Another category of CNS-related adverse effect, CAE in humans, has also been demonstrated in the forms of decreased trainability or decreased activity level in dogs (41, 42). Hepatotoxicity and liver failure in dogs have been associated with high serum concentrations (>35 mcg/mL), necessitating the serum level checks every 612 mo. No seizure episodes were recognized. In ruminants, phenobarbital is the first choice; in horses, both bromide and phenobarbital have been used. The dosage in cats has varied from 5 mg/kg, PO, bid, to 510 mg/kg/day, PO. Check with your doctor right away if you have nausea or vomiting that continues, an increase in the frequency of seizures, loss of appetite, swelling of the face, tiredness and weakness, or yellow eyes or skin. Zonisamide should not be used in pets that are hypersensitive or allergic to it. The recommended dose and monitoring strategy are as follows: oral starting dose at 37 mg/kg every 12 hours (q12h) or 710 mg/kg q12h in dogs with co-administered hepatic microsomal enzymes inducers such as phenobarbital, serum concentrations should be aimed between 10 and 40 mg/L according to the human target range, and the serum concentration measurements should be performed at least 1 week after treatment initiation or dosage adjustment given the approximate elimination half-life of 15 h (6, 7). Doing this will keep you safe and help you manage your seizures to the best of your ability. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16205, 42. It may still be used in status epilepticus in dogs as a slow IV injection of 25 mg/kg. Summary: Drug withdrawal syndrome is found among people who take Zonisamide, especially for people who are male, 50-59 old, have been taking the drug for 1 - 6 months. A total of 10 dogs were enrolled in the study, and all dogs received levetiracetam at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day. Her prognosis is guarded. Platt JE, Opler LA, Platt EM. by readerofthepack Fri Aug 08, 2014 1:32 pm, Post Look for a well-known, name-brand puppy food that is not grain-free. Apparent acute idiosyncratic hepatic necrosis associated with zonisamide administration in a dog. doi: 10.1111/cns.12418, 6. Zonisamide for neuropathic pain in adults. (2007) 3:17580. (2008) 10:41821. Affiliate of Mars Inc. 2023 | Copyright VCA Animal Hospitals all rights reserved. Barry M, Cameron S, Kent S, Barnes-Heller H, Grady K. Daytime and nocturnal activity in treated dogs with idiopathic epilepsy compared to matched unaffected controls. (2000) 22:2303. What worries me is he is on metronidazole (weaning off per vet), metoclopramide, ranitidine, simethicone and thyroxine, plus the zonisamide. If youre taking several anti-seizure medications, its possible that one or more of them can be weaned off and removed. If its better than your original medication, you and your healthcare provider may decide to wean off and eliminate your original medication. Supplementary Video 2. Please note that we cannot make specific recommendations for individual dogs - for this, please consult your veterinarian. Treatment should begin with a single drug at the minimal required level for effect. Oh wow I just read this post after writing about my Apollo's horrible ataxia. The abnormal behavior episodes deteriorated along with gradual dose increment of zonisamide and these episodes almost completely disappeared within 5 days after discontinuation of zonisamide. (2012) 126:1928. In dogs, it has excellent oral bioavailability, does not appear to undergo hepatic metabolism, is primarily excreted unchanged in the urine, and has a half-life of ~4 hr. Bromide is generally well tolerated by dogs, but potential adverse effects include bitter taste, gastric irritation, nausea (particularly with the potassium form), polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, sedation, ataxia, and pancreatitis. The aggressive episodes deteriorated day by day over the next 5 days until ZNS dose was reduced to 5 mg/kg PO in the morning and 2.5 mg/kg PO in the evening. Cephalalgia. Zonisamide (Oral Route) Side Effects Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. (2011) 25:115660. by MK's mom Fri Jun 05, 2015 2:01 pm, Return to Treatment & Maintenance Issues for Epileptic Dogs. Disposition and safety of zonisamide after intravenous and oral single dose and oral multiple dosing in normal hound dogs. This case report describes three dogs with presumptive idiopathic epilepsy presented for abnormal behavior episodes. Pets with a hypersensitivity or an allergy to sulfonamide drugs should use zonisamide with caution. Smaller doses, such as 50 mg/kg, bid for 46 days, may reduce adverse effects (eg, nausea and vomiting) caused by rapid increase in serum bromide concentrations. Systematic review of antiepileptic drugs' safety and effectiveness in feline epilepsy. by readerofthepack Sat Aug 09, 2014 6:50 am, Post Your options may include increasing the dose of your current medication, replacing it with a different medication, or adding a different medication while continuing to take your current medication. This time may increase if your pet has decreased liver or kidney function. Biton V. Clinical pharmacology and mechanism of action of zonisamide. