where can i get pergolide 1mg from

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georgesam

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my horse needs 3 tablets a day the vet price for 100 tablets is £135 now my local chemist has put the price up from £46 to £70 over the last 6 months, boots the chemist dont have them is stock anymore i have searched the internet without any look .any ideas where i can get them cheaper ?
 
Recently, an equine licensed pergolide (Prascend) has been introduced to the market. This means vets can no longer prescribe the human equivilant. They MUST use the licensed drug available. This may be the reason for increase in price.

PS. Part of the reason for licensing this drug for equines is that pergolide is now rarely used in huan medicine and, I believe, will soon be removd from the market.
 
glenruby said:
Recently, an equine licensed pergolide (Prascend) has been introduced to the market. This means vets can no longer prescribe the human equivilant. They MUST use the licensed drug available. This may be the reason for increase in price.

PS. Part of the reason for licensing this drug for equines is that pergolide is now rarely used in huan medicine and, I believe, will soon be removd from the market.
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How absolutely soul-destroying. This will mean early goodbyes for many equines. I couldn't justify that sort of expense and am crossing my fingers that none of mine develop ECS in the future. It was bad enough nursing one through it, without the cost being prohibitive, too.
 
There have been a lot of postings on this - try a search on Cushings on this section of the forum and you will find various internet sites where you can buy it cheaper. However, you still need to have a vet prescription. It is true it is being replaced by Prascend which is more expensive - a decision from Brussels I believe and cannot see why..

There have also been several posters on here who have had success in managing cushings with other supplements such as Naf Cushineze etc as well.

Interestingly (well for me) my old mare came back home having been diagonised with cushings and on 2 mg Pergolide per day. My vet did bloods on her to test her levels (and also because she kept coming down with every virus in the yard - apparently pergolide does suppress the immune system too). On his recommendations, we are reducing the dosage - mare is now on 1mg and having blood tests again end of Jan. If its looking good, the drug will be reduced again and we will discuss the possibility of an alternative.
 
If you do a search on the internet you'll find there are still many online chemists that can sell them to you with a valid prescription. Prices do vary greatly so it is worth shopping around.
However in line with a lot of other posters on here I too am worried about the spiralling costs now that some beaurocrats have decided to change the rules with no thought to the people it affects. I ma certainly going to struggle when I have to change to the more expensive drug and shall try out some of the other suggestions mentioned before that time comes in a couple of months time.
 
On the above note, i had huge problems administering drugs to my pony, i literally wore out everything/every kind of food available - i even resorting to blow piping it down his throat for him to spit it back up again.

I done loads of internet research on different case studies and thought i didnt have anything to lose in trying that route - i know have my boy on Cushylife (get from Pegasus Health), echinacea and Milk Thistle. Ever since then his condition has improved dramatically - shiny healthy "normal" coat even in winter, full of the joys of spring and generally looks like a different pony. But of course what works for mine may not work for others. But i highly recommend the herbal options.
 
bensababy said:
On the above note, i had huge problems administering drugs to my pony, i literally wore out everything/every kind of food available - i even resorting to blow piping it down his throat for him to spit it back up again.

I done loads of internet research on different case studies and thought i didnt have anything to lose in trying that route - i know have my boy on Cushylife (get from Pegasus Health), echinacea and Milk Thistle. Ever since then his condition has improved dramatically - shiny healthy "normal" coat even in winter, full of the joys of spring and generally looks like a different pony. But of course what works for mine may not work for others. But i highly recommend the herbal options.
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I meant to also say in my last post, the only way I get the pergolide into my pony is by dissolving the tablets with water and using an old metacam syringe (courtesy of my old arthritic dog) and squirt it down her throat. She stopped taking any tidbits off me because didn;t trust that i hadn't wedged that little pink tablet in there somewhere!

On the Cushylife suggestion above, I'll make a note of that. I've just ordered so Naf Cusinaze to try but if that doesn't work, Cushylife is the next one on the list to try!
 
Kyham said:
I meant to also say in my last post, the only way I get the pergolide into my pony is by dissolving the tablets with water and using an old metacam syringe (courtesy of my old arthritic dog) and squirt it down her throat. She stopped taking any tidbits off me because didn;t trust that i hadn't wedged that little pink tablet in there somewhere!

