Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Zonisamide for controlling seizures in 57 cats study
By Djani, Dylan M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·School of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A retrospective study of the efficacy of zonisamide in controlling seizures in 57 cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 57 cats with a history of seizures was treated with zonisamide, an antiepileptic medication, to see if it could help reduce their seizure frequency. After starting the treatment, the cats experienced a significant decrease in the number of seizures and seizure days each month. While most cats tolerated the medication well, some did experience mild side effects like sedation and decreased appetite. Overall, zonisamide proved to be an effective option for managing seizures in cats, especially for those not responding well to phenobarbital.
People also search for: cat seizures treatment · zonisamide for cats · why is my cat having seizures · side effects of zonisamide in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence-based recommendations for antiepileptic drug selection in cats beyond phenobarbital are limited, and additional studies are needed for cats where seizures remain inadequately controlled by administration of phenobarbital alone or for cats that cannot safely receive phenobarbital. OBJECTIVE: To compare seizure frequency in cats before and after oral administration of zonisamide and describe adverse clinical or clinicopathologic effects in this cohort. ANIMALS: Fifty-seven cats with a history of seizures. METHODS: Multicenter, retrospective study. Median number of seizures per month and number of seizure days per month were compared before and after administration of zonisamide in all cats, a subgroup of cats with idiopathic epilepsy (IE), and a subgroup of cats receiving zonisamide as sole therapy. Clinical and clinicopathologic adverse effect data were also reported. RESULTS: A median decrease of 1 (P = .001, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-1.0, -0.5]) seizure per month, and 1 (P = .003, 95% CI [-1.5, -0.2]) seizure days per month was found across all cats after oral administration of zonisamide. The subgroup with IE showed median decreases of 1 (P = .03, 95% CI [-2.0, -0.5]) and 2 (P = .01, 95% CI [-2.5, -1.0]), respectively. The most common clinical adverse effects were sedation (17%), ataxia (11%), hyporexia (17%), and emesis (5%). One cat developed mild nonregenerative anemia, 2 cats developed mild metabolic acidosis, and 6 cats showed mild increases in ALT and ALP. CONCLUSION: Zonisamide was well tolerated and efficacious in controlling seizure activity in most cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38240116/