Mirtazapine Users?

Donutte said:

Of the recent ones, Lucky was 16. He was put to sleep on November 12 of last year, sixteen days after his diagnosis. Sara just turned 14 the beginning of last month. She was diagnosed with very early-stage CKD back in December, but then the acute on chronic aspect came up just a couple weeks ago. In fact, just took her in today to get a check up and followup blood work done.

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Sorry about your cats. [emoji]128560[/emoji] Must be hard to watch them go through that disease

I have JUST starter using IT with a 15 year old cat with a URI that won't go away. It started when I went on my first business trip in 5 years (stress induced, I think) the middle of February and her lack of appetite started when I went on my last business trip of 9 days the middle of March. (More stress....she lost .5 lbs while I was gone). The vet has prescribed 1/4th pill every 72 hours but given her weight (7.8 lbs) and reading comments about reactions and Maggie's reaction, I think I need to cut it down to 1/8th pill.

Strangely enough she no longer wants canned cat food....only hard food (Nature Variety Limited Ingredient Turkey) which I would think would be harder to eat. As long as she eats SOMETHING, I'm happy!!!

I've gotten the exact same results using 1/4 or 1/8 pill so I think less is better.

I just started it with my kidney disease cat after she quit responding to Cyproheptadine.  She got 1/8 tablet over a week ago, and while it did make her loopy and such she has been eating like a champ for over a week now.

What exactly is Cyproheptadine?  an appetite stimulant or a sedative? or something else?

Artiemom said:

What exactly is Cyproheptadine?  an appetite stimulant or a sedative? or something else?
 

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An antihistamine that is used as an appetite stimulant. It's what I've been giving Sara the last two weeks.

thanks...

I understand Cypro is much preferred. Many less side effects

TaoMom said:

 
To those of you who have used mirtazapine appetite stimulant for your cats, I have a few questions for you:

1) Did you need this drug to use as appetite stimulant because your cat was diagnosed with a disease or was it just because your cat was elderly and loss its appetite?

2) How many times per week did you give this drug and for how many years?

3) When did the drug stop working? 

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1) Jumbo has kidney disease and his appetite is up and down so he keeps losing weight. He's tried at least 7 canned ckd foods and only sort of liked 1 and now hates it too.

2) He got his first dose on Saturday (1/4 of 15 mg pill). And will get his second dose tomorrow.

3) I'm not sure if it has really started working yet. First dose was around 5 pm on Saturday and I couldn't get him to eat much the rest of the night. He would only eat about half a 3 oz can of Iams Purrfect Delights tempt me tuna and mackerel. He turned his nose up at everything else I offered. He ate a little better yesterday, 1.25 oz of Merrick LID turkey in the morning, then another 1.25 in the afternoon, then later several spoonfuls of Soulistic's Autumn Bounty and Island Illusion mixed together (maybe 1 oz) and overnight he ate 1/4 cup Royal Canin Renal Support A dry. But that still isn't enough food for him to maintain a good weight. He was eating pretty good in February and March until he went for another liver test and lost his appetite again. This morning he barely touched his Merrick LID turkey before I had to leave for work. So we'll see how effective it is after a few more doses.

I wouldn't advise giving him dry food if he has kidney disease.  He needs all the fluid he can get.  Yes, it may be "prescription" food, but that's just for dry food addicts that people can't get switched over to wet food.  Kidney disease does make everything taste different and often not pleasantly (so my human friends who have had it tell me) so you may have to change foods on a very regular basis just to keep her coming back for more.  I have not used mirtazapine but have used ciproheptadine which worked well and also lorazepam which is in the same family as mirtazapine and seems to have the same effect, making them talkative and very affectionate. as well as stimulating their appetite.  Mine seem to like the 4Health grain-free chicken cat food that can only be found at Tractor Supply, and the Abound turkey & chicken grain-free canned food that can only be found at Kroger.

"If you can't feed fresh food (raw or gently cooked), the second best diet is a dehydrated or freeze dried balanced diet that has been reconstituted with an abundance of water. Your cat's kidneys and liver can be further stressed as a result of chronic low-grade dehydration, so all foods served "dry" can pose a problem long term."


http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...lead&utm_campaign=20160509_feeding-older-cats

Yes that is good advice. But I have discussed all that with his vet and he agreed a little dry is okay when his main food is wet. And when he is barely eating anything, but will nibble on some dry k/d food, I think it's better than nothing. It probably less than 1/4 cup of dry a day when he wants to eat it, which isn't even every day for him. Extra water is added to his wet food and he drinks water pretty good. 

1/4 pill was a little much for my cat. Made here eat like crazy and it was just weird. I reduced it to an 1/8 every 72 hours or as needed and it's been working great for some time, but now it seems less effective than it was when we first started her on it.