On the Cushylife suggestion above, I'll make a note of that. I've just ordered so Naf Cusinaze to try but if that doesn't work, Cushylife is the next one on the list to try!
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Sounds just like mine! even that was causing him too much distress, it wasnt worth the fight or him getting stressed. For a pony i have the fussiest eater ever. The vet refused to believe me until she tried it too, the tablets are odourless but he seemed to know it was in there. Until i changed him over, even when the tablets did go down he was a miserable sod with no zest for life. Been a year now on this combo and not looked back.
 
Thank you to the button pusher for alerted Admin for me "advertising" on here. Last time i offer to help anyone out.

Seems like some people have nothing better to do.. Sad
 
BTW - its not that the laws have changed. Not at all. Its merely that a drug company has gone through the process of licensing the drug specifically for horses as there is such a demand for it and it more or less means they have no competitor so can price it as they wish. Its not the vets that sink the profits, its drug companies.
 
Hi,

I've recently lost my pony to cushings induced chronic laminitis and have 21 tablets of 1mg prascend if you want them just private message me your address and I will post them to you....after all as they say "every little helps"!!

Kate.xx
 
...just click on my name in the box on the left and it will bring up a menu box...select from there. Hope that helps.xx
 
I have been obtaining Pergolide for my 20 year old with Cushings from the local Coop chemist on veterinary prescription since June. The news about its withdrawal from the market is devastating. I can't afford the more expensive veterinary brand. I have two ponies (neither ancient) one on Pergolide (I am still riding him) and one with EMS and on Metformin (also a human drug much more cheaply available from the local chemist).
 
Interesting to read these posts re: alternative medications for Cushings. I have made notes in the event of Pergolide disappearing off the face of the earth. As if the costs aren't high enough with ponies having to live on a hay diet, constant blood tests and then the medication. I am absolutely stony! but my boys are still alive.

I have just had the worst winter of my entire life and would like to know if anyone else with Cushings/Equine Metabolic Syndrome victims has the same experiences.

I will repeat this as a separate post in case there are some out there who do not see it via the Cushings string.

My EMS guy went down with severe laminitis at the start of the very cold weather. He has had lami before loads of times and is taking Metformin which has always helped. There could have been no dietary reason for the lami - he is not at grass at all - lives on a pen. He finally (after a nasty bout of colic on Xmas Day!) has turned a corner and lived into another year!

My Cushings guy went down with very mild lami mid December (also very cold weather here) and off his food. So clearly some kind of metabolic/digestive disturbance and not linked to diet (very restricted on grass, also lives on a pen).

The vet agrees with me that the only cause for them both was the severe cold killing off the microflora in the gut.

My Cushings guy started to refuse his Pergolide and starting drinking and weeing buckets. I have just managed to get him to take it again by using AlphaBeet (looks grim when soaked but he can't get enough of it! and easier than a blow pipe!) Also I got them a probiotic paste (pretty good deal at £10 per syringe for a 6 day course for one pony) and he will take this in the Alfa Beet. Happy to report that he is also now looking a bit breezier.

Burning question: What do I do next winter if it turns really cold?
Anyone had the same problems?
 
Hi,

I had my old pony on pergolide for the last few years of his life. It made such a difference, it's wonderful. To start with we were paying a fortune for it through our vet. Then we discovered as place that sold it at a fraction of the price online, you just needed a prescription from your vet. When we went back to the vet to request a copy of the prescription they sold the pergolide to us for the same price as the online company to save our custom!! Not sure if this would work with other vets but it is worth asking about!

