats are stuck with tricyclics. Another one for cats is clomipramine (Anafranil).
>We're keeping my parents' neurotic standard
>poodle for a few days. You should see the house
>after a thunderstorm!YIKES! Puppy spots everywhere! We are lucky in that our cat just hates _us_ so it pees only on our bed. :-) (I think that's lucky...)
Ted
Posted by lostsailor on May 28, 2003, at 6:07:46
In reply to Re: My cat takes Elavil » Dinah, posted by Ted on May 25, 2003, at 18:19:26
that is odd.
I think when doc tried me on elavil, i was so tired that I would wet the bed vs getting up J/K. Laundry is good in times like these.
It is always nice to see a pet "owner" take care of their animals and give them a good home. Aurora is now a bit happier and looking for a doc that gives kitty cat Klonopin...
~tony
Posted by Alara on May 30, 2003, at 19:42:11
In reply to Re: My cat takes Elavil..---ted, posted by lostsailor on May 28, 2003, at 6:07:46
I was just wondering:
Has any research been conducted to determine the long-term health effects of psychotropic medicines in cats? My cat has been prescribed a phenothiazine (AP) for neurosis and occasional feline agression. I wouldn't touch a drug like that myself like that for a million dollars and don't want to give it to my little beast. (I'd rather he got a little neurotic and peed in the wrong place here and there rather than subjecting him to the possibility of neuroleptic malignancy syndrome etc.)
Have tricyclic ADs been deemed as `safe' for cats?
Posted by Snoozy on June 1, 2003, at 14:57:47
In reply to Toxicity of psychotropic meds in cats, posted by Alara on May 30, 2003, at 19:42:11
Hi -
My cat was diagnosed with an illness and placed on medication (not an AP, but it is a drug used in humans) a few months ago. Fortunately, I found a great yahoo group early on that's been a tremendous help. I really don't know what I would have done without them. You may want to look around some of the cat groups, there may be one that can help you. Good luck with your little beast!
> I was just wondering:
> Has any research been conducted to determine the long-term health effects of psychotropic medicines in cats? My cat has been prescribed a phenothiazine (AP) for neurosis and occasional feline agression. I wouldn't touch a drug like that myself like that for a million dollars and don't want to give it to my little beast. (I'd rather he got a little neurotic and peed in the wrong place here and there rather than subjecting him to the possibility of neuroleptic malignancy syndrome etc.)
> Have tricyclic ADs been deemed as `safe' for cats?
>
Posted by BekkaH on June 1, 2003, at 17:40:46
In reply to Re: cats and drugs » Alara, posted by Snoozy on June 1, 2003, at 14:57:47
My cat has hyperthyroidism and was prescribed Tapazol (methimazole), which is also used by humans.
Posted by Ted on June 2, 2003, at 11:38:16
In reply to Re: cats and drugs, posted by BekkaH on June 1, 2003, at 17:40:46
> My cat has hyperthyroidism and was prescribed Tapazol (methimazole), which is also used by humans.
My cat takes this as well. She was acting really strange with the elavil so we cut the dose in half and now she is behaving more normally, but still a little off. No peeing accidents for a couple weeks though. Hooray!!
Ted
Posted by Alara on June 3, 2003, at 3:46:26
In reply to Re: cats and drugs » Alara, posted by Snoozy on June 1, 2003, at 14:57:47
Posted by Alara on June 3, 2003, at 3:58:59
In reply to Re: cats and drugs, posted by Ted on June 2, 2003, at 11:38:16
Posted by BekkaH on June 4, 2003, at 16:58:32
In reply to Re: cats and drugs, posted by Ted on June 2, 2003, at 11:38:16
Hi Ted.
How is your cat doing on Tapazol? How long has she been on it? Does she take the oral form? Has she exhibited any adverse reactions? My cat got very sick from the oral form, so now I give her the transdermal form, but she always tries to clean it off! How often do you have to go to the vet to get her thyroid hormone levels checked?
