This is directly associated with my other post about my cat sneezing and having nose / eye discharge. She has been on this medication since Monday evening and I'd say the sneezing has basically gone away. Eyes are much better too with the tresoderm drops. I'll continue those, but I'm not liking this lethargic behavior. IF it's not due to the chlorpheniramine, then of course it's time for additional testing. I don't recall ever giving a cat antihistamines and so have no experience to go on. Any thoughts? I must say that, from all my experience with cats, something just seems off. Marzi is just not the same cat. I think as owners we can sense things before anything is even diagnosed. I'm probably a bit paranoid and overly worried having gone through what I did with Jasmine's hyperthyroid battle. I believe I'll call the vet and see if she can be taken off the med. I have enough here for 24 days in all (half tablet twice a day) but can't imagine I'd need to continue it that long, or even much beyond this point. If the sneezing has cleared up, why continue to medicate too much longer?
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Does the antihistamine chlorpheniramine make cats drowsy and lethargic? I'm thinking it's time to discontinue administering it
- Thread starter three4rd
- Start Date
Google the side effects of the medication. Drowsiness is almost always a side effect of any antihistamine. Did she receive any other medication while at the vet? Any shots or anything or just this medication?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
No...nothing else. The vet seemed, to me anyway, perhaps a bit too unconcerned. Simply said it's probably allergy related. I had looked up this particular antihistamine and it said that sometimes, ironically, it causes more excitement than lethargy in cats. Doesn't seem to be the case here! I will contact them and mention that the sneezing seems to have cleared up so worth at least trying discontinuing the med? If the symptoms truly were caused by newfound allergies, I can always put her back on. Big concern is that she has to go to the kennel for awhile starting next Friday evening. I'll probably send along the antihistamine and eye drops, although the eyes have been clearing up very nicely. IF no change in behavior after being off the antihistamine, then of course there's something else going on. Maybe just old(er) age and the inevitable slow decline. Hate to even think of it. Takes me right back to Jasmine's struggles back in '11.
I have a kitty with asthma and we keep her on an antihistamine. We give generic Claritin (plain loratadine), half a tablet. We smash and mix it in her wet food.
One of our cats takes chlorpheniramine, too, though in a transdermal cream. She gets a small dose twice a day. It doesn't seem to make her sleepy, though it does seem to act as a very mild sedative, in a positive way: she's a nervous cat who has asthma plus allergies and the antihistamine seems to calm her a bit.
stephanietx
mentions Clairtin and I've also heard of Zyrtec being used for cats.
stephanietx
mentions Clairtin and I've also heard of Zyrtec being used for cats.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
"acting as a mild sedative" is probably a better description than "sleepy". I contacted the vet and discussed it. They confirm a huge number of allergy issues so far this spring, especially in older animals that never had them before. And also confirmed the sedative effects of the antihistamine.
I've been seeing articles saying that humans are having more allergy problems this season than usual, too. (And my own allergies have been worse than ever in the last year.) Did you decide to keep your cat on the antihistamine?
