Nsaids...so Many Out There!

[krissn333]

I think we are moving toward transitioning Carrie off of Prednisone and onto an NSAID for her lower back issues...I don't think we're looking at LS, but maybe some arthritis. She really needs to be back on the Springtime, Inc. joint health tabs, which we can't do with her on prednisone. She needs that MSM.

 

We don't like Rimadyl in this house. It makes Fritz weird, it made Ace sick, and didn't do a thing for Carrie when she was hurt before. Deramaxx has always been our NSAID of choice, but, with it being hard to get ahold of, I don't think it's an option.

 

I am not very chemically minded when it comes right down to it...I tried to do some research on the differences between Deramaxx and Rimadyl and see if there's a human drug that's out there that we can get as a generic that will work like Deramaxx does...but I realize I just don't understand it all well enough to "get it."

 

There was talk of Meloxicam in another thread...would that be more like Deramaxx, or like Rimadyl?

 

I just want to be armed with good information when we talk to our vet about making the switch...so, someone smart help me out!

[PatricksMom]

I found Meloxicam worked better than Deremaxx for arthritis and caused none of the problems Rimadyl did, but that's only in one case. Meloxicam does load faster in the system than Deremaxx (not sure about Rimadyl), so you'll get more rapid pain relief, and you can use it more effectively as an occasional medication.

 

Have you thought about Tramadol or Gabepentin? Both can be used with Meloxicam (not sure about the other NSAIDS), together, or alone. Tramadol is very safe and effective for arthritis, and Gabepentin tends to be particularly good with nerve related pain (not sure what sort of lower back issues you're dealing with).

[TwiggysMom]

I don't know about a human version of Deramaxx, but meloxicam is the human version of Metacam.

 

I think Metacam/meloxicam is supposed to be gentler on the GI tract than Rimadyl or piroxicam, but meloxicam is difficult to dose because it doesn't come in a lot of pill sizes. I've heard of 1/3 of a pill being a commonly-prescribed dose for a greyhound. Obviously, that's hard to do consistently & accurately. Also, precise dosing might be more important for long-term use like you would be doing for Carrie. Since Metacam is liquid it is very easy to dose and administer. It is much more expensive than the pills, though. I found the best price at KV Vet in the 100ml bottle.

 

PatricksMom makes a good point - I think I'd rather look to tramadol or gabapentin over an NSAID if either of those were appropriate to her condition. NSAIDs for long term use make me nervous (even more so after Twiggy got ulcers from Metacam).

[greysmom]

My Toni is on both gabapentin and meloxicam for a neuroma in her rear leg and some arthritis issues. She was on rimadyl for a while and still had significant limping and not good pain relief. Since starting the meloxicam she hasn't limped at all, even after hard exercise, and is back to being her normal self. Toni has had no gastro side effects at all. She weighs about 77 pounds so a 1/2 pill of 7/5mg meloxicam works for her dosing, but there are many on here that do the 1/3 pill.

[Batmom]

Tramadol relieves pain but doesn't do anything for inflammation. Also isn't without side effects of its own, sometimes quite nasty ones.

 

Here we have used most of the NSAIDs at one time or another. Have seen no real difference among Rimadyl, Deramaxx, Metacam in my dogs. @ same pain relief, @ same side effects or lack thereof. Worst we've seen here was some mooshy poop in one dog after 4-5 days of meds.

 

Prednisone has been more effective for some things for us, and less so for others.

 

I would remind folks to give any NSAID (or prednisone) after a meal or substantial snack to protect the stomach.

[Hollis]

Meloxicam was a life saver here. Norm is on meloxicam and tramadol. The tramadol twice a day, meloxicam at dinner. He's getting a quarter pill but I've been thinking about going to half with snow on the ground. The cold defiantly effects him.

[krissn333]

She is already on tramadol, but I think she needs that help that only an NSAID can provide, along with her joint health tabs (which helped her quite a bit before she was put on prednisone in May when she strained her lower back).

[tbhounds]

Meloxicam was a life saver here. Norm is on meloxicam and tramadol. The tramadol twice a day, meloxicam at dinner. He's getting a quarter pill but I've been thinking about going to half with snow on the ground. The cold defiantly effects him.

Please be careful-meloxicam is dosed by your pets weight--0.1mg/kg once a day not to be exceeded.

[Hollis]

Please be careful-meloxicam is dosed by your pets weight--0.1mg/kg once a day not to be exceeded.

Vet prescribed half pill. We discussed it and decided to start at 1/4 in hopes it would be enough.

