Atopica

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Postby Marinepits » April 10th, 2009, 6:27 am

Who is using it? Pros and cons, please! :D
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Postby hugapitbull » April 10th, 2009, 9:22 am

Trouble took it for years, but was taken off it when the osteosarcoma was diagnosed. The info sheet in the box indicates it is contraindicated for dogs with history of tumors. I called Novartis and asked about it and they will not speak to pet owners, only veterinarians.

The Pros - no more breakouts. Trouble continued to have mild episodes of itching and licking, but nothing as severe as when she wasn't taking it.

The Cons - the cost. The price has come down, but the dosage is based on weight. If you are giving 100 mg or more it is quite expensive, something a lot of folks wouldn't or couldn't do long term.

There are things you need to understand about the drug if you want to use it. It depresses the immune system, if you have a dog who is subject to illness, I wouldn't risk it. You cannot give live vaccines if the dog takes this drug. I had to remind the vet on the first round of vaccines after Trouble started taking the drug.

Bob was reading their website this morning prior to me posting, and it seems they have changed some of the original information. He could not find the specific contraindication for tumors, and it now recommends treatment for several months which can be repeated again if necessary. At the time we were using it there was not a limit, it was recommended as an ongoing treatment. For me that raises a red flag.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble
We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
'Spirit' Trouble departed for the Bridge 3/16/2011 a victim of aging
Visit - http://k9cancer.org

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Postby Pit♥bull » April 10th, 2009, 9:46 am

Here is the link to the 'real' spec sheet. http://www.us.atopica.com/pdf/04-08-product_label.pdf

atopica.jpg


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Postby ParisStreetPitCrew » April 10th, 2009, 1:07 pm

Our vet suggested it as a last resort for Sidney-- but their office gets generic cyclosporine now, instead of brand name Atopica. He said it costs less than half as much... but would still probably cost us about $2-3/day for Sidda (42lbs) as opposed to $6-7/day.
We're keeping it on the back burner as an option, though.

So far we're managing on our own.
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Postby hugapitbull » April 10th, 2009, 1:33 pm

I've had Trouble on just about every antihistamine suitable for dogs. She seems to develop an immunity to them in just a brief period of time. With the Atopica that worry is really out of the equation. We were never able to get the generic, but I knew it was much cheaper - I checked the pricing with our pharmacy plan.

If you live in an area where allergies on affect the dog for a couple of months, Atopica may be a good choice. Where we are allergies are almost year round with spring and fall being about twice as bad as the summer and winter months.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble
We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
'Spirit' Trouble departed for the Bridge 3/16/2011 a victim of aging
Visit - http://k9cancer.org

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain--and most fools do. ~Dale Carnegie
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Postby Malli » April 10th, 2009, 5:25 pm

I hear it works wonders. Atopica = Cyclosporine A

It was originally developed as a drug for transplant patients.

I was speaking to a vet I work with the other day about it, It really would be the best thing for Oscar(though not currently an option for us). He mentioned that he found the coating on the brand name Atopica tablets makes them much more effective, that although the generic was cheaper, it seemed the coating on the Atopica tablets was slow release and he'd noted he seemed to need much more of the generic to have the same affect. This same vet has an allergy dog, nothing has worked; small amts of Pred make him rediculously incontinent, and nothing else seemed to work. He said his dog's coat has never looked better.

It starts with a loading dose (for the 1st month, I believe), and works kind of like Cartrophen. The dog is put on a maintenance dose and is weaned until a level where the affects of the drug are noted to wear off. Some dogs can go down to one tab every other day or one tab per week, it just depends.
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Postby hugapitbull » April 11th, 2009, 7:57 am

I had Trouble down to 100mg every 2nd day, but it was really hard for me to remember when I had given it to her, so I put her on the 50mg every day (with the vet's approval) and that worked well as a maintenance dose.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble
We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
'Spirit' Trouble departed for the Bridge 3/16/2011 a victim of aging
Visit - http://k9cancer.org

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain--and most fools do. ~Dale Carnegie
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