Drug info - My girlfriends dog was prescibed Xanax (Alprazolam)!

[WhoreHouse]

So my gf's dog was freaking out and shaking consistenly for no reason. We took the dog to the Vet. and they prescibed her 60 x 1mg Xanax's. I could not fucking believe it.

[chinpokomaster]

How's it going to get the lid off the bottle?

Reputation Comments on this post:

funny

[staples]

This isn't uncommon, dogs are prescribed benzos all the time for anxiety. They were talking about giving my dog ativan for separation anxiety (I ended up working on training techniques first and they seem to help).

He does have a prescription antihistamine, not sure if it's in any way abusable..

Reputation Comments on this post:

Damn well done for opting to simply teach the dog how to cope instead of reaching for the Rx.

[Joe Duffy]

Make sure your girlfriend’s dog sticks to the course as prescribed by the vet.

[Nahbus]

Wow, SWIM needs to get an anxious dog

[MrG]

Jeepers H. Cookies, have you yanks run out of people to medicate?

Xanax to bring it down
Ritalin to pick it up

And a tin of Eukanuba in a sock, liberally applied to the animal's cranium to help it get to sleep.

[staples]

Originally Posted by MrG

Jeepers H. Cookies, have you yanks run out of people to medicate?

Xanax to bring it down
Ritalin to pick it up

And a tin of Eukanuba in a sock, liberally applied to the animal's cranium to help it get to sleep.

Disorders are diagnosed in dogs similarly to diagnosis in humans: if the symptoms cause a disability, makes the person/animal miserable, or if they constitute a danger to themselves or others, they can be diagnosed and perhaps medicated.

Dogs which tear up furniture, try to dig through the carpet, or can't help but relieve themselves in the house because they're scared to death of being abandoned, or just because they're panicky even having been properly trained have a very legitimate reason to be medicated. Some dogs are a pain to administer a pill to; in those cases especially the dog would not be taking medication unless absolutely necessary.

I don't see any reason a dog would be treated for ADHD or insomnia, as these wouldn't cause the same problems in dogs' lives as they would in a humans' lives. Of course I should stress the point that the dog should be properly trained, just as people should be assessed by a therapist before determining whether or not they need medication.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Agreed, sir. :)

[Matches]

Woah.

[MrG]

Originally Posted by staples

I don't see any reason a dog would be treated for ADHD or insomnia

Ummm, neither would I.

It was a joke, you know, funny ha ha.

<tap><tap>

Is this thing on?

The observation is merely that there is an undeniable preference to medicate anything that moves in the US.

In my experience as a father it is my opinion that most kids who are being given scrips for ADHD meds like ritalin probably just need a decent sleep regimen in their lives coupled with a healthier lifestyle and a well established family structure that doesn't revolve around them being shoved in front of a playstation and allowed to stay up until they pass out because mom and dad just can't be bothered to get them to go to bed properly.

As for a dog being prescribed Xanax, it is simply an extension of this philosophy. I am not for one minute claiming that the dog mentioned by the OP didn't have a condition that couldn't be helped by the use of human meds, but there is certainly a question to be raised as to whether or not it was simply the option that would require the least amount of work by the vet or, for that matter, the owner.

[old hippie 56]

When people are spending more on their pets medical bills than their own children, then they got a problem. Watch people spend 3-500 dollars at a vet office without a blink of the eye, but bitch and raise hell about rising medical costs from their doctors.

[staples]

Originally Posted by MrG

Ummm, neither would I.

It was a joke, you know, funny ha ha.

<tap><tap>

Is this thing on?

The observation is merely that there is an undeniable preference to medicate anything that moves in the US.

Sorry, I understood it was a joke but my point was that medicating dogs isn't as ridiculous as you make it sound; certainly not something considered over-done as diagnosing ADHD is.

