Where To Buy Cisapride For Cats
Cisapride (brand names: Prepulsid, Propulsid) is a medication used to enhance the movement of the gastrointestinal (GI) system to treat conditions such as stasis, reflux, and constipation/megacolon (in cats). In North America, commercially produced forms of this medication are not available, and this medication must be compounded.
where to buy cisapride for cats
The following medications should be used with caution when given with cisapride: anticholinergic agents, benzodiazepines, cyclosporine, warfarin, oral drugs with a narrow therapeutic index, amiodarone, antifungals, chloramphenicol, cimetidine, fluvoxamine, macrolide antibiotics (except azithromycin), clarithromycin, fluoroquinolones, procainamide, quinidine, sotalol, and tricyclic antidepressants.
Cisapride Compounded is used in dogs and cats to speed up the digestive process without increasing gastric acid. It alleviates vomiting and other issues associated with slow digestive processes. Compounding is beneficial in instances where a specific dosage is unavailable or in different forms to make it easier to dose your pet. Cisapride Compounded requires a prescription from your veterinarian.Please Note: custom compounds take 2-3 business days to prepare and cannot be shipped to NC, MN, MS, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
If you are having difficulty giving your pet prescribed medication or need to find a discontinued medication, 1-800-PetMeds offers compounding services on select medications. We can prepare the following: (1) custom strength quantities of a medication (as capsules, liquid, chewable tablets, or transdermal (absorbed through the skin); (2) dosage forms to mask bitter or unpleasant taste (such as capsules or chewable tablets that can also be flavored); (3) dosage forms to make it easier to dose your pet such as a transdermal or liquid (that can also be flavored); and (4) discontinued products such as cisapride or DES.
When it comes to correction of motilty, two medications in particular come to mind: metoclopramide and cisapride. Both will help reduce the nausea created by food pooling in the stomach. Metoclopramide acts on the stomach's pacemaker to normalize stomach contractions. This not only helps digested food continue its journey forward but also reduces reflux of food backward from the intestine into the stomach where the distended stomach. Metoclopramide also has the ability to cross into the brain to help control the actual sensation of nausea. This sounds great but crossing into the brain also can lead to hyperexcitability in some patients which can be a big problem.
Cisapride represents an improvement over metoclopramide in that the entire GI tract from stomach to colon can gain improved motility with cisapride. Not only stomach contractions are improved but the entire tract motility is improved opening the door to the treatment of constipation disorders. Further, cisapride does not cross into the brain thus providing an alternative to patients that experienced hyperexcitability on metoclopramide.
Cisapride was withdrawn from the human market because when it was combined with any of several commonly prescribed drugs, heart rhythm disturbances ensued. (Often people see different specialist doctors for different body problems and it is not unusual for one doctor to be unaware of the medications that another doctor has prescribed.) Risks outweighed the benefits and now cisapride must be obtained from a compounding pharmacy for veterinary use. The medications that caused problematic interactions are not commonly used in veterinary practice; also, most veterinary patients see only one veterinary practice so the interaction issue is much easier to control for pets.
The drug interaction that led to the removal of cisapride from the human market was the induction of ventricular (heart) arrhythmias when cisapride was used with the antifungal agents ketoconazole or itraconazole or with silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle supplements (commonly used to support liver function). Additional medications that could lead to arrhythmias with cisapride include: chloramphenicol (an antibiotic), amiodarone (a heart medication), clarithromycin (an antibiotic), cimetidine (the antacid mentioned above), procainamide (a heart medicine), sotalol (a heart medicine), and of the macrolide class of antibiotics (with the exception of azithromycin), and tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptylline. The arrhythmias reported in humans have not been reported in animals are are still only theoretical.
In July 1993 a drug called cisapride was approved in human medicine for treating gastroesophageal reflux in humans. In January of 2000, cisapride was removed from the United States market by the FDA after reports of cardiac side effects such as rapid and irregular heart rate. In veterinary medicine there were never any such cardiovascular effects seen. The drug was extremely helpful in treating many gastrointestinal disorders so it continued to be used, primarily in cats.
Cisapride is very effective in treating certain types of constipation in cats, such as constipation due to hairballs and constipation in cats with a condition called megacolon. Megacolon is a condition where a certain part of the intestine gets dilated causing its regular motion (called peristalsis) to become somewhat paralyzed. Cisapride is also used for gastrointestinal reflux as well as a condition called postoperative ileus.
The positive effects seen from cisapride in cats include accelerated gastric emptying of both liquids and solids, and a decrease in transit time. Although there is another drug called metoclopramide that can be used for similar conditions, cisapride is more potent and has a broader range of activity for many conditions. Cisapride also has much less of an effect on the central nervous system because it does not so readily cross the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is one of those very important and regularly studied terms in pharmacy school that signifies whether a certain drug has any effect on the central nervous system or it does not.
It is extremely important to watch the dose of cisapride and to make sure the pet does not get a higher dose than that prescribed by the veterinarian. Animals with liver disease may also need to have their dose reduced in order to reduce the chances of bad side effects. Cisapride also has many drug interactions because for one it accelerates the time that certain other drugs pass through the intestines therefore possibly affecting absorption. Other drug interactions include many of the anti-fungal drugs such as ketoconazole, itraconazole, and miconazole. Using this medication along with these anti-fungals has the potential of causing very dangerous ventricular arrhythmias. Cisapride may increase the rate of absorption of cimetidine, ranitidine, and may increase the effects of certain anticoagulants. Other possible adverse reactions and interactions have occurred.
It is important to stay in close contact with your veterinarian and discuss any medications your pets may be taking along with any observed adverse effects seen after administering the drug. A close relationship with the veterinarian is one of the best ways to get the most benefit of any treatment while still managing the dangerous bad effects. Your 1800PetMeds pharmacist is also available to answer any of your medication related questions. When dealing with medication such as cisapride it is so important not to leave any of the questions you have unanswered.
Do you know of or could you help find any cisapride suppliers in Asia? Because it is very difficult to find in Malaysia and stock is limited. My cat is taking it and has improved drastically. Poops daily. thank you very much
Mama Lucy was diagnosed with a broken/shattered femur (severe) two weeks after the incident (unknown how it happened-cat was let out accidentally). At first the vet said she had three puncture wounds, but when she still was not weight bearing after 2 weeks, so I brought her back. She was operated on with a plate and pin. After the second week, I noticed she was not having enough bowel movements and were very small and hard. I brought her back to the vet, and xray showed she was backed up, got an enema, was prescrobed Royal Canine prescription and 1ml of lactulose q12h. The 1st 2 days, she did go ( I am assuming because of the enema), but after that she did not go for another week. I brought her back, another xray and enema, and he put her on lactulose 1ml q12hr along with cisapride 1ml q12h. He said it is possible that she could have nerve damage that is not letting the colon have peristalisis. He does not know if this would be a permanent condition. It has been day 2, she did go yesterday, but not today. She is still on the Royal Canine prescription diet, which she really is not fond of.My questions are this:1. Is there a way to tell if it is actually nerve damage?2. Is there any other medicines/alternatives if the cisparide/lactulose and the special diet?3. The vet tells me she cannot have an enema every week if this does not work? Why not?4. Is there any other food (moist) I can give her along with the dry since she is not eating enough? Would adding water to food help her?The cisparide costs $80.00, the food 50.00, not to mention all the vet visits. Just want to know possible options and future costs for my cat. 041b061a72