Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Phenobarbital vs bromide for treating epilepsy in dogs
By Boothe, Dawn Merton et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2012·Department of Anatomy, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of phenobarbital with bromide as a first-choice antiepileptic drug for treatment of epilepsy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 46 dogs with epilepsy were treated with either phenobarbital or bromide to see which medication worked better to control their seizures. After six months, phenobarbital was found to be more effective, completely stopping seizures in 85% of the dogs compared to 52% for bromide. While both medications had some side effects, phenobarbital caused more ataxia (loss of coordination) and lethargy, while bromide led to more vomiting. Overall, phenobarbital was the better choice for managing seizures in these dogs.
People also search for: dog epilepsy treatment · phenobarbital side effects · bromide for dog seizures
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare efficacy and safety of treatment with phenobarbital or bromide as the first-choice antiepileptic drug (AED) in dogs. DESIGN: Double-blinded, randomized, parallel, clinical trial. ANIMALS: 46 AED-naïve dogs with naturally occurring epilepsy. PROCEDURES: Study inclusion was based on age, history, findings on physical and neurologic examinations, and clinicopathologic test results. For either phenobarbital treatment (21 dogs) or bromide treatment (25), a 7-day loading dose period was initiated along with a maintenance dose, which was adjusted on the basis of monthly monitoring. Efficacy and safety outcomes were compared between times (baseline and study end [generally 6 months]) and between drugs. RESULTS: Phenobarbital treatment resulted in eradication of seizures (17/20 [85%]) significantly more often than did bromide (12/23 [52%]); phenobarbital treatment also resulted in a greater percentage decrease in seizure duration (88 ± 34%), compared with bromide (49 ± 75%). Seizure activity worsened in 3 bromide-treated dogs only. In dogs with seizure eradication, mean ± SD serum phenobarbital concentration was 25 ± 6 μg/mL (phenobarbital dosage, 4.1 ± 1.1 mg/kg [1.9 ± 0.5 mg/lb], p.o., q 12 h) and mean serum bromide concentration was 1.8 ± 0.6 mg/mL (bromide dosage, 31 ± 11 mg/kg [14 ± 5 mg/lb], p.o., q 12 h). Ataxia, lethargy, and polydipsia were greater at 1 month for phenobarbital-treated dogs; vomiting was greater for bromide-treated dogs at 1 month and study end. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Both phenobarbital and bromide were reasonable first-choice AEDs for dogs, but phenobarbital was more effective and better tolerated during the first 6 months of treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22515627/