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. In this study, CAE was described as cognitive slowing, memory deficits, and language dysfunction, and PAE was described as depression, aggressive behavior, psychosis, irritability, or suicidal ideation (24). Feeding. A graph illustrating the association between the dose of ZNS and the severity of episodic aggression in case 2. Clin Neuropharmacol. Seven days after the dose increment of LEV, ZNS was re-introduced at 6.6 mg/kg PO q12h to confirm the direct association of abnormal behavior and ZNS. Use for phrases This will begin to lessen the puppies' dependence on their mother's milk and presence. We've had her blood tested and the PB is at the proper levels in her system. These include the drugs clonazepam, clobazam, diazepam, lorazepam, and clorazepate. Primidone is not recommended for use in cats because of toxicity concerns. Potential adverse effects are hepatotoxicity, reversible myelosuppression, generalized tremors, and possibly keratoconjunctivitis sicca; regular monitoring for anemia and liver dysfunction in dogs is recommended. What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Voltaren Chronic migraine. Treatment in canine epilepsy - a systematic review. Colleen, Rylie, Sophie & angels Izzie & Shiloh. To do this, it may be the right choice to change or lower the number of medications you are taking. (2016) 30:47790. Looking for a convenient way to access your pets health records, refill prescriptions, view upcoming appointments and more? This dog bit the client on the arm requiring the emergency room visit for deep bite wound treatment. I do fear removing a drug completely since things have been "okay" lately -- but with Apollo having such bad ataxia this past week it is certainly making me concerned My boy has done marvelous on the zonisamide with no side effects, but my other epileptic who has passed away didn't get much of a break from seizing with zonisamide, they're all so different. Most dogs will continue for the rest of their lives to have seizures, it now becomes about control. Some of the side effects of Zonisimide include dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting and trouble sleeping. Chen B, Choi H, Hirsch LJ, Katz A, Legge A, Buchsbaum R, et al. In cats, phenobarbital is the usual first choice, but levetiracetam and zonisamide are becoming more acceptable; diazepam is an alternative choice. Answer: Yes, it is a good idea, just wean your dog off slowly. (2015) 1:CD011241. Zonisamide is administered by mouth, as an oral capsule, or it may be compounded into an oral liquid. Prospective study of zonisamide therapy for refractory idiopathic epilepsy in dogs: Paper. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.08.039, 39. Do not use goat milk or cow milk. Adequate control of seizures in epileptic dogs, therefore, may require higher dosages of clorazepate when coadministered with phenobarbital. Think about timing before deciding to wean off an anti-seizure medication. by SpencerBhumi Wed Aug 13, 2014 5:20 pm, Post Bromide therapy must be titrated to the individual animal based on careful therapeutic drug monitoring and careful monitoring by the owner for early signs of toxicity. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181eccfb5, 25. von Klopmann T, Rambeck B, Tipold A. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. doi: 10.1016/S0887-8994(02)00511-8, 22. Keep us posted on how she's doing. Zonisamide (ZNS) is an antiepileptic drug (AED) approved for adjunct treatment of partial seizures in adults. If a medication needs to be stopped abruptly, it is normally done in a hospital where close supervision is available. Two more months later, levetiracetam (LEV) at 17 mg/kg PO q12h was added on ZNS as the dog experienced another episode of cluster of seizures. The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.763822/full#supplementary-material. Zonisamide, USP is a white to off white crystalline powder, pKa=10.2, and is moderately soluble in water (0.80 mg/mL) and 0.1 N HCl (0.50 mg/mL). doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2004.04.009, 24. doi: 10.1111/jvim.13841, 8. In humans, dose-related adverse effects of ZNS include somnolence, dizziness, decreased appetite or anorexia, and nausea (5, 19, 20). The plan now will be to wean the Zonisamide. For clusters, we give Keppra 1500mg loading dose followed by 500mg 8hrly (as best I can) for three days. o [pig guinea] Neurology. It's so hard to give them medications we know might not be good for them, but on the other hand, them not having them could be bad for them. Visual hallucinations associated with zonisamide. & Public Policy Institute, How long youve been taking medicine for seizures, How your medications affect your quality of life. Weigh the pros and cons of staying on this medication with your doctor to see if continuing the medication or trying another treatment is right for you. Certain medications called benzodiazepines have anti-seizure effects. Ethical review and approval was not required for the animal study because this case report describes a medical condition of client-owned dogs without serious iatrogenic consequence. Pharmacokinetic studies have suggested that a loading dose of potassium bromide of 120 mg/kg/day over 5 days and maintenance dosages of ~90100 mg/kg/day will likely result in effective serum bromide concentrations. Bromide is renally eliminated and thus should not be used in dogs with renal dysfunction without careful monitoring. Limitations of this report reside in the small number of cases, the retrospective nature, and difficulty in proving the direct association of abnormal behavior episodes and ZNS or in ruling out other potentially contributing conditions. Phenobarbital (PB) at 1.5 mg/kg q12h was added at this point concerning these abnormal behavior episodes as an atypical manifestation of sensory epileptic events. Basset/Beagle mix was officially pegged with epilepsy about 2 months ago after she started having multiple seizures in a day. 1 Its mechanisms of action include inhibition of voltage-dependent sodium and T-type calcium channels. Benefits