Anti-Anxiety drugs (Clomicalm) personality changes?

sara457

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Hi all

Sorry if this should have been under the health forum...not sure...my cat Gayden has a spraying problem (which the vet has said is behavioural - he has a clean bill of health) so last week we started him on a drug called Clomicalm.

Believe me, we tried absolutely everything over the last 2.5 years and nothing worked. Drugs were a last resort.

Anyway, it's been 10 days and the spraying has stopped! This is great! But...and this a huge one...his personality has changed.

Does anyone else have experience with this drug lately? I've seen older threads about this drug, but nothing recent. Any experiences to share like, how long did it take for your cat to get used to the drugs? How long did you have to keep the cat on the drugs (I do not want my cat permanently on drugs!)? Did their personality change, if so for how long?

Any experiences with anti anxiety drugs for cats in general would be hugely appreciated. I can't seem to find many forums where people talk about this.

Thanks so much :)
 

p3 and the king

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You need to talk to your vet about this one.  We can't give professional advice like this.  We don't know your cats history.  You should always talk to your vet before stopping any behavior modifying medication.  Just like with people, stopping without consulting a professional can be dangerous for your cat.

I can tell you people almost always attribute "personality changes" to medication or vaccines and they rarely are the cause.   Behavior modifying drugs such as anti depressants or anti anxiety are only meant to balance out the chemistry in the brain that is the problem.  Personality is rarely effected.
 

mani

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I can tell you people almost always attribute "personality changes" to medication or vaccines and they rarely are the cause.   Behavior modifying drugs such as anti depressants or anti anxiety are only meant to balance out the chemistry in the brain that is the problem.  Personality is rarely effected.
I would have to disagree with this..  One of the most common antidepressants used for humans, SSRIs, lists one of the potential side-effects as feeling agitated, shaky or anxious.  Clomipramine hydrocholide (Clomicalm) has potential side-effects that may impact on behaviour as well. Of course it doesn't mean it is in any way inevitable.. different people have different responses, and it would be the same with animals.

It's really weighing up the pros and cons, and for that you do need to talk with your vet.   You certainly must not just stop any of these drugs.. they need to be tapered off under the guidance of your vet.
 

May I ask how his personality has changed? 
 
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sara457

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I am going to keep him on the drugs for at least a month, I have no plans to suddenly discontinue the drugs. I will of course consult with the vet for sure.

He's just a bit more vacant, robotic, lethargic, uninterested in me most of the time, just kind of subdued and defeated.

I'm glad that his negative behaviour is gone right now, but I just want to see more pep in him, more excitement for life. Right now he seems a bit resigned, a bit checked out of life
 

mani

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I am going to keep him on the drugs for at least a month, I have no plans to suddenly discontinue the drugs. I will of course consult with the vet for sure.

He's just a bit more vacant, robotic, lethargic, uninterested in me most of the time, just kind of subdued and defeated.

I'm glad that his negative behaviour is gone right now, but I just want to see more pep in him, more excitement for life. Right now he seems a bit resigned, a bit checked out of life
It's early days.. and it's wonderful that his negative behaviour is gone.


  I had a boy many years ago who was on a calming drug, but I'm not very helpful as now I can't remember what it was, and perhaps it isn't even prescribed these days.  But I do remember that he was dopey for a while until he became used to it.
 
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sara457

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Thanks :) I'll just hope that he becomes more of himself over the next few weeks :)
 

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We have an article about psychiatric drugs for cats here - 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/anti-anxiety-medication-for-cats

It is a long-acting drug, so you may be seeing changes yet as his body and brain adjust. I would consult the vet though, over the phone even, just to get a better sense of what to expect. Assuming the vet has prescribed this before, he or she may have a good idea of what to expect. If you do, please do return to let us know what they said. You're absolutely right that this isn't a very common topic, but it really is important and many cat owners deal with it at one point or another. 
 
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sara457

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Thanks Anne! I'm really grateful to have something to read on the subject.

He is back to his perky self now. It seemed to take exactly two weeks to metabolize in his body. My only worry now, is that all of his negative behaviour will start up again. He's pacing again (which has always culminated in spraying), and when I took him out for a walk this morning he sprayed a bush. Our other cat sprays outside, but has never sprayed in the house.

I know it often takes a while through trial and error to get the dosage right, so I won't be surprised if he starts spraying in the house again.
 

ritz

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Ritz was on Prozac for FHS. She was subdued, slept a LOT, decreased appetite (which was actually a Good thing).
I weaned Ritz off of Prozac (under medical supervision) because I didn't like the side effects Prozac had and the FHS ymptoms were decreasing--perhaps in part because the side effects of rabies vaccination were wearing off and/or the Prozac itself.
 