Originally Posted by MrG

In my experience as a father it is my opinion that most kids who are being given scrips for ADHD meds like ritalin probably just need a decent sleep regimen in their lives coupled with a healthier lifestyle and a well established family structure that doesn't revolve around them being shoved in front of a playstation and allowed to stay up until they pass out because mom and dad just can't be bothered to get them to go to bed properly.

Indeed, improper nutrition can lead children to develop ADHD, and some doctors (even American ones!) will work on that first. But I thought videogames were found somewhat therapeutic for it? Granted, I remember reading about it... somewhere in 2001-2002.

For what it's worth, as someone who has been prescribed ritallin and other ADHD medication, and being from the US, neither of my parents know about this diagnosis and I sought proper therapy first.

Originally Posted by MrG

As for a dog being prescribed Xanax, it is simply an extension of this philosophy. I am not for one minute claiming that the dog mentioned by the OP didn't have a condition that couldn't be helped by the use of human meds, but there is certainly a question to be raised as to whether or not it was simply the option that would require the least amount of work by the vet or, for that matter, the owner.

A fair idea, but my little sister is studying to become a vet and I get the sense that they're much less interested in medication than they are in animals. Handing out prescriptions in this fashion would seem cruel to them before anybody else, and I think it's this kind of personality that is prevalent among vets; whereas many people become doctors because there's a lot of money in medicine, or their parents pressured them to do so, etc.

Also, I don't think many pet owners understand that dogs can be medicated in the same way children can, and many behavioral problems are assumed to require training. For example, if your dog barked at anyone who approached the front door and became defensive/dangerous, it seems like a natural choice to call in a trainer. On the other hand, the kid who won't stay in his seat and disrupts class is much more easily seen as having a neurological disorder.

Originally Posted by old hippie 56

When people are spending more on their pets medical bills than their own children, then they got a problem. Watch people spend 3-500 dollars at a vet office without a blink of the eye, but bitch and raise hell about rising medical costs from their doctors.

I don't have children, but the only reason I spend more on my dog than my own medical bills is because my health insurance only covers me Of course, my little sister helps soften the blow by working at the vet office so I get her employee discount (half off, free advantix and heart guard).

[Solinari]

A dog would have to pretty dam big to handle 1mg of alprazolam at a time, seems a LOT for a dog, i know it would floor any of my dogs no bother.

Are these tablets sustained release and are they planning to continue this medication for a prolonged period? I hope some one will know that if this dog goes a day or two without medication then it could be put through hell.

[staples]

Originally Posted by Solinari

A dog would have to pretty dam big to handle 1mg of alprazolam at a time, seems a LOT for a dog, i know it would floor any of my dogs no bother.

Are these tablets sustained release and are they planning to continue this medication for a prolonged period? I hope some one will know that if this dog goes a day or two without medication then it could be put through hell.

Um, dogs are given lower doses than humans... the amount is of course proportional to the weight of the dog.

I don't know a lot about dogs going through withdrawal symptoms, I don't think they are smart enough to associate the effects with the pill -- I think withdrawal in humans has a lot to do with our more sophisticated limbic system, though dogs can become physically dependent, in which case it'd be hard for the owner to forget a regular dose multiple times (and if they do, maybe they shouldn't own a pet...).

My dog was itching a lot and hadn't missed his anti-flea medication so he was given a prescription antihistamine (Hydroxyzine Pamoate) to be administered 3 times daily. It was a pain in the ass to get him to swallow these (even hidden in food he'd eat the food and spit out the pill!), but I maybe missed one or two doses total, never consecutively, until he stopped itching and the medication could be discontinued. He's been backwards-sneezing lately and I have a bunch of his antihistamine left over so now I'm supposed to give it to him as needed, and if I run out I can use benedryl (diphenhydramine). It's probably just a seasonal thing though; I think it's particularly cute that my medicine cabinet has my prescription bottles on one shelf, and then his prescription bottle above it (his name on it and everything) -- I don't know if it's always the case, but his prescription bottle is green

I think the administration is also very dependent on the problem; it could be as much as twice a day to as little as "as needed" for xanax.