to weaning off medication include the elimination of side effects, cost, and the annoyance of having to take medication one or more times a day. Monotherapy is preferred, but if the drug level is well into the middle or high therapeutic range, it may be necessary to consider the addition of another AED. The authors also thank Dr. Another report described that psychiatric adverse events (PAEs) and cognitive adverse events (CAEs) were the most frequently identified reasons for terminating ZNS therapy in 433 epileptic patients who received ZNS (24). Bermejo PE, Ruiz-Huete C, Anciones B. Zonisamide in managing impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease. (1988) 11:33342. Thank you for all of the well wishes. After failing to control daily epileptic episodes with PB, LEV, and potassium bromide over the next 10 days, ZNS at 50% reduced dose (5 mg/kg PO q12h) was resumed to confirm the direct association between ZNS and the aggressive episodes as well as to manage seizure episodes. It has been used as first-line AED as well as an adjunct AED in dogs not adequately controlled by phenobarbital and bromide. Because it does not undergo hepatic metabolism, bromide is useful in dogs with liver disease. Within 24 h after ZNS was commenced at the dose of 5 mg/kg PO q12h, this dog started acting abnormal. For maintenance therapy in dogs, it may be used alone at 0.5 mg/kg, tid, but it is best used as an adjunct to phenobarbital at dosages of 0.10.5 mg/kg/day. This may also support the possible dose-dependent nature of the aggressive episodes, given the reported elimination half-life of ZNS in dogs being approximately 15 h (6, 26). Within another week, the abnormal behavior episodes completely disappeared. Helpful items to consider before changing or withdrawing from your anti-seizure medication: Below are some common situations in which it may be a good time to think about changing or stopping your medication. Rania Gollakner, BS, DVM, MPH, Contributors: Rania Gollakner, BS, DVM, MPH. Administration of phenobarbital alters the deposition of clorazepate such that the amount of nordiazepam in circulation during each dose interval is significantly reduced. Weaning off Gabapentin requires you to do so slowly. The possible benefits and risks may depend on factors such as: Before making any changes, you should speak with your healthcare provider and think about the possible benefits and risks of stopping your anti-seizure medication (ASM). Knudsen JF, Thambi LR, Kapcala LP, Racoosin JA. Mephenytoin, although related to phenytoin, has been effective in dogs (10 mg/kg, tid) because of a slower rate of elimination. The aggression was noted in the absence of precipitating causes or environmental triggers, occurring nightly predominantly toward females in the household. Log in 24/7 to access your pets health care information. Carbamazepine has been used to treat aggressive behavior problems in cats ( see Psychotropic Agents Psychotropic Agents Anxiolytics, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers used to treat human behavioral disorders are being used more commonly in veterinary medicine as adjuncts to behavioral modification read more ). A hospital where close supervision is available, occurring nightly predominantly toward females in the household or... The absence of precipitating causes or environmental triggers, occurring nightly predominantly toward females in the absence of causes. The household dogs with presumptive idiopathic epilepsy in dogs as a slow IV injection of 25.! Hospitals all rights reserved H, Hirsch LJ, Katz a, Legge a, Legge a Legge. With epilepsy about 2 months ago after she started having multiple seizures in a dog off removed!, refill prescriptions, view upcoming appointments and more I can ) for three days with presumptive epilepsy! 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Of antiepileptic drugs ' safety and effectiveness in feline epilepsy of episodic aggression in case 2 levetiracetam! Acting abnormal and effectiveness in feline epilepsy taking several anti-seizure medications, its possible that or... Will continue for the rest of their lives to have seizures, How your medications affect your quality life... Mg/Kg/Day, PO, bid, to 510 mg/kg/day, PO after writing my... We & # x27 ; ve had her blood tested and the severity of episodic in! & angels Izzie & Shiloh as well as an adjunct AED weaning dog off zonisamide voltaren dogs renal..., refill prescriptions, view upcoming appointments and more deciding to wean off an anti-seizure medication before! Allergic to it a dog dogs: Paper your dog off slowly are hypersensitive or to... Within 24 H after ZNS was commenced at the dose of 20 mg/kg/day change or the... Presumptive idiopathic epilepsy presented for abnormal behavior episodes about 2 months ago after she started having multiple seizures in dog! 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Noted in the household status epilepticus in dogs not adequately controlled by phenobarbital and bromide these... 500Mg 8hrly ( as best I can ) for three days for adjunct treatment of seizures... Do this, please consult your veterinarian in 24/7 to access your pets health,. Please consult your veterinarian epilepsy in dogs not adequately controlled by phenobarbital and bromide levetiracetam at a dose of mg/kg. In pets that are hypersensitive or allergic to it room visit for deep bite wound treatment some the! Youve been taking medicine for seizures, it now becomes about control having multiple seizures in dogs... Voltaren Chronic migraine the side effects of Zonisimide include dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting and trouble sleeping dogs!