Prednisolone not available??

Hey all, my girl Noelle has been on a low dose of Prednisolone for a little under a year to help with some issues that she has had with pancreatitis, IBD and cholangiohepatitis. She is doing great between that, being on a raw diet and herbal meds. Last week I went to the vet to refill her prednisolone and they gave me a different looking pill and said it was just a different manufacturer. Upon inspecting the pill and looking into it more I found that it was Prednisone and not Prednisolone. I know these drugs are very similar but I also know that cats cannot convert the Prednisone to Prednisolone so this is kinda a big issue for me. After talking to my vet today he is saying that he has been trying to order it for a few months and it is on back order. His suspicion is that they aren't making it anymore since most species only need prednisone. WHAT ABOUT CATS?! I went home and tried to see if I could find the drug online and everyone seems to be out of stock. Are they really discontinuing Prednisolone? This is very concerning...

I believe it's frequently used for children. Ask your vet for a prescription and take it to the human pharmacy. Make sure that it doesn't have xylitol or aspartame or other ingredients cats shouldn't have.

There is a problem with getting it.  My cat has been on it for almost two years and my vet also had it on backorder when I went to get a refill.  She gave me something called Dexamethasone.  It's stronger so he only gets a half pill of it so I had to go get a pill splitter.  She said she has had to switch several cats to it and so far no problems.  He's been taking it for about two months with no problems.

There is a serious shortage of it but I got mine for my sister's cat at Target. If you ask them to carry it they will. 

Btw, I just asked my friend who's a vet and that's not true at all that cats can't convert pred. This is her quote: "No, it's not true, they can convert it.  However, if they have an underlying liver problem, and sometimes that's not known, they won't convert it very well so the dosing becomes inconsistent.  That's why it's best to use prednisolone, to be sure they're getting the dose you want them to.  But if finances or availability of the med are an issue, most cats will do OK with prednisone."

Ok thank you for the info! I will talk to my vet tomorrow!

Yes, see if you can get a script and check your local pharmacies. I know Walmart here doesn't carry it and even if Target doesn't carry it, they can order it. 

In our area Walgreens pharmacies carry prednisolone. Getting 5 mg tablets (the amount usually prescribed for kitties), not a problem.

However, taking Willowy's warning very seriously is extremely important.

Originally posted by Willowy

Make sure that it doesn't have xylitol or aspartame or other ingredients cats shouldn't have.

Click to expand...

My cat isn't doing very good since I can't get prednisolone. I'm giving her 5mg Of prednisone but its not helping. She has problems with her throat swelling. I have had to take her to get steroid shot since running out of prednisolone. She was taking 2.5 mg of prednisolone. I hope I can get some for her soon. Is there any vets on here that know when and if it will be available.

Prednisolone is available for humans with no problems whatsoever. Before I posted above (post #8 of 9 at the time) I actually talked to a pharmacist in my area. It is available, the amount a cat would need, not a problem. All you need to do is make sure that the prednisolone available to you doesn't contain the ingredients not safe for cats. Then talk to your vet for a prescription you can take to one of your local pharmacies. Internet pharmacies are another option.  Ingredients not safe for cats is the only concern here, so hopefully you will be able to find prednisolone you can use for your baby.   

I already tried to get some from my local pharmacies and they can't get prednisolone either.

I'm sorry.  That's really upsetting.

I will be taking Patches back for a six month check in the next week or two so I'll see what's going on with the shortage in this area then.  He's on a substitute now which seems to be working fine for him.  From what I have read Prednisone isn't a good alternative for him because of past liver problems which is probably why he is on something else.  These medications are so common and are older medications I really don't understand this long standing shortage.

Mu cat, Muffin, is on a dosage of prednisolone, 1/2 of 5 mg. tab. every three days. My vet has said nothing of a shortage of this medicine.

My vet in Seattle just referred me to Diamondback Drugs, in Arizona.  They're still making it until it "comes off back order" from the manufacturer.  They're at 1-866-578-4420, http://www.diamondbackdrugs.com/get-a-quote/.    It's $35 for 100 (5 mg) and she said your vet should fax them a prescription.  I asked her what was up with production and she said she wasn't sure, but her understanding was that it was just a momentary stoppage and not a discontinuation... we can only hope!   I haven't been able to find anyone who will tell me why it's on back order, but everyone apparently is aware of the fact.  Weird that the pharmacists aren't asking questions...  Hope that helps!

Prednisolone is only one of many, many drugs in shortage in this nation right now. There are even cancer drugs that are in very bad shortage from manufacturers due to money, red tape, production, etc. prednisolone has been in shortage now for at least 6 months so this is not a new thing nor is it probably going to be solved immediately. 

Thank you Pamela for your help. I asked my vet about the diamond back pharmacy and they informed me that they use wedge wood pharmacy. Had you not posted I wouldn't have known to ask the vet. Now my angel baby has her prednisolone. Just wonder why my vet didn't suggest it to me in the first place.

Andrew is on predisone for IBD. I was never offered prednisolone. What is the difference?

Prednisolone is more a natural type and predisone is more a chemical type.

cheryllib said:

Prednisolone is more a natural type and predisone is more a chemical type.

Click to expand...

So prednisolone is better for him. Is it expensive!