Prednisolone not available??

Any idea why we can't get prednisolone?

Picked up 80 ml today.

Vet told me it will be a "year or two" before they start manufacturing "large quantities."  And then the prices will go down.

I am down to less than a week supply of 5mg tablets, and got my new order in liquid form. The vet said they are running low on liquid as well. Its really frustrating that such a basic medication is no longer produced with no viable alternatives. Anybody has any idea what happened? I am afraid, without prednisolone, i'll have to put my cat down. She has been through a lot before we finally found a medication that helped her with IBD symptoms, only to find out a few months later that its next to impossible to locate it in stock anywhere. I would call manufacturers irresponsible and criminal, but i really would like to understand why they made the decision to stop producing prednisolone for what appears close to 2 years now.

Please don't give up! Ask your vet about Budesonide capsules. it's a different kind of steroid, one that mostly bypasses the liver and goes straight to the stomach. it works for many kitties. Don't get the liquid, it's not a stable form and won't work. 

Thank you. I'll ask. The vet said liquid works the same way, and as long as i can give it to her, it shouldnt make a difference. I sure hope so. But now i am concerned by your comment. She didnt give me the same warning.

Tizanmi said:

I am afraid, without prednisolone, i'll have to put my cat down.

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I realize you may use the liquid, or ask about Budesonide.

But I really don't understand the concept of not trying prednisone before putting a cat down when prednisolone isn't available. There are also other forms of steroids that can be tried! I realize you're scared and frustrated, and probably just expressing worry. But there are plenty of other things to try before facing that decision. :rub:

Dexamethasone: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/251237/prednisolone-not-available/120#post_3451324

And the information on prednisone: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/251237/prednisolone-not-available/120#post_3451357

Find a different Vet. I was given 80Ml last week from my Vet. What City, State do you live in? I can PM you my Vet if you want.

I had one of my cats to the vets today and out of curiosity I asked her about this.  They can't get it again either and it's nationwide.  I am sure some vets have some left but they can't get it again other than through compounding which she isn't a big fan of mainly because the medicine is so darned expensive.

She said it has to do with issues in India where the vast majority of prednisolone came from.  A lot of plants were closed because of non-compliance with stricter anti-pollution laws.  The whole thing is in Indian courts now.  She said they have started having difficulties getting some antibiotics.  

Got 20ml in liquid form, which should last about a month. Lets see how this goes. Was your cat OK switching to liquid?
I was told budesonide may not work well on my kitty since she has severe IBD.
I also got in touch with a couple of pharmacies that can compound prednisolone, and they quoted reasonable prices.

My vet isn't very impressed with budesonide.  She said they tried it mainly in diabetic cats because it isn't supposed to have the side effects and blood sugar still went up.  She said she also didn't believe it worked as well.  

If your vet has used the liquid Budesonide, that's why. It's not a stable form. Many vets from different different universities have told me this is true. You have to use the small tablets, powder or capsules. I have proof those work on my website with the case studies. 

I don't know what form of the Budesonide she used.  Both of the steroids that Patches has used were in pill form.  I know she didn't want to use Prednisone for Patches because he has had fatty liver disease.  His liver enzymes look good but she assumes that there is some liver damage.  That's why he gets his enzymes checked every 6 months.

It seems like which steroid works best his specific to the cat, kind of like diet for IBD kitties.  I know there are certain broad rules as far as diet goes but the specifics vary with the cat.  She said some cats didn't do well with the dex, I guess it's more for skin conditions, but fortunately Patches has done well.  What little I have read about Budesonide has said it should be avoided in cats with liver disease.  I don't really understand that one since most of it stays in the digestive tract.  What I read is that some of it anyway has to be broken down by the liver.  Which is the same issue as the Prednisone, the liver converts it into Prednisolone.

Yeah, I don't get that about the budesonide either. I have known several kitties that had liver disease and did well on it so I'm confused as well. I think there is no such thing as a drug that doesn't get converted even a little bit by the liver. That's what the liver does, it filters and converts. Probably why it's so delicate. I only know that my Alex had fatty liver when she was alive and if I'd known about budesonide I would have tried it with her instead of the pred. 

When Cindy first got sick a year ago, the vet put her on what I thought was Prednisolone. I recently found out what she was getting was Prednisone.  The specialist that is currently treating Cindy wants her to stay on Prednisolone, even though I told her that she had done great on Prednisone.  So we got some from a compounding pharmacy, and it cost about $28 for 30 2.5 mg tablets.  I don't find that expensive. When we were calling around to the human pharmacies, they were telling us 15 5 mg tablets of the brand name for $250. 

JClark said:

Find a different Vet. I was given 80Ml last week from my Vet. What City, State do you live in? I can PM you my Vet if you want.

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Liquid is available, just not the tablets.

I finally found some 5mg tablets
My cat Tibby, that's on prenisolone to reduce the swelling in her sinuses (she has FHV), seems to be allergic to many liquid forms (compounds) of medicines, and the prednisone doesn't work for her either. After calling all the local, and some online pharmacies, I finally decided to try the Colorado State University School of Vet Med pharmacy. They only had 200 tablets left in stock, and unless my cat had been a patient there in the past, they would not dispense it to them, even if my local vet prescribed it. Luckily for me, my vet went to school there (actually most of the vets in the practice I use went there), and both my cats (Tibby and Angie) were enrolled there 12 years ago for a study on the Feline Herpes Virus. So, I lucked out. I suggest trying other vet school pharmacies around the country for those still looking for the tablets.

@ cookielu1999:  THANK YOU SO MUCH for recommending VPA compounded prednisolone pills!!!  My vet had prescribed the liquid prednisolone - again - and my cat was puking multiple times a day and not eating.   So I mentioned VPA to my vet and she called in the pill prescription.  My cat has been on it for about a month now and it works *SO* much better than the liquid! He's back to eating actual meals again - and hardly ever vomits now.  My cat is happy again! Thank you, thank you!!!!!! 

Several people have said the same thing about the liquid versus the pills and then the liquid works well for others.  The dexamethosone has worked well for my cat but then the vet said it hasn't worked for others.  I know finnlacey has said the liquid forms often don't work because of stability issues and she knows a lot about IBD, she runs the IBDkitties.net website.  I think the steroid that works isn't the same for all kitties.

thank you Denise!   I know that the budesonide liquid DEFINITELY isn't stable and several universities have concurred with that. I'm not sure about pred though. I know many kitties have been on liquid pred and some have done well as you stated. I wonder if it has to do with how it's stored but I also wonder how long it stays fresh once it's compounded.