Good luck :)
 
iestynlad - Im afraid I think that the cold "killing off the microflora in the gut" is a bit far-fetched! How do you think this happened? Freezing ingesta? Your horses becoming too cold? Not enough fibre in the diet? Im racking my brain here but cant find a logical way to explain that.
I do know that a lot of vets have a query over whether its the effects of extremes of temperatures on the hoof. We all know the equine digit is very resistant to temperature changes however we really have been having extreme cold spells. And like yours, we are seeing lots of cases occurring when not on grass, no increase in feed, not overweight, never had it before etc. One idea that I have heard from a number of vets is that the extreme cold (not just those standing in snow all day but also horses stabled on thin beds or with concrete floors etc) is causing contraction of the blood vessels thereby reducing blood flow to the sensitive laminae causing necrosis of the tissues. This in turn causes inflammation and or pedal bone rotation. No previous study has shown venous/arterial contaction to be a cause - infact just the opposite. Contraction of the vessels can stop a pony from contracting laminitis (through toxins, gorging on feed, grass etc). However the studies confirming this used cold therapy(ice) on the hooves/lower limbs for upto 20minutes at a time so the effects of prolonged cold exposure has not been documented. Would be interesting to discover if this is actually a cause.
 
Glenruby: I am buying the "cold feet" theory but why did they both have digestive upsets at the same time: one colicked very badly and the other (v mild lami) off feed for 3 weeks and still picky. Perhaps this is explained by fact that they were in pain? but that has never happend with the serious collicker before and he has had lami a million times!
I certainly hope that the killing off gut bacteria theory is wrong as if it is right there is no possible prevention next winter.
I have decided to bring them both in when it freezes, do deep litter straw beds and use leg wraps.
Anyone with any more ideas/comment - most welcome. We have to nail this one as the prevalence of lami this winter is enormous.
 
Georgesam - Use the Boots Pharnarcy on-line - cheapest there is - should be no more than 46p per tablet. Send me a PM - I have 400 x 1mg left over; our horse was put to sleep recently after a short illness. Phil
 
iestynlad - laminitis is often secondary to stress and also is well known to occur in !sick" animals - particularly associated with colitis. I worked wth 2 horses (1 racehorse, 1 show hackney) in te US who both colicked and ended upwith laminitis(or in one case was on the verge of lami).So laminitis associated with digestive upset is not altogether unusual - its more the theory of the cold killing microflora I would disagree with. I am starting to see how you are thinking though and you may not be a million miles off the mark! I would think it would be more likely to be gastric related though - as microflora are in small and large intestines and ingesta should be well warmed up by then. However it may be that it causes damage to the stomach wall or causes contraction of the stomach (perhaps similar to drinking ice old water and feeling a bit uncomfortable after?) Stress/inflammatory regulators being disturbed strts the chain reaction which eventually brings on a stress lamnitis. Hard to know, but my general advice is to bring all grass kept horses who have shown signs this winter in off the grass onto deep bed(plus leg wraps if you have them)for at least a couple of hrs a day to warm up feet and have adlin hay available in the field(though most choose not to eat it!).
 
My sec A has cushings and has been on Pergolide for nearly two years....thankfully she has not yet had laminitis...but does now have a very delicate stomach and cannot take sugar in any form. Believe me, one polo, piece of apple or carrot has been known to cause terrible diarrohea. Needless to say she has no treats but we do have a footpath running through the field and its quite obvious when someone has fed her! I've had her tested for liver malfunction and diabetes which she doesn't have, just massive sugar intolerance. Has anyone else experienced this as a side effect of Pergolide?

I also think that it isn't the Pergolide that causes a reduced immune response to infections but the Cushings itself...can any vets on here verify that?
 
I know people (including myself) are not happy that the price of Pergolide has basically doubled, but I guess the thing to keep in mind is that by creating the Animal version of the drug, Boehringer Ingelheim have preserved the availability of Pergolide which is ultimately going to be withdrawn from the market very shortly. Apparently less than 200 people in the UK are actually still prescribed the drug at this time.

They have gone through the trials and the testing etc that enabled them to get the license for this "new" animal drug, so at least it will be available to all of us in future. Otherwise, we might not have even had the choice.

I imagine that Boehringer Ingelheim now have a patent on the drug for this purpose, I don't know, so perhaps in future the generic pergolide may become available again, but I assume that will depend on whether those generic manufacturers determine whether the market demands it.
 
Old Bat said:
I also think that it isn't the Pergolide that causes a reduced immune response to infections but the Cushings itself...can any vets on here verify that?
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My vet told me that it is the Pergolide which causes the reduced immune response. This was in answer to me asking him why my mare seemed to catch every sniff and virus in the yard when she first came home..
 
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