Illegal to prescribe Pergolide?

[marie_d_3]

I have just had a letter from my vet saying that Pergolide is unavailable for vets to prescribe to horses any more. I will now have to have Prascend but it costs £1.27 a day!!! This is over double what I have been paying for the Pergolide and not any that she has been doing very well on the Pergolide so I do not want to change. She is only 15 and, God willing, she could easily live another 10 years - resulting in an extra £2,500 or so spent on Prascend!

Is anyone else's vets refusing to prescribe Pergolide or could I move to a different practice?

Thanks

 

[ImogenBurrows]

I have just had a letter from my vet saying that Pergolide is unavailable for vets to prescribe to horses any more.
Is anyone else's vets refusing to prescribe Pergolide or could I move to a different practice?

Thanks

Hi,
We are allowed to prescribe drugs for the condition the horse is suffering but we must stick to the "cascade" in doing so. This system is put inplace to ensure that animals receive the safest meds not the cheapest!

This means simply by law we have to prescribe first the drug licensed for that condition in that species. Then if not available/possible we have to use a drug for that condition in any other animal species. If that is not availble/possible then we can use a human drug equivalent that is suitable.

As there is now recognised and licensed product for treating equine cushings, prascend - which is pergolide, vets will HAVE to prescribe this to stay legally within the cascade.

Of course it is more expensive - licensed drugs with fancy names usually are - think of ibuprofen 200mg compared to nurofen???

Sadly I'm afraid your vets are absolutely correct and believe they will be frustrated too...but there is nothing we can do. Any practitioner will tell you the same. You can no longer get online prescriptions for pergolide in place of Prascend either. There is no work around. Sorry to give bad news.

If you move, which I wouldn't recommend over this then you'll find the same anywhere you go!

Sorry,
Imogen

 

[learningcurve]

Typical, was just about to sort out getting peroglide for my shetland.

He is absolutely fine over summer, but in winter gets very depressed and laminitic, was on danilon nearly all last winter.

I was plannining on giving him one last summer, then pts, but am having a serious wobble, will ring my vet and go through my options.

 

[ImogenBurrows]

Don't rule it out as a drug though, in my hands with the doses I usually can get good results with mean that pones would still be costing maybe 30p to £1 a day...not too horrendous....

May be our clinic has not been getting the pergolide that cheaply, but our prices have gone up but not what I would call prohibitively so for MOST cases.

Hope that helps a bit,
Imogen