Prednisolone not available??

[denice]

When my vet couldn't get the prednisolone anymore my vet put Patches on Dexamethasone.  I haven't seen anyone else here get that as a substitute but it has worked well and he is still taking it.  I just buy it from the vet and it is very reasonably priced.  It is a much stronger steroid so he is on a very small dose, only .25 mg a day.  It comes in .5 mg tablets.  I split them and he gets 1/2 tablet a day.  They are scored which makes the splitting easy.

 

[goholistic]

Elsa, this recall information is from 2012. I did a search for "prednisolone recall" and nothing recent comes up.

 

[sarah ann]

You may be able to get it from wedgewood pharmacy. Both my vet's use them for equine meds. They are a compounding pharmacy but have a fairly good reputation.

You would have to call them to get a price quote.  I've been happy with them and would use them again. Quick shipping, no issues.  

 

[meg7]

I just wanted to let everyone know that once again, there is a shortage of Prednisolone 5mg.  My vet was out of stock, as was Target (locally and online) and various other pet med websites.  One of the online stores claimed they'd be getting some in on October 30, 2013.  

 

[denice]

My vet switched my cat to dexmethsolone during the long nationwide shortage and has just kept him on it.  I don't know what the deal is with prednisolone but it has been going on for awhile.

 

[jclark]

Curious to know why you guys don't use the liquid formula of prednisolone? I've been using this form since June and it's very easy to administer.

 

[denice]

I don't know that there is a reason other than maybe that's the way it is normally made.  For me personally I prefer the pills because Patches is easier to pill then to give medicine with a syringe.  I think that comes from my many attempts to syringe feed him when he was sick, he doesn't  want anything to do with something in a syringe.

 

[meg7]

My vet prescribed the liquid prednisolone during last year's shortage, and it was HORRIBLE.  My cat threw up several times a day and hardly wanted to eat while on the medication.  The pill form of prednisolone cured all those symptoms.  A few local pharmacies suggested millipred, but wow is that stuff expensive!   Thanks for the suggestion on dexmethsolone - it looks like that's probably the best option for my cat.  

 

[denice]

The dex is actually cheaper than the prednisolone.  It's a stronger steroid so the dose is much smaller.  Patches only gets .25 mg a day.  It comes in .5 mg pills but they are scored so they are easy to split.

 

[cookielu1999]

I don't know if anyone has posted this already, but an online pharmacy, VPA Pharmacies , compounds prednisolone tablets!   My vet orders them for me and VPA ships it to the clinic or my doorstep - my choice.

Here's their info:

Veterinary Pharmacies of America Inc.
2854 Antoine Drive Houston, TX 77092
Toll Free Phone: 1-877-838-7979
Toll Free Fax: 1-877-329-7979

Hours of Operation
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm CST

It's not like shopping at DrsFosterSmith.com where you order and they contact the vet for approval.  For VPA I think your own vet must initiate the RX.  But the pricing is fair - way better than millipred (brandname prednisolone), significantly better than my local compounding pharm. that only makes capsules (that are not pet friendly flavored), but not nearly as inexpensive as a regular pet online pharn. such as DrsFosterSmith.com that normally carries the vet generic.  VPA is great for kitties like mine who I cannot directly pill, but must hide the med. in a pill pocket.  And since she chews up the pill pocket she tastes the med., and/or the capsule, so a chicken flavored pill in a chicken flavored cat capsule (from capsuline.com) wrapped in a pill pocket goes down easy w/out being spit out.  The 5mg prednisolone from VPA fits into a #3 size capsule.

 

[jcornman]

OK hope this helps. I have an allergic cat that doesn't get relief from  prednisolone so my vet  prescribed methylprednisolone.  Your vet would probably have to adjust the dosage because I understand it is stronger.  I have to order mine on line.  I use Foster & Smith but I suspect there are others that carry it.  You could bring it up to your vet, can't hurt.

Joe

 

[pattid]

We had to switch my cat to the liquid prednisolone from a compounding company through my vets office. 50 bucks a month. He's been on it for a few months now and likes the liquid better then the pills. Ive tried give him a pill the other day that i have reserved but he clawed my hand. I've gotten him in a routine- 9 pm his ring tone goes off (I gave him his own ring tone from my phone), he comes running to me when he hears it, he gets his medicine and then his favorite treats then some wet food. Bribery. I think I'm going to ask for the flavor to be added then maybe he'll think the medicine is the treat and I can cut out the added calories.

Hope they resolve this soon but I'm glad there are these compounding companies to get us through. Ask your vet if they can get meds through a compounding company, if not then ask them to write a script for compounded medicine.

 

[lillymo]

If you're having trouble getting Prednisolone at a reasonable price, try calling another local vet.

My veterinarian was out of Prednisolone. I assumed other vets would be out of it too, but at a friend's suggestion, I did some calling and quickly found it in stock at another animal hospital. They couldn't legally dispense medication unless my cat was a patient, so I made an appointment for an exam and had my veterinarian's office fax over pertinent information to avoid redundant testing. I made it clear to both clinics that I didn't want to switch vets, I just wanted to get the medication. Both offices were understanding and cooperative.

The second vet did an exam, wrote a prescription and I purchased sixty 5 mg. tablets of Prednisolone for $15.50. Yes, I paid an additional $55 for the exam, but that was a bargain compared to the pharmacy quote of $499.

 

[misty8723]

According to my vet, no one has prednisolone.  The hospital was able to get me some from a compounding pharmacy in another state, but none of the places I've called locally has any.  What the heck is it with this drug? This is getting on my nerves big time, are they trying to force us into the brand which I was quoted $250 for 15 pills?

 

[denice]

This has been going on for well over a year.  The last time it was a nationwide problem like it apparently is again now my vet switched my cat to dexamethasone.  They went through a long period where it was a regional thing and if someone was resourceful they could usually find it.  Apparently now it's back to not available again except for some places that still has some.  Everything I could find on line talks about a shortage of raw ingredients but that sounds a little fishy to me.

 

[lillydsh]

I recommend a medication called Pancrezyme for pancreatitis. I also recommend talking to your vet about PancreVed. But, I don't recommend feeding a raw diet because it is very dangerous to everyone in the household.

 

[finnlacey]

Lilly that is absolutely NOT true. If handled properly, a raw diet for an obligate carnivore is actually the best possible thing. While I think they should wait until the pancreatitis has subsided, MANY kitties with IBD, pancreatitis and other GI disorders have recovered very well and thrived on a raw diet. Again, if handled properly with the right precautions, a raw diet is actually safer from salmonella than dry food is! Dry food is recalled continuously for salmonella while raw food is hardly ever recalled. 

 

[lillydsh]

Raw meat is filled with salmonella. It's also found in raw eggs. 80% of raw meat and eggs is infected with salmonella. A lot of raw meat also contains campylobacter!

 

[finnlacey]

cats are obligate carnivores and eat raw meat in the wild all the time. Birds, mice, other rodents, etc. and they are FINE. A cat's make up of their body is engineered to handle salmonella levels far greater than a persons. I'm not going to argue this fact. THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of kitties eat a raw food diet and not only are okay, but they thrive! Some case studies on my website who have IBD have tried everything possible for their diarrhea and the only thing that's worked is a raw food diet. 

 

[lillydsh]

We are talking about domesticated animals here, not wild. The cat has been domesticated since 8,000 BC. A wild animal, like a Jungle Cat, is adapted to live off a diet of rodents, frogs, birds, etc.