My Mr. Bean has hyperthyroidism. Our vet gave us Tapazole. He's to get 1/4 of a pill twice a day. I gave him 3 doses and then he started vomiting. The vet then gave us Reglan. I simple stopped giving him anything. My vet is gone until 6/6. Has anyone had experience with the timing of this medication or method of administering to reduce the side effects. Also, he quit pooping. What about constipation? He really seemed like he felt ill on the medicine. Is this just temporary? Help!
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Tapazole
- Thread starter ledger domain
- Start Date
I have never had a cat respond that way to tapazole...I'm sorry your kitty isn't doing well
Here is a link to an article on use of tapazole and what they suggest you do if side effects are occuring:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...al_medica.html
Does your vet have someone filling in for him or her while they are gone that you can call quickly to consult with?
It is powerful stuff - Alix just began this medication a few weeks ago - and is about to go back for a recheck to see how she is responding, and to check her kidney values (sometimes, as you get hyperthyroidism under control, underlying changing kidney function becomes apparent).
If you put in constipation here, you'll find past posts with suggestions. This is also an issue right now for one of my cats, and I have her on miralax (mixed with a bit of food and water, the dose that my vet suggested when using this).
Here is a link to an article on use of tapazole and what they suggest you do if side effects are occuring:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...al_medica.html
Does your vet have someone filling in for him or her while they are gone that you can call quickly to consult with?
It is powerful stuff - Alix just began this medication a few weeks ago - and is about to go back for a recheck to see how she is responding, and to check her kidney values (sometimes, as you get hyperthyroidism under control, underlying changing kidney function becomes apparent).
If you put in constipation here, you'll find past posts with suggestions. This is also an issue right now for one of my cats, and I have her on miralax (mixed with a bit of food and water, the dose that my vet suggested when using this).
Some cats may be able to get through the gastrointestinal (GI) effects of Tapazole, if they aren't too severe. My vet had us giving my mom's cat Pepcid AC to help with that. For some cats, the vomiting doesn't stop and the medication has to be stopped. It may be worth trying the transdermal medication. Since it doesn't go into the GI tract, it doesn't cause as much stomach upset. With my mom's cat (Hannah), she actually had high liver values along with the vomiting, and she wasn't able to tolerate the medication at all.
The site Pat & Alix mentioned also describes iopanoic acid as an alternative. You can get either medication from Island Pharmacy with a prescription: http://www.islandpharmacy.com/site/1...ge/769195/site
If your cat's kidney values seemed normal, I would discuss radioiodine therapy to see if it's an option for your cat. While it is expensive upfront, it can actually cure hyperthyroidism, so you won't need to give the twice per day medication for life. It shouldn't be used in cats with significant renal damage because it will reduce the blood flow through kidneys (hyperthyroidism increases the blood flow through the kidneys, so treating it should bring the blood pressure back to normal), and if the kidneys are significantly damaged, they may need the extra blood flow to function.
Since your vet is out of town, is there someone else that you can see--either someone in the same practice or someone else your vet recommended?
The site Pat & Alix mentioned also describes iopanoic acid as an alternative. You can get either medication from Island Pharmacy with a prescription: http://www.islandpharmacy.com/site/1...ge/769195/site
If your cat's kidney values seemed normal, I would discuss radioiodine therapy to see if it's an option for your cat. While it is expensive upfront, it can actually cure hyperthyroidism, so you won't need to give the twice per day medication for life. It shouldn't be used in cats with significant renal damage because it will reduce the blood flow through kidneys (hyperthyroidism increases the blood flow through the kidneys, so treating it should bring the blood pressure back to normal), and if the kidneys are significantly damaged, they may need the extra blood flow to function.
Since your vet is out of town, is there someone else that you can see--either someone in the same practice or someone else your vet recommended?