I've read that there has been a dramatic rise in the incidence of hyperthyroidism and other autoimmune diseases in cats in recent years, and some doctors attribute this to all the vaccines cats are given when they are younger. Yet another instance of we're damned if we do, and damned if we don't.
Posted by Ted on June 4, 2003, at 18:14:20
In reply to Re: cats and drugs - Ted, posted by BekkaH on June 4, 2003, at 16:58:32
Hi Bekka,
> How is your cat doing on Tapazol?
Seems fine. We didn't notice any problems before the med either. Her annual checkup showed hyperthyroidism, so the vdoc prescribed meds.
>How long has she been on it? Does she take the
>oral form? Has she exhibited any adverse
>reactions?1 tiny pill each day -- I don't know the dose because my wife handles the pilling. :-) We use pills because the cat is reasonably cooperative and it is fast and easy. She knows to expect a treat afterwards too. There are no outward signs she is even taking it -- no effects whatsoever.
>I give her the transdermal form, but she always
>tries to clean it off!Yikes!
>How often do you have to go to the vet to get
>her thyroid hormone levels checked?Well after about the first month of pills, another blood test was done to make sure the med was working OK and the dose was right. It has been about 3-4 months from the second until the third test.
> I've read that there has been a dramatic rise
>in the incidence of hyperthyroidism and other
>autoimmune diseases in cats in recent years, and
>some doctors attribute this to all the vaccines
>cats are given when they are younger.Vaccines are blamed for everything. I'll believe it when I see irrefutable evidence.
>Yet another instance of we're damned if we do,
>and damned if we don't.With cats, you're pretty much damned no matter what. :-)
Ted
Posted by Snoozy on June 4, 2003, at 18:53:16
In reply to Re: cats and drugs - Ted, posted by BekkaH on June 4, 2003, at 16:58:32
Hi Bekka -
I give my cat the transdermal form too (on the ears). She had a bad reaction to the pills. I actually find it's quicker to do the cream than the pills. I think if their last test was in normal range, 3-4 months is how often it is recommended you have them checked. Have you considered any of the alternative treatments (radioiodine?)
> Hi Ted.
>
> How is your cat doing on Tapazol? How long has she been on it? Does she take the oral form? Has she exhibited any adverse reactions? My cat got very sick from the oral form, so now I give her the transdermal form, but she always tries to clean it off! How often do you have to go to the vet to get her thyroid hormone levels checked?
>
> I've read that there has been a dramatic rise in the incidence of hyperthyroidism and other autoimmune diseases in cats in recent years, and some doctors attribute this to all the vaccines cats are given when they are younger. Yet another instance of we're damned if we do, and damned if we don't.
Posted by BekkaH on June 4, 2003, at 19:37:56
In reply to Re: cats and drugs - Ted, posted by Ted on June 4, 2003, at 18:14:20
> > >I give her the transdermal form, but she always> >tries to clean it off!
>
> Yikes!***********************************************
Oh, it's nothing to "yikes" about. I put a measured amount of cream on the inside of her ear, near the tip, and it's absorbed through the skin. The trouble is, I have to distract her for quite a while so she doesn't clean it off. Some doctors don't like the transdermal form because the cat is not getting a consistent amount of the medicine each day. The only other option is radio-iodine, and I'm hoping we don't have to do that.
Do you have more than one cat?
Posted by BekkaH on June 4, 2003, at 19:47:13
In reply to Re: cats and tapazole » BekkaH, posted by Snoozy on June 4, 2003, at 18:53:16
> > I give my cat the transdermal form too (on the ears). She had a bad reaction to the pills. I actually find it's quicker to do the cream than the pills. I think if their last test was in normal range, 3-4 months is how often it is recommended you have them checked. Have you considered any of the alternative treatments (radioiodine?)
