Cushings - prescription

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1au12a

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Hi there, apologies for old subject.
My horse was diagnosed with Cushings 4 months ago (ACTH level 78.1) and has responded incredibly well on 1/2 tablet - Prescend, once daily.
I now need to get another prescription. I understand that my vet will need to examine my horse before prescribing BUT does he have to have repeat bloods or is it just an advisory?
Thanks :)
 
Hi there, I'm sorry I don't have the answer for you but I'd be really interested to know too as I am in a similar situation. - I'm not really happy that mine has responded that well on half tablet - glad yours has OP. Lami signs have gone and he's much more spritely but still has long curly coat on his neck and legs and still sweats too easily. I am wondering whether to increase tablet before re-doing bloods. Vet is due in new year.
 
TBH my boy didn't really show any of the classic symptoms - other than he had a tiny bit of a pot belly (nit picking) and increased drinking/urinating. He's 22 tomorrow (!) and I'm still competing him after 15 years.
One thing I've learnt in the last 4 months is that every Cushings case is very different - there doesn't seem to be any rules as to how well horses respond with Prescend, this is why i am also very interested to hear peoples experiences with Chasteberry ...
 
1au12a said:
TBH my boy didn't really show any of the classic symptoms - other than he had a tiny bit of a pot belly (nit picking) and increased drinking/urinating. He's 22 tomorrow (!) and I'm still competing him after 15 years.
One thing I've learnt in the last 4 months is that every Cushings case is very different - there doesn't seem to be any rules as to how well horses respond with Prescend, this is why i am also very interested to hear peoples experiences with Chasteberry ...
Click to expand...

Sorry - MANY (not *any* symptoms!)
 
I can get a written prescription for a couple of months worth at a time from my vet. Once a year though they need to see my mare (more to see that i still have her and are not using the prascend for other things!!!). They havent insisted on re doing bloods more a general check over.
 
They have to see them every 6 months but re-tests are just advisory. However due to the fairly high cost of prascend it may be worth doing a test as you may be able to decrease the dose, however it could go the other way too! 1/2 a tablet is quite a low dose though anyway though!

I have heard coat changes do take a while to come right and the sweating could be due to the heavy coat?
 
Thanks Lizness. I just wanted to be sure before booking an appointment. I don't really want to have bloods every 6 months if I have no concerns. He started off with 1 tablet in Sept and he was weird for weeks - spaced out, day dreamy and not really aware of his surroundings. It was quite upsetting. I then decided to decrease the dosage to 1/2 and very quickly I had my boy back. He's back enjoying his work and looking fantastic as well.
 
When a horse is first diagnosed with Cushings and put on Prascend, it is normal to re-test ACTH levels after 1 month to make sure the dosage is correct. However, once the correct dosage has been found retesting shouldn't be required EXCEPT THAT ACTH levels change naturally in spring and autumn (daylight length) so ideally your horse should be retested both those times of year! Saying that, my veteran's initial ACTH count was a staggering 200! He was put on 1mg Pergolide but it was clear after just a week or so that it wasn't making a difference so he was upped to 2mg then retested after 1 month. He was found to be at the high end of normal so his dosage has remained at 2mg. I now know the symptoms (well, his anyway!) to watch carefully for and have never had his ACTH repeated and he's fine, though I've just switched to Prascend (same drug) as the cost has come down dramatically thanks to the Internet!
 
If you are able to reduce your dose at all you can got onto pergolide which is much cheaper! the prascend tablets are not designed to split smaller than 1/2 so if the dose is lower than that the vet can prescribe pergolide instead.

A re-test is always worthwhile until you get to know how this affects your pony. Once you do then you can probably spot the seasonal changes and respond to them. But as another poster has said this affects every animal differently.
 
My vet does bloods twice a year before giving me the prescription. You will most likely have to pay for the prescription which is £20 for 3 months worth with my vet. I have read on here that a lot of people get it a lot cheaper. My vet said they can not prescribe pergolide now, only prascend.
 
Regarding still having a thick curly coat, my mares coat did not change itself I gave her a full clip eventually and when her new coat grew in it was normal. Ever since then it sheds and has been normal in every sense and thats 2 years nearly since she was diagnosed. Your horse may still be sweating as it is simply too warm as I know megans coat was very very long and thick.
 
My horse was on Pergolide for almost 2 yrs and they are EXACTLY the same tablets as the Prascend he's now on (coz it's a lot cheaper now)! The blister strips look a little different but the tabs are identical with a split only down the halfway mark!
 
Depends on the case and the vets. One of mine (I moved and needed next batch of meds) insisted they'd have to come out and redo bloods - which would have been pointless as they insisted they'd not be able to make an appointment for him until AFTER his meds had run out. The other vet clinic we'd just moved to said no problem, will send them out to you and would need to see him in Feb as already talked about as his last bloods were done in Aug, and I want a retest with his new higher dose. I have avoided the prescription route for Prascend as I get the box at a very reasonable rate from my vets. I believe their prices have reduced after many were buying them online. If you consider the price of postage for your prescription to a company, postage for the meds and prescription, it can outweigh the cost from the vets.
 
vintage my vet charges £12.50 for prescription which lasts for six months and i use viovet who do not charge for postage...i register my prescription with them online so doesnt cost anything...160 tablets cost me £153.60 which is much cheaper than getting them from the vet.
 
Thanks 1au12a for starting this thread - some really helpful information here - and wise thoughts lornaA and Lizness on the length of coat still causing the sweating - it has been very mild lately and it now makes sense that the existing coat is causing the sweating rather than the actual Cushings condition - feel a lot more positive now thanks all.
 
Yes, thank you everyone for your comments, it's not only really helpfull but it's comforting to know I'm not on my own dealing with this condition! Still on a bit of a learning curve and it's useful to know what to expect - I called my vets today and he is booked in for an examination next week so I can pick up another six month supply of Prescend. A repeat blood test is not required but an advisory.
I can't help feeling that I'm held over a barrel though, I understand why drug perscription has to be so heavily regulated, but my vets have made it pointless for me to purchase Prescend online. They will only write a perscription for 3 months at a time @ £25 + vat, so that rules out any cost savings buying online. They charge £1.21 + vat per 1mg tablet. Does this sound like normal practice? Are there other vets who will write perscriptions for 6 months? I'm in SW.
Laura :)
 
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