From Pred To Budesonide

[RobinM]

Has anyone’s Greyhound gone from low dose of pred (7.5mg or less) to budesonide without tapering?

 

Were they on imuran as well?

I think we are going to be making the switch. It’s a change and change is scary but Beau’s quality of life is not what it should be. He is mopey and flat.

 

This has been going on for weeks. His labs are fine.

Looking for anyone who has been on pred FIRST and switched over to budesonide.

[ahicks51]

Phew. Nothing but dumb looks here, but I can opine that you'd be swapping one steroid for another; provided he's on such a low dose of pred, it may be a straightforward adjustment. I take it Beau is on Imuran as well? Anything else?

 

Hopefully Dr. C will have corroborating evidence that the switch would be safe.

[RobinM]

yes, that is it. My vet says that since it is such a low dose of pred- we should be able to stop the pred on MOnday and go to the bud on Tuesday.

 

I am so scared to make the change. The pred is technically still working BUT Beau just isn't himself and I feel he is being cheated out on life. I just want him to be healthly and happy, like we all want for all our dogs!

 

Beau is also on 25 mg of imuran every other day.Pepcid 20mg ONLY in the morning if we see him prior to breakfast grazing as we know- he will be throwing up and not interested. This tends to happen when we are at the 7.5 mg of pred (as we are now)

 

Once back to 10mg he is OK but still flat. Today he is better than he has been but only for short periods of time and still not him.

 

I'll know him when he's back.

[dbullwinkel]

Robin..hope Beau is doing better this morning. have you seen any changes yet...I hope good!

[Guest Swifthounds]

I don't have any experience with the budesonide in dogs. Know of a few people who have used the nasal or pulmonary versions. I have much experience with pred though and I can't imagine that he wouldn't have milder side effects on something else. Pred, over the long term, causes all kinds of issues. I don't know if it's the physical side effects making the dog feel crummy or the behavioral/personality changes, but dogs are definitely different dogs on pred.

 

Wikipedia (not usually my first choice) had this to say: "Budesonide in comparison with prednisolone has been associated with fewer bone density losses and unlike other corticosteroids has little influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which also limits the need of tapering before discontinuation. Overall, it has a lower incidence of systemic manifestations than similar medications."

 

Lots of luck with it. I know how nerve wracking it is to make changes when you've spent so much time getting him stabilized.

[RobinM]

Robin..hope Beau is doing better this morning. have you seen any changes yet...I hope good!

 

I have not filled the script yet. Will change this weekend. I don't expect changes right away, but thanks for asking.

 

Overall, it has a lower incidence of systemic manifestations than similar medications."

 

Lots of luck with it. I know how nerve wracking it is to make changes when you've spent so much time getting him stabilized.

 

Yes, that seems to be the general concencus, lower incidence of systemic issues.

 

And right again, changing him on the meds after he had been doing so well is so scary.

 

The devil you know is always better than the devil you don't.

Edited February 3, 2010 by RobinM

[ahicks51]

You know, while mulling over breakfast (and Crohn's "Regional Ileitis" from 1958), I thought- is there a reason both can't be taken at once, and then taper off the pred? It seems like you could start the budesonide, and then drop to 5 mg of pred, then 2.5, but steroids are a big blank spot for me. I've never studied the subject in any depth, but I don't see why it would be contraindicated.

[RobinM]

Thanks AJ- for thinking about us!

 

I actually did a bit of research on the yahoo IBD board where the moderators are brilliant and so knowlegable, however a bit of gestaspo

 

I did see some say exactly what you mentioned. I plan on picking up the script tomorrow and starting on Saturday. I will call my vet. However she did say something about stopping one before starting the other to avoid GI ulcerations (?) sound right?

 

I will ask her on Sat.