Atopica - best to give with food, on empty stomach, or ???

burkey · Oct 10, 2014

It's been a while since I've posted here. Last was back in June and we were just starting one of our cats, George, on allergy desensitization shots. After a busy summer it's nice to be slowing down again. I hope everyone's kitties are doing well. I need to do some reading and catch up again on things here!

So we're coming up on 4 months giving him the shots, and George has yet to experience any improvement. Definitely not unexpected, as it could take up to 12 months to determine whether they'll help...it's still way too early in the game to expect much.

We've been keeping his skin comfy with low-dose steroids, and his dermatologist says it's time to try moving him off of those and onto Atopica for a while.

I picked up the Atopica from the vet today, and we plan to start him on it tomorrow evening. Thanks to a thread I came across on these forums earlier this year, I know how nasty it tastes and I've already acquired some size 3 empty capsules, so we aren't going to even mess with attempting to give it to him straight from the syringe.

My question to those who have given a cat Atopica... is it best to give it on an empty stomach or with food? I know it's notorious for causing vomiting, loose stools, etc, especially when first starting out... and I'm just wondering if there is a method to minimize any digestive upset he may experience.

The vet's instructions on the prescription state to give one hour after a meal, or two hours prior. Yet the package insert states to either mix directly into food, or administer orally immediately after feeding. So the professional info I have is conflicting. Does anyone have any tried & true, been there done that, advice to offer?

Thanks so much!

stephenq · Oct 11, 2014

Burkey said:
It's been a while since I've posted here. Last was back in June and we were just starting one of our cats, George, on allergy desensitization shots. After a busy summer it's nice to be slowing down again. I hope everyone's kitties are doing well. I need to do some reading and catch up again on things here!

So we're coming up on 4 months giving him the shots, and George has yet to experience any improvement. Definitely not unexpected, as it could take up to 12 months to determine whether they'll help...it's still way too early in the game to expect much.

We've been keeping his skin comfy with low-dose steroids, and his dermatologist says it's time to try moving him off of those and onto Atopica for a while.

I picked up the Atopica from the vet today, and we plan to start him on it tomorrow evening. Thanks to a thread I came across on these forums earlier this year, I know how nasty it tastes and I've already acquired some size 3 empty capsules, so we aren't going to even mess with attempting to give it to him straight from the syringe.

My question to those who have given a cat Atopica... is it best to give it on an empty stomach or with food? I know it's notorious for causing vomiting, loose stools, etc, especially when first starting out... and I'm just wondering if there is a method to minimize any digestive upset he may experience.

The vet's instructions on the prescription state to give one hour after a meal, or two hours prior. Yet the package insert states to either mix directly into food, or administer orally immediately after feeding. So the professional info I have is conflicting. Does anyone have any tried & true, been there done that, advice to offer?

Thanks so much!

The petmd website (Link below) says empty stomach but you can always call your vet and ask for a phone consult on this questions.

"Cyclosporine (Atopica) should be given on an empty stomach, so please wait at least one hour before or two hours after a meal before giving Cyclosporine."

http://www.petmd.com/pet-medication/cyclosporine-atopica

burkey · Oct 11, 2014

Thanks so much for your reply!

The information at the link though, is for atopica for dogs. George was prescribed the liquid form, labeled for cats, and the insert written by the manufacturer (Novartis) specifically states mix into a small amount of food, or administer orally (it includes a syringe) after feeding. It is the same medication just in different form, and the two can definitely be interchanged between cats & dogs, but it appears the manufacturer has different instructions for the two species...dogs empty stomach, cats with food. It was prescribed by his dermatologist, but I picked up the prescription from George's local vet, as the dermatologist is 40 miles away... it is the local vet's printed label on the outside of the package that states empty stomach, which contradicts the manufacturer.

George's dermatologist only works a few days per week, and the earliest I can discuss it with her is Tuesday. We've already started weaning him off the steroid (per her instructions given earlier in the week), and the Atopica takes a few weeks to kick in. I definitely do plan to wait until speaking with his derm if I need to, but the earlier we get going on this the better, as he'll be less likely to turn into a bloody pulp if we stagger the decrease in steroid with the start of the Atopica correctly.

I know there are a few members who have experience with atopica, some of them extensively, and was hoping they'd come across my post over the weekend with firsthand knowledge so we can get going on it. But I do plan to wait until next week, if I don't get the info this weekend. It's a potent drug!

larsan · Dec 16, 2014

We gave Gizmo's mixed with food. Unfortunately, it didn't work for him. How is it working with George?

burkey · Dec 21, 2014

The Atopica cleared George's skin within days. Quite a surprise as I was expecting at least 2-3 weeks!

We started on every day dosing, and when our vet advised us to try every other day dosing his skin flared up again within about 10 days. So we're approaching it a bit slower.... he's been on 6 days per week for a few weeks, and this week we're going to try stepping down to 5 days per week (3 days on, 1 off; then 2 days on, 1 off, etc).

He's has had some mild side effects.... soft stool a couple times per week, and the occasional vomitting (once every couple weeks, not constant). So we're monitoring that as well...if it becomes chronic we'll have to stop the med. But so far, he's doing ok in that regard.

sarah ann · Dec 21, 2014

My vet told me that allergy shots don't work if you give the cat steroids or atopica. My boy is wearing an E Collar and on antihistamines. The booklets the allergy vaccine company provided said to avoid steroids while doing shots.

burkey · Dec 21, 2014

I asked two vets that very question before we even started the allergy shots.... do we stop the meds we are currently using to keep his skin calm? I thought for certain the answer would be yes (because my untrained mind thought the immune system has to be fully "on" if we're going to attempt to retrain it, right?). He did have to be 100% medication free for 30 days before his allergy testing, not fun.

Boy was I surprised to get the same answer from both his regular vet and his dermatologist... they both stated there are absolutely no contradictions to using meds simultaneously with the desensitization shots. They're two different vets not affiliated with each other, so it wasn't a protocol used by all vets at one clinic, etc.

His dermatologist prefers to use Atopica for animals that tolerate it well. So that's why we made the switch from steroid to Atopica.

If George wasn't able to take a medication to keep him comfortable while we're trying the desensitization shots, I'm sure we wouldn't have made it this far....6 months at this point. Without steroid or Atopica to calm his skin, he is a bloody mess within just a couple weeks at most.

If a vet were to tell me down the road that there is a contradiction between the shots & the meds, the oral meds would win. There's no question I would chose the meds over the slim hope that the shots might eventually work. I could not watch him destroy himself.

Atopica - best to give with food, on empty stomach, or ???

burkey

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stephenq

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larsan

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