>
************************************************
Hi Snoozy. Yes, the cream is faster than the pills, but my cat tries to clean it off all the time, so she's getting some of it orally anyway. She got VERY sick from the oral form. She had SEVERE vomiting that persisted for several weeks after stopping the oral form. I had to bring her to the vet almost every other day for IV fluids during that time. Yes, I have considered the radioiodine, but I'm worried about that, too. The cats have to be isolated for about a week or so, with virtually no human contact. My cat doesn't board well anyway, so I can just imagine how bad she would be in total isolation. I don't know. I'll have to see how things go with the cream. I have to give my cat the cream twice a day. Are you considering the radioiodine? Where would you have that done?Bekka
Posted by Snoozy on June 5, 2003, at 11:27:24
In reply to Re: cats and tapazole - Snoozy, posted by BekkaH on June 4, 2003, at 19:47:13
I'm so sorry your cat had such a bad reaction to the tapazole! My kitty's vomiting went away soon after she stopped taking it.
I'm still doing research on the radioiodine. When the vet was describing the treatment options, I was really puzzled by this one. It does sound scary - injecting your cat with radioactive materials and all. But it has been used on humans since the '40s. The websites I've looked at all say that it's the best treatment option overall. Having to leave them is really the only downside.
How long they have to stay depends on state rules. In the Northeast, CT or MA it's only 3 days or so. Other states it's determined by when the radiation reaches a certain level. I think there is some difference in the places that do this. Some have webcams, but I think it would be so hard to watch your cat like that!
One of my big considerations is how often I have to take my cat in to the vet, which she does not care for! On the medication, it's much more frequently. So I think about these frequent "little" traumas vs. a one-time bigger trauma.
Interestingly, I probably wouldn't consider this at all had I not had to visit family and board her for a week last year. She hadn't been away from me in 10 years. It was so hard to leave her, but maybe it turns out to be a good thing we had that experience. The place she stayed was really nice - they had "kitty condos".
I think the closest facility is about 80 miles from where I live, at the University Veterinary program.
> Hi Snoozy. Yes, the cream is faster than the pills, but my cat tries to clean it off all the time, so she's getting some of it orally anyway. She got VERY sick from the oral form. She had SEVERE vomiting that persisted for several weeks after stopping the oral form. I had to bring her to the vet almost every other day for IV fluids during that time. Yes, I have considered the radioiodine, but I'm worried about that, too. The cats have to be isolated for about a week or so, with virtually no human contact. My cat doesn't board well anyway, so I can just imagine how bad she would be in total isolation. I don't know. I'll have to see how things go with the cream. I have to give my cat the cream twice a day. Are you considering the radioiodine? Where would you have that done?
>
> Bekka
Posted by BekkaH on June 5, 2003, at 22:35:12
In reply to Re: cats and tapazole - Snoozy » BekkaH, posted by Snoozy on June 5, 2003, at 11:27:24
> The place she stayed was really nice - they had "kitty condos".
>
>**********************************************Hi Snoozy. Wow, that kitty condo place sounds great! I wish I could find a place like that. I did find a fairly decent kennel not far from where I live, but the cat cages are so small! Is that place anywhere near the New York City area? If it is, I just might use it. (By the way, if you don't want to say where it is for privacy reasons, that's OK).
I heard about a place that gives the radioiodine treatments called "Radiocat" or something like that. I think it's a nationwide chain, believe or not. I have to do more research on this for all the reasons you mentioned. In addition, the transdermal methimazole is pretty expensive each month, and I figure that after about two and a half years, it would cost the same as the radioiodine treatments, which are about $1,000.00, I believe. Do you have any other cats? I heard that if you have other cats, you have to be very careful when you bring the hyperthyroid cat home from the radioiodine facility. You have to make sure the cats aren't in close contact for about a week, and you can't let the healthier cat get near the litter box of the treated cat. I'll find out more about that place and I'll let you know.
Take care.
Bekka
Posted by Snoozy on June 6, 2003, at 0:09:27
In reply to Re: cats and tapazole - Snoozy, posted by BekkaH on June 5, 2003, at 22:35:12
Sadly, I am not near New York City. But if they have these nice boarding places where I live, I can't believe there wouldn't be any in your area. When I was looking, there were a couple of places that mentioned "kitty condos" but they were all waaaaay out of town, and all booked up (Christmas time). I checked out a very nice place, it was a cats-only clinic (in the city!) and they also had boarding. They had a cancellation, so I was able to take my cat there. I don't think I would have gone otherwise! They actually had 3 options for boarding: a single cage, double cage and the kitty condo. I was only able to get my cat the double, but it seemed pretty good space-wise.