[Solinari]

Yea i am sure dogs are given lower doses than humans, but it was said that they were 1mg tablets, so it would seem that 1mg at a time is what they would be given, there are after all 0.5mg alprazolam and i think there are 0.25mg tablets as well.

I am sure a dog can become dependant on benzodiazepines just as humans can and still go through benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.

[MrG]

Anyhoo that's probably plenty of coverage on this issue. Visit www.dog-forum.co.uk for further discussion.

[staples]

Originally Posted by Solinari

Yea i am sure dogs are given lower doses than humans, but it was said that they were 1mg tablets, so it would seem that 1mg at a time is what they would be given, there are after all 0.5mg alprazolam and i think there are 0.25mg tablets as well.

I am sure a dog can become dependant on benzodiazepines just as humans can and still go through benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.

Ah, sorry I missed the dosage. Dogs can indeed become physically dependent and are tapered off of frequent doses.

[Panthers007]

Well, we have the Betty Ford for humans with drug issues. Now I'm waiting for the Checkers Memorial Hospital to open...

Checkers was Richard Nixon's dog.

Woof.

[bineon]

Benzodiazepine withdrawal is not, as staples implied, solely uncomfortable. When taken off of regular doses of a Benzo without gradual tapering, one (a human or animal) has a sharply decreased seizures-threshold. Dogs and seizures most often do not get along and once a dog has had one it often either 1) is never the same or 2) never stops having them. I would hope your vet told you this.

[WhoreHouse]

The dog is a pitbull so yes it is a large dog but I'm not sure as to the exact weight. The Vet. said to give as needed. I also thought that 1mg for a dog was a bit much even for a pitbull but what do I know I'm not a Vet.

[altnipper]

Believe swim you can't just say because a dog is smaller than a human it takes a smaller dose, doesn't work that way, metabolism of many drugs is different in cats and dogs so doses will be different.

[bineon]

* The typical dose range for alprazolam in dogs is 0.01 to 0.05 mg per pound (0.02 to 0.1 mg/kg) given orally every 12 hours.
Dog weighing 20 lbs @ 0.05mg/lb is 1mg. Since he probably weighs more than this, this makes sense.

People weighing 160 lbs @ 0.025 mg/lb is 3.75mg.
If the person were to take 0.05mg/lb the dose would be 8mg, leading to the heavy inebriation of some people without tolerance. This leads me to believe that dogs do, indeed, have a larger tolerance to this drug, though this may only be because they cannot speak and say, "Hey duuuuddeeeee I'm SO fucked uppppp..."

On another note, cat's take anywhere from 0.125 - 0.25mg per cat. This is probably because cats are of more consistent (low) weight.

[staples]

Originally Posted by bineon

* The typical dose range for alprazolam in dogs is 0.01 to 0.05 mg per pound (0.02 to 0.1 mg/kg) given orally every 12 hours.
Dog weighing 20 lbs @ 0.05mg/lb is 1mg. Since he probably weighs more than this, this makes sense.

People weighing 160 lbs @ 0.025 mg/lb is 3.75mg.
If the person were to take 0.05mg/lb the dose would be 8mg, leading to the heavy inebriation of some people without tolerance. This leads me to believe that dogs do, indeed, have a larger tolerance to this drug, though this may only be because they cannot speak and say, "Hey duuuuddeeeee I'm SO fucked uppppp..."

I think it's more a case that dogs can't metabolize it as well, so the same dose yields a lower bioavailability and plasma concentration. I think dogs are given a lower dose in the case of prozac, but I'd have to look it up...

Originally Posted by bineon

On another note, cat's take anywhere from 0.125 - 0.25mg per cat. This is probably because cats are of more consistent (low) weight.

Not sure I understand what you're saying here... but all right