Hypothyroid And Epilepsy

[Guest luluaz]

Max has been taking soloxine and phenobarbitol for over a year now. His cluster seizures are controled and his activity level has increased, along

with his appetite, thanks to the pheno.

Which brings me to the question, anyone else with a pup that has both conditions or just seizures from the low thyroid?

I understand that an electrolyte/nutritional imbalance can bring about seizures, too-

I'm just having my doubts as to what came first for my guy--I need a veterinary endocrinologist/internal medicine specialist, I think.

His creeping appetite weight gain and sluggishness from the pheno and having to take the soloxine for low thyroid seems to be really at odds??!!

I think I need a re-evaluation, for Max's sake-

[LuvAPuppy]

Not a grey, but yes, my Mom's Chihuahua is hypo and seizure prone. It was never diagnosed as full blown Epilepsy but she does have generalized seizures and she is on pheno. I know not quite regulated thyroid can be involved with seizures, but Keela's thyroid labs are always perfect. I still deeply suspect that her two issues are related. She does well. she seizes maybe once every few months. they're not grand mal, they seem to resemble Chinook seizures. she never gets altered and she's back on her feet within five minutes.

 

That's really all the input I have for you...

[Guest Snowy8]

Gabby just has seizures from epilepsy...she's on pheno also...

[RobinM]

Chloe is clearly cut and dry hyprothyroid. She has had "head tremors". One time although the episode was no worse than the others, her eyes were fixed and did not dialate even when I held a flashlight to her eyes.

 

Vet said it could be the first stages of epilsey. It may or may not ever get worse. Of course, I'm praying it never does.

 

I hope my answer to your orginal question always remails No.

[Guest luluaz]

Thank you for your replies--Max has never had anything more than a "petit mall", though we did track them to be cluster-like.

I just want him to be as healthy as he can be, and the pheno weight really bugs me. He was such a trim, gorgeous boy when he first came to us.

 

Max Then...

 

Max Now...(foreground, Dyce behind him )

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

When I adopted my "special needs" hound, Alex, he was on pheno for petit mal seizures and soloxine for thyroid. My Vet immediately questioned if he needed the pheno. She thought the seizures could have been caused by the low thyroid. We weaned him off the pheno and he was fine. We then tested his thyroid and lowered his dose of Soloxine. He never had a seizure in the 2 years we had him.

[greyhndz]

My first GH, Kody, developed seizures at age 12. I feared it might be a stroke but labs drawn that day revealed that he was critically hypothyroid., Because he clustered, he was put onto phenobarb in addition to soloxine, at least until his thyroid hormone level stabilized. I thought the side effects of the phenobarb were horrendous. Kody was unsteady on his feet, had that glazed-eye , out-of-it look, and couldn't be left alone without being confined. These side effects diminished over the next couple of months, but in retrospect, I'd try to make the switch to KBr, Gabapentin, or one of the newer anti-epileptics, ASAP in order to avoid the side effects of phenobarb.

[Guest Annie]

River has hypothyroid and head tremors.

[Batmom]

His creeping appetite weight gain and sluggishness from the pheno and having to take the soloxine for low thyroid seems to be really at odds??!!

I think I need a re-evaluation, for Max's sake-

 

Don't know squat about pheno and seizures but you might want to have his thyroid checked. Burpdog can tell you proper interval between giving the soloxine and doing the blood draw to check his levels. Most common symptom of low thyroid is weight gain and sluggishness so it could be his dose is low ... or it could be side effect from the pheno.

 

Hugs and luck.

[scullysmum]

I have never heard of Pheno causing weight gain....but it can cause sluggishness. I would think that the weight gain is more likely to be a result of being hypthyroid and that the medication for that may need to be increased.

[Guest MZH]

Cullen was severely hypothyroid when his seizures started just before his 8th birthday. In retrospect I know he had petit mals for years, which consisted of zoning out and licking the air. He looked like he was trying to get peanut butter off the roof of his mouth.

 

He's on pheno and NaBr (KBr makes him very ill) in addition to Soloxine. I also hate the weight gain and ataxia the seizure meds are causing. His liver values are awful too but every time we try to lower the dosages he seizes.

 

Like Jordan says, the newer drugs would be better to use. I think we'll try to switch to gabapentin or some other drug combo after we move to SC in a couple of weeks.

 

Marcia

[Anne]

My Frasier (gone a year now) was hypothyroid. He was on soloxine for a couple of years and had great levels. He then began having full blown seizures. Blood work showed that his thyroid levels were perfect. He was put on Phenobarb. The side effects of phenobarbital can include HUNGER and huge THIRST. Boy oh boy did Frasier get both, he was already a counter surfer but he would steal any food or drink, nothing like watching your dog slurp up your diet coke right out of the glass!

When he began taking the phenobarbital he was sluggish and he did have a bit of a glazed look, but that diminished after a few weeks. He did well on the phenobarb. When he passed, it wasn't from seizures or thyroid issues or complications there of. I miss my crazy boy.

[Guest SusanP]

We just discovered that Simon's head-tremors were connect to low thyroid levels. She began taking thyroid meds this week, and the tremors are already gone. Are you wondering if just treating the thyroid might be enough to correct the seizure problem without having to give the phenobarb? No answers here--just trying to understand the question.

[Guest MZH]

We just discovered that Simon's head-tremors were connect to low thyroid levels. She began taking thyroid meds this week, and the tremors are already gone. Are you wondering if just treating the thyroid might be enough to correct the seizure problem without having to give the phenobarb? No answers here--just trying to understand the question.

 

I can say definitively that when we try to reduce Cullen's Soloxine dose, he seizes. Some dogs' seizures actually stop when on Soloxine. Lucky dogs!

 

Marcia

[Guest luluaz]

We just discovered that Simon's head-tremors were connect to low thyroid levels. She began taking thyroid meds this week, and the tremors are already gone. Are you wondering if just treating the thyroid might be enough to correct the seizure problem without having to give the phenobarb? No answers here--just trying to understand the question.

 

I can say definitively that when we try to reduce Cullen's Soloxine dose, he seizes. Some dogs' seizures actually stop when on Soloxine. Lucky dogs!

 

Marcia

I would like the opportunity to wean Max off pheno and see if the soloxine is enough for him...I will call the neurovet and ask about the possibility?

Glad to hear from some other people with similar pups!