You should have several options for the treatment in your area. There is some variation, but the cost for the radioiodine is usually equal to 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years of tapazole and all the tests.
My cat is an "only" cat. You should check out this group (it's free) that I joined for cats with hyperthyroid (or their humans I should say):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-hyperT/
They're very nice and incredibly helpful. I think I would have totally freaked without them when my cat started her vomiting reaction. But there have been several cats from the group that have had the radioiodine treatment very recently, and most of them do come from housholds with other cats.
Wow, I am suddenly rotfl thinking about if other people here read this post about vomiting cats and radioactive litter! Oh my.
> > The place she stayed was really nice - they had "kitty condos".
> >
> >**********************************************
>
> Hi Snoozy. Wow, that kitty condo place sounds great! I wish I could find a place like that. I did find a fairly decent kennel not far from where I live, but the cat cages are so small! Is that place anywhere near the New York City area? If it is, I just might use it. (By the way, if you don't want to say where it is for privacy reasons, that's OK).
>
> I heard about a place that gives the radioiodine treatments called "Radiocat" or something like that. I think it's a nationwide chain, believe or not. I have to do more research on this for all the reasons you mentioned. In addition, the transdermal methimazole is pretty expensive each month, and I figure that after about two and a half years, it would cost the same as the radioiodine treatments, which are about $1,000.00, I believe. Do you have any other cats? I heard that if you have other cats, you have to be very careful when you bring the hyperthyroid cat home from the radioiodine facility. You have to make sure the cats aren't in close contact for about a week, and you can't let the healthier cat get near the litter box of the treated cat. I'll find out more about that place and I'll let you know.
>
> Take care.
> Bekka
Posted by BekkaH on June 6, 2003, at 22:28:07
In reply to Re: cats and tapazole - Snoozy » BekkaH, posted by Snoozy on June 6, 2003, at 0:09:27
Hi Snoozy,
Maybe this thread should have been on the PB Medication board; after all, we are discussing medications. I wonder whether the PB Med board is only for humans.
Yes, there probably are boarding places around here that are similar to the one you wrote about, but I've limited my search to a rather narrow radius because my cats are not good travellers, so I tend to look for veterinarians and kennels that are located not more than 10-15 minutes away.
Thanks so much for mentioning that Yahoo newsgroup.
As far as vomiting cats and radioactive litter. . .well, this is definitely not the strangest thread I've ever seen on this board.
Thanks again for your help. I will be interested to hear how your kitty is doing and whether you decide to go ahead with the radioiodine treatments.
Posted by Snoozy on June 7, 2003, at 18:55:35
In reply to Re: cats and tapazole - Snoozy, posted by BekkaH on June 6, 2003, at 22:28:07
Hi Bekka -
I know what you mean about cats that aren't good travellers. Mine sure is one of those.
Actually, the boarding/vet place I found is just a few blocks from downtown and probably less than 2 miles from where I live. A mercifully short car ride!
I'm planning to have her checked in a few months to make sure her kidneys and everything else are ok, if she would be a good candidate for the radioiodine.
> Hi Snoozy,
>
> Maybe this thread should have been on the PB Medication board; after all, we are discussing medications. I wonder whether the PB Med board is only for humans.
>
> Yes, there probably are boarding places around here that are similar to the one you wrote about, but I've limited my search to a rather narrow radius because my cats are not good travellers, so I tend to look for veterinarians and kennels that are located not more than 10-15 minutes away.
>
> Thanks so much for mentioning that Yahoo newsgroup.
>
> As far as vomiting cats and radioactive litter. . .well, this is definitely not the strangest thread I've ever seen on this board.
>
> Thanks again for your help. I will be interested to hear how your kitty is doing and whether you decide to go ahead with the radioiodine treatments.
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