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Hi everyone! I want to post a positive experience we've had with giving Clomicalm to our cat, because there are a lot of negative reviews out there, and they can be scary or discouraging to read. We used Clomicalm as a temporary aid to change the night-time behaviour of our male, 3.5 year old (12 lbs) cat. As a kitten, our cat was extremely vocal and hyperactive throughout the night. After kittenhood, we got him into a good pattern of being active during the day and sleeping (or at minimum, being quiet) throughout the night.

A couple of month's ago, our cat reverted into a night-time pattern of waking us up multiple times a night: crying loudly and continuously, knocking items over or off the walls, scratching furniture or carpet, climbing window blinds, running and jumping around, etc. Our vet prescribed Clomicalm for night-time use only (half a tablet per night), as a one-week trial. During the one-week trial, we were also encouraged to modify the cat's behaviour by feeding as late at night as possible, and placing him where he likes to sleep, as the Clomicalm took effect.

I am happy to report that after 6 days of the Clomicalm regime, we had successfully modified the cat's behaviour such that he continued the positive behaviours (and ended the negative beaviours) after ending the medication. While on Clomicalm, our cat had a few personality changes but reverted back to his usual self, less than 12 hours after finishing his prescription.

We gave him half a tablet around 11 pm (in wet food), and around midnight, we placed him at the foot of our bed (where is like to sleep anyway). He slept from about midnight to 7 am each night, and was a bit lethargic until about noon the next day. He still played with toys, ran and jumped, he was just a slightly "less interested" version of himself. His eyes were very dilated throughout the entire week on Clomicalm, but he could still track objects or toys, and responded to his name and affection (by purring per usual).

I would recommend Clomicalm as a temporary, re-training aid, while behaviour is being modified or "re-set". Our cat was a tad "out of it" for the week trial, but responded well to the behaviour modification, and quickly reverted to his original personality afterward. 
 

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I know how much a messed up schedule for kitty can disrupt a household!! Mikki will get up at all hours and howl (she started this when her littermate was put down) ... she still does it but it's getting for shorter periods of time..so we're trying to let nature take it's course. Glad your kitty has been retrained to "your schedule" :)
 

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I am going to keep him on the drugs for at least a month, I have no plans to suddenly discontinue the drugs. I will of course consult with the vet for sure.

He's just a bit more vacant, robotic, lethargic, uninterested in me most of the time, just kind of subdued and defeated.

I'm glad that his negative behaviour is gone right now, but I just want to see more pep in him, more excitement for life. Right now he seems a bit resigned, a bit checked out of life

I have been using clomicalm for a year and half on my three year female cat. She suffered with hyper awareness and anxiety and was going bald.i had a cat behaviourist Candy d’Sa recommend clomicalm. At first the vet nearly killed her by prescribing the dog dose she was having 2,5mg in the morning and evening and it turned her into a zombie after a week and googling all day I found the correct dose which is only 2.5 mg once a day or even half that for a 5kg cat. Now her hair has grown back and she is a happy non anxious cat who happily lives with the other three cats. Obviously I changed vets straight away.
 

Cassie78

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I can see I am rather late to join this feed. But my experience with Clomicalm and my cat have been very similar to those reported. He has gone from a cheeky, naughty cat to one who seems to have checked out of life and very numbed down. We are using it (only 2.5mg per day) to help with his anxiety and fur nibbling. We had tried absolutely everything else and know it is anxiety based through the work with a cat behaviourist and also because this medication has stopped his fur nibbling. So that is good but we also don't want him to remain this way forever. From the feed I'm thinking that after 2 weeks we might see him more his normal self (he has been on Clomicalm for 10 days so far). Also so glad I took the cat behaviourist's advice to give him 2.5mg and not the vet who said 5mg 🤦🏻‍♀️. Just hope it does help him and we don't see the return of the over grooming. We will obvs taper off very slowly once we start that process.
 

savannahjansson

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While some cats may experience temporary personality changes when starting medication, it usually improves as they adjust. The duration of medication can vary, so consult your vet for guidance on the treatment plan. Keep monitoring Gayden's progress, and remember that every cat is unique. Best of luck on this journey! 🐾💙
 

Alldara

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I'll just add if you can keep a journal with any changes, that'll help as you won't necessarily remember each day such and such started again by the time it comes to review.
 
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