Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparing skin patch and oral phenobarbital for epileptic cats
By Barnes Heller, Heidi L et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2019·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Prospective crossover clinical trial comparing transdermal with oral phenobarbital administration in epileptic cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of nine cats with epilepsy were treated with either oral or transdermal phenobarbital to see which method worked better. While both treatments were effective, the transdermal method required more adjustments to the dosage, but two-thirds of the cat owners preferred it over the oral option. Mild side effects were seen in both groups, and the study highlighted the importance of monitoring blood levels of the medication closely, especially with the transdermal treatment. Overall, many cats achieved good therapeutic levels with both methods.
People also search for: cat epilepsy treatment · transdermal phenobarbital for cats · oral phenobarbital side effects
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare serum phenobarbital concentrations, adverse events and client satisfaction during 14 weeks of transdermal vs oral phenobarbital administration to epileptic cats. METHODS: This was a prospective, fixed-order, crossover pilot study. Nine client-owned cats with presumptive or diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy were enrolled. Oral phenobarbital (PO-PB) was administered for weeks 1-14 (median starting dosage of 3.8 mg/kg [2.0-5.4 mg/kg/day] q12h); transdermal phenobarbital (TD-PB) was administered for weeks 14-28 (median starting dosage 18.8 mg/kg/day [17.6-24.0 mg/kg/day] q12h). Serum phenobarbital concentrations (S-PB) were measured at weeks 2, 14, 16 and 28. Client satisfaction questionnaires and biochemistry were evaluated at 14 and 28 weeks. RESULTS: Median S-PB concentrations during oral administration were 21 µg/ml (observed range 11-40 µg/ml) at week 2 and 22 µg/ml (8-35 µg/ml) at week 14, and at the higher TD dosage were 18 µg/ml (0-42 µg/ml) at week 16 and 17 µg/ml (7-50 µg/ml) at week 28. Phenobarbital concentrations were significantly correlated with PO dosage at week 2 (= 0.75,= 0.03) but not at weeks 16 and 28. Significantly more dose adjustments were needed during the TD phase (= 0.03), but 6/9 owners (67%) still preferred TD to PO administration. Adverse effects were mild and comparable in both groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Therapeutic S-PB concentrations were achievable in some cats using TD-PB at 18 mg/kg/day q12h. Poor correlation between TD dosage and S-PB concentrations was observed and more dosage adjustments were required during TD administration. These findings necessitate close therapeutic drug monitoring if TD-PB is prescribed.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30688552/