Any Paxil success stories?

njaroch

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Me and my Festus issue again . . . I'm wondering if anyone out there has had genuine success with Paxil (as a treatment for aggression in cats), and could you share your story? I'd also like to hear the un-success stories, if there are any of those.

The whole Festus thing is starting to cause tension between me and my husband - he loves the cat but is really concerned for our daughter ("what if he really hurts/scars her, what about a future child, is it fair to have an animal that mostly lives in confinement, etc."). I know all of his points are completely valid, but my heart is breaking over the thought of giving up Festus. So, I'm interested to hear if Paxil has really helped (or not) others in a similar situation.

By the way, I'm going to pick up a pill syringe tomorrow and also have a call in to our behaviorist re: making a compound, as it's now Day 2 and Festus pretty much has no Paxil in him.
 

Anne

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I have seen several success stories where SSRI drugs were used with cats. Then again, each cat is an individual, so you can never really tell until you try. I'm afraid I haven't been following the Festus saga, but I am glad to see that you are consulting a trained behaviorist. Even when using drugs to treat behavior problems, you still need to combine them with behavioral treatment procedures to achieve the best effect and reduce stress levels for your cat.
 

beckiboo

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I don't have any knowledge of Paxil in pets, but know it works great for people! (I am a psych nurse!)

I had a friend with an anxious cat, and she was given a shot of amitryptyline (sp?) which helped calm her down for several weeks to a month at a time. That would be much easier than pilling him, IMHO.

Tell your husband to bugger off! Honestly, you aren't asking to commit to keeping a viscious animal forever...just to giving Festus some help and some training. It is a great lesson for your daughter, that you as a family value your commitments, and are willing to go the extra mile to help solve problems.

I have heard of something called Pill Pockets, which you hide the pills in. Or maybe feed little bits of tuna, and in one of the bits, hide the pill?

Good luck, thanks for trying so hard with your Festus.
 

zissou'smom

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I don't know anything about it in pets but I'm going to have to disagree with Beckiboo. It gave me a huge seizure and my blood pressure dropped to something like 65/40 while I was in the ER. They had to give me the highest possible dose of IV valium to stop it. Then again, I shouldn't have been on Paxil as it wasn't designed to fix what was wrong with my head at the time.
My point is that if Festus' problems are caused by an serotonin imbalance, then Paxil should help drastically. If his problems are something else, then he's just going to feel kind of stoned. It takes awhile to kick in, though so be patient. And if it doesn't work there are other types to try, so don't give up then either.
 
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