Prozac Making Thngs Worse ?

[Busderpuddle]

As some of you know, Ruby suffers from pretty severe S.A. We tried Colmicalm for several months and she only got worse. We weaned her off that, waited a week and then started her on 30 mg of Prozac every day. She has been on this about 3 1/2 weeks now. She now willingly goes in to her crate when we are leaving and ask her to but we still come home to the drooling, bed torn up, etc. We continue to do the alone training with no success. This last week, even when we are not leaving, she shakes if she sees me with my purse or my keys. Sometimes I am getting ready to take her on a walk (she has seen these keys every day since July when we walk) and until she sees the leash she just turns in to a trembling wreck. She is all of a sudden afraid of the vacuum, which is also new.

I contacted the vet yesterday and he said he will do labs in another month but it is too soon to check blood levels, etc. Has anyone seen this happen on Prozac ? We are clearly running out of ideas on how to help Ruby and I know she is clearly miserable. Unfortunately, soon she will be left even more as I return to work and or school.

[Houndtime]

I am not an expert; just another greyhound owner. When our dog was placed on prozac, he was started at 10 mgs for a month, then on 20 mgs with the anticipation that he would get to 30 mgs. He did well enough on the 20 and we never went any higher.

 

I think 30 mgs is a lot to start with. Let's see what some other say.

[Guest d0ggiem0mma]

I don't think the dosage itself is wrong- dosage range is listed as 1-2 mg/kg so a 50lb dog would get 23-45mg daily. It takes a good 6-8 weeks to build to therapeutic dosages in the blood and it is not uncommon for a dog to show side effects during the first few weeks. Common side effects do include restlessness and shaking.

 

I'm more concerned that your vet only had you wait 1 week between drugs. The wash-out period should have been significantly longer. How long was your dog on Clomicalm and at what dosage?

 

Has your vet talked about adding a benzo like valium or xanax? It doesn't sound like the SSRI is giving enough anxiety relief on its own. How much experience does your vet have with drug therapy for SA? Perhaps it's time to seek a veterinary behaviorist.

 

Edited to add this info:

 

Here is a link to the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists website http://www.dacvb.org

 

Oregon has 2 listed, but they are both at the same practice in Portland. If you are not near Portland you can call or e-mail them to ask for a referral!

Edited March 20, 2011 by d0ggiem0mma

[greysmom]

She may need an additional drug until the prozac builds up to a theraputic range. Prozac is an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitor) and valium and xanax are both benzodiazapines, They work on different areas and chemicals in the brain, and can be used together for short periods. You should discuss with your vet.

 

I would also begin carrying my keys all the time. If you simply having them is a trigger then you need to desensitize that trigger. Hook them to your wrist or belt - they need to be out and jangling - and just let her deal with them for a few days. She won't be happy.

[DesiRayMom]

Just my opinion, but I've seen better results with Xanax than Prozac.

 

Hope things get better soon.

[Busderpuddle]

Thanks for the ideas. We tried Xanax in the beginning before trying the Colmicalm and it made her really agitated too. I can ask the vet if adding it to the Prozac might help but am a little leary of that one again. I don't know what I am going to do. Last night she started panting and pacing during the night (Never done this) and I took her out several times thinking she had to potty but she wouldn't even go past the door. I finally told her to "go to sleep" and she continued to rattle around for most of the night. I forgot to mention one of the side effects that is driving us crazy is the constant teeth chomping and licking her lips. That is really annoying in the middle of the night ! Another call to the vet tomorrow to see what can be done before I need the Prozac.

[GeorgeofNE]

My vet told me that prozac tends to loosen a dogs inhibitions--so that a vocal dog can easily turn more vocal, etc.

 

I used it exactly once for my old dog and his fear of flying (12 seater planes to Nantucket) and it was our very worst flight. Never used it again.

[Guest dancewkathylee]

My dog is anxious too. He doesn't sound as bad as yours but, he has his moments. He's on 20 mg prozac and much happier and calmer since we got another greyhound. Now he's mostly anxious in bad weather. Good luck. It's hard to watch your dog looking so unhappy and uncomfortable.

[Guest d0ggiem0mma]

It really sounds like he is experiencing some negative side effects from the Prozac. The lip smacking/licking is a sign of nausea. It could be that he is pacing & whining because his tummy hurts, or he could be agitated too.

 

Also- just because the Xanax caused problems at the dosage you used does not mean a different dosage or a different medication in the same class (Benzodiazepine) like Valium might not help. My girl doesn't do very well on Valium but she takes Xanax well. How much Xanax was he taking?

 

I would really encourage you to find out how much experience your vet has using these types of drugs. Your vet is doing a lot of things differently than mine... I can't really say "wrong" because I'm not a vet but it just sounds like he doesn't have much experience in this department. Your poor dog sounds miserable and so do you. If your vet isn't helping, it may be time to find a new vet to manage this problem.

[Guest MZH]

This is going to sound unconnected but Cullen, the fellow in my avatar, was a very calm fella. He started getting nervous about things -- even wind on a sunny day. Turned out he had gotten Lyme disease. We treated him and he calmed down and reverted to his usual happy state. So, it could be a physical condition on top of her being a nervous (spooky?) dog. We've had our share of them so I can totally relate to what you're going through. Keep looking for a reason that might be making her so unhappy though.

 

The lip licking is either nausea or a calming behavior.

 

As for the dosages, they may be OK for a non-greyhound but might be too much for a greyhound. They're pretty sensitive to drugs and chemicals so that would be worth a look too.

 

Hang in!

[Burpdog]

How much time is she spending in the crate?

[seeh2o]

When Carl was on clomipramine we also supplemented w/Valium for a period of time. I had to give him Valium 1/2 before I went to work just so that I could leave the house. That eventually was unnecessary, but it did help quite a bit. He's been off the clomipramine for years now, but the vet always fills 1 - 2 prescriptions of Valium as I use it when we have to take a 4 - 6 hour car trip. He doesn't travel well (I think he gets claustrophobic), drools, pants and is up and down, which can make for a dangerous distraction on the freeway and when driving across the desert.

 

Good luck w/Ruby.

[Busderpuddle]

Burpdog-she is only in her crate a hour or so while I run errands. She sleeps in there at night too but puts herself in there then. I will be going back to work soon so she will have to spend more time in there but probably not more than 4 hours since my husbands schedule is varied. I want to get this under control before work begins (IF I find a job).

Seeh2o-I might ask the vet about Valium too but I tried Xanax with zero results. Maybe the combo will help. I wish I didn't have to drug her at all.

Thanks for the help everyone !