I'm really hoping your vet has someone on-call for him. Tapazole helps regulate the thyroid, and 6 days is a really long time to wait to have your cat go without the tapazole. My vet had a local pharmacy compound it into tuna juice, and I gave it to my cat in with an oral syringe, which worked really well. I would not have been able to give my cat any portion of a pill, and she would have stopped eating if I tried to mix it in food (she was really, really stubborn). It also now comes in a transdermal solution which you simply apply to the inside of the outer ear.
Pyxl was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the age of 15 and stayed on tapazole until her passing at the age of 20. If your cats thyroid is out of whack, you can expect Mr Bean to be on it for the rest of his life, but it gets easier as you get used to it.
I would seek a vet who is available to speak with you about your cat, if your vet's office doesn't have anyone on call for him, try another, and just explain what is going on.
I would also ask about having the medication compounded by a pharmacy or about the transdermal gel (it looks like a lip gloss applicator).
Pyxl was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the age of 15 and stayed on tapazole until her passing at the age of 20. If your cats thyroid is out of whack, you can expect Mr Bean to be on it for the rest of his life, but it gets easier as you get used to it.
I would seek a vet who is available to speak with you about your cat, if your vet's office doesn't have anyone on call for him, try another, and just explain what is going on.
I would also ask about having the medication compounded by a pharmacy or about the transdermal gel (it looks like a lip gloss applicator).
My sixteen year old calico, Sadie, was prescribed tapazole twice daily in December. She was already on amlodipine formulated into tuna flavored treats for high blood pressure. Two of her thyroid values came back elevated. One was normal.
Within days of starting on tapazole, she started to dig and scratch her face. She also had major gastro upset. I tried everything. Within a few weeks, she was no better. I took her back. They ran blood work. Although my vets were adamant that tapazole only rarely causes anemia in cats, my Sadie became anemic.
It took a month off from the tapazole for her red blood cell count to return to normal, during which time one of the vets at our clinic said to just wait and watch and re-test her red blood cell count (which turned out to be the right thing to do) while another vet (Dr. Ca-ching) said we should bring her in for a bone marrow biopsy because tapazole rarely causes anemia. That same vet also said there were concerns that the anemia was due to a tumor. Alarmist. I'm glad I didn't let that vet do a bone marrow biopsy. Ugh.
In any event, Sadie's RBC is now normal and a thyroid specialist said to wait six months and see if her thyroid worsens at which time they could consider her a candidate for radioactive iodine, which I'm definitely willing to do. My vet also mentioned that the thyroid condition can mask any kidney damage (Sadie has mild kidney disease)
Lastly, he did say that you have to keep a close eye on her thyroid because it can't go untreated, it will kill her. Very delicate balance when treating a cat who also has high blood pressure and mild kidney disease. For whatever it's worth, she's doing better than ever off of the tapazole. We're keeping close tabs on her.
All my best and I hope things work out.
Within days of starting on tapazole, she started to dig and scratch her face. She also had major gastro upset. I tried everything. Within a few weeks, she was no better. I took her back. They ran blood work. Although my vets were adamant that tapazole only rarely causes anemia in cats, my Sadie became anemic.
It took a month off from the tapazole for her red blood cell count to return to normal, during which time one of the vets at our clinic said to just wait and watch and re-test her red blood cell count (which turned out to be the right thing to do) while another vet (Dr. Ca-ching) said we should bring her in for a bone marrow biopsy because tapazole rarely causes anemia. That same vet also said there were concerns that the anemia was due to a tumor. Alarmist. I'm glad I didn't let that vet do a bone marrow biopsy. Ugh.
In any event, Sadie's RBC is now normal and a thyroid specialist said to wait six months and see if her thyroid worsens at which time they could consider her a candidate for radioactive iodine, which I'm definitely willing to do. My vet also mentioned that the thyroid condition can mask any kidney damage (Sadie has mild kidney disease)
Lastly, he did say that you have to keep a close eye on her thyroid because it can't go untreated, it will kill her. Very delicate balance when treating a cat who also has high blood pressure and mild kidney disease. For whatever it's worth, she's doing better than ever off of the tapazole. We're keeping close tabs on her.
All my best and I hope things work out.