 

Thank you for watching out for us!

[tbhounds]

Vet prescribed half pill. We discussed it and decided to start at 1/4 in hopes it would be enough.

Thank you for watching out for us!

;-) !

[Burpdog]

The lowest reaction rates and death rates is metacam oral (metacam injections, adverse death rates same as rimadyl) Deramaxx can cause a serious stomach bleed so you have to be very aware of what to look for.

[Blaidd49]

We get Metacam in liquid form so it is very easy to dose and adjust downwards when possible.

[gryhndsr4us]

Just be careful what you use, Meloxicam cannot be used with prednisone. So if you need to go back to the pred you have to have her off the Meloxicam.

[krissn333]

Yep, that's the reason we're moving off the prednisone, since you shouldn't mix NSAIDS with pred.

At the dosing listed above, Carrie would only need .21 mg...not sure that will work with pills. Unless I'm really not thinking clearly right now which is very possible. She weighs 48 lbs...which is 21.7 kg.

[tbhounds]

Yep, that's the reason we're moving off the prednisone, since you shouldn't mix NSAIDS with pred.

At the dosing listed above, Carrie would only need .21 mg...not sure that will work with pills. Unless I'm really not thinking clearly right now which is very possible. She weighs 48 lbs...which is 21.7 kg.

You could give 1/3 of a 7.5mg tablet, however, personally I would use the liquid as it would be a more accurate dosing.

Edited to add-of course I'm referring to meloxicam.

Edited January 2, 2013 by tbhounds

[krissn333]

What do people do to give liquid? She's very easy to give pills to, but putting liquid on her food wouldn't be the best way to get meds into her as she doesn't always eat ALL of her kibble.

 

...and I have to put water on her food.

[tbhounds]

What do people do to give liquid? She's very easy to give pills to, but putting liquid on her food wouldn't be the best way to get meds into her as she doesn't always eat ALL of her kibble.

The liquid is supplied with an oral dosing syringe. Honestly, the best way to administer it is to place it directly in her mouth. I've actually tasted it--it's sweet. I do know of some folks that will place it on a yummy like pound cake and give it as a treat.

[Batmom]

Liquid: I mix it with something like applesauce, honey, a little yogurt, a little room temp broth...... Haven't tasted it. Smells like old, dried mice. Got a droplet in my hair once and nearly went mad before I figured out what and where it was.

[BauersMom]

The liquid is supplied with an oral dosing syringe. Honestly, the best way to administer it is to place it directly in her mouth. I've actually tasted it--it's sweet. I do know of some folks that will place it on a yummy like pound cake and give it as a treat.

Yep, just syringe into their mouths! I never needed to try to "hide" it in anything, and liquid metacam was very easy to dose.

 

(it does, however, smell like old socks! )

Edited January 2, 2013 by BauersMom

[tbhounds]

Liquid: I mix it with something like applesauce, honey, a little yogurt, a little room temp broth...... Haven't tasted it. Smells like old, dried mice. Got a droplet in my hair once and nearly went mad before I figured out what and where it was.

Smells like ferret!

[krissn333]

You're not making me want to bring this liquid into my house with your descriptions!

 

People have said its more expensive than the pills...how expensive are we talking?

 

Part of the reason we're moving away from Deramaxx is that it's so expensive (our vet has lots of it ).

[PatricksMom]

People use liquid because it's possible to dose much more accurately than with the pill. Patrick used to take 1/2 a table although with the crumbling when splitting, it was probably more like 1/3 a pill, but that was at 70 pounds, 48 pounds I would worry.

 

I think I paid about $30/month for my rabbit's meloxicam, but that was a very small dose. It was made by a compounding pharmacy which was about the same cost as purchasing through my vet (but much easier for me to pick up). I don't know if a dog does would be more expensive or less expensive since it's more common. I think we used to pay $8ish per month for the human pill at Target, but it might have been cheaper. Walmart is usually cheaper than if you shop there.

Edited January 2, 2013 by PatricksMom

[Hollis]

Much MUCH more expensive. Like deramaxx expensive. Which is why we went with the meloxicam.

[Hubcitypam]

Human Meloxicam is wayyyy cheaper than Deramaxx. I had Kenny Roo Who the grey/shepherd mix on human pills from Mexico for several years and he did fine. The pills cost .07 each and he took 1/2.

[greysmom]

We get the 7.5 mg pills from Toni's vet (which is more expensive than a human pharmacy) and it still only costs about $10 a month.