Gabapentin

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Jan
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Gabapentin

Post by Jan »

Blackie has been prescribed 0.5ml twice a day of this sedative. Has anyone here had experience with this medication for their cat?
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fjm
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Re: Gabapentin

Post by fjm »

I tried it recently for Pippin's arthritis - it is meant to help with chronic pain. It didn't seem to help him much, and I thought his hind legs were a little wobblier, so I stopped it after a few weeks, but I believe others have seen good results from it.
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Mollycat
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Re: Gabapentin

Post by Mollycat »

I was given the sprinkle on food version to calm my cat for getting loaded up in the carrier. She wouldn't touch it. My vet said it would just make her calm not dopey so probably would have been no good anyway.

Not convinced of its value as a painkiller though, I would always prefer Metacam for that.

For arthritic type chronic pain would you consider Devil's Claw extract? In humans tests it comes up as effective as NSAIDS but anecdotally it's great (personal experience) and it is used in veterinary medicine particularly for horses but also dogs and anything else.
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Jan
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Re: Gabapentin

Post by Jan »

Just wanted to write thanks for the replies. Gabapentin was actually prescribed by our vet because she believed him to be suffering from stress and Gabapentin would act as a sedative to help with his appetite - which was almost zero. She then showed me that unbeknown to me Blackie had taken all the fur off his lower belly which seemed to go along with her diagnosis (there were no probs with him peeing).

It was then I realised that certain things being shifted around in the space that Blackie uses to get to the garden room had probably upset him ... not to mention that other cats trespassing across his garden had also upset him. No sooner was he given the first 2 daily dose of Gabapentin he started to gobble down his food again. On the vet's advice we should keep going with the Gabapentin until the decorator has finished (next Friday). I assumed I would have to withdraw the Gabapentin slowly but the vet told me I can just stop it.

We have been using |Metacam at 2.5/3ml for the arthritis in two of his limbs which seems to help. I would use Devil's Claw if it helps.

Thanks again for the advice.


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