# Cat & phenobarbital question



## rsknapp (Jul 20, 2004)

We have a 12 year old female domestic shorthair cat. She has been taking phenobarbital for seizures for 5 years. Starting a few weeks ago, she has been acting "drunk" - staggering, trouble walking on stairs. It appears to be some sort of leg weakness. We recently increased her dose from 15 mg. daily to 18 mg. because her seizures started happening. The vet thinks it's just a reaction to the increased dosage and that she will get used to it. Has anybody had a similar experience with a cat on phenobarbital? Thank you for any help!!


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

I actually was on it myself for seizures and believe me...I walked around like a Zombie for weeks and sometimes months after any medication change. When i did get to the point where i seemed a little intoxicated, it was always a result of medication levels being too high. 

I feel for your poor little kitten. What was the reason for the up in dosage? I have been on several seizure meds on the years, and if i recall correctly that is a medication that your body tends to adjust to over time and it becomes less effective as time goes on. Continuing to up the dosage usually is not effective because it results in unpleasant side effects. I had to supplement it with another anti-seizure med and eventually switched to something else all together. 

Hope this helps.


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## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

First- jshaffer44- I didn't know you had seizures. They suck, don't they? :? 

Now, about the poor kitty- I would be willing to bet that her behavior is due to the increase in Phenobarbitol. They have tried me on it for MY seizures, and I can't handle it at all. I ended up in the ICU because I was so drugged from just a small dose 8O I think your vet is probably right, but I would keep a VERY close eye on her, and if she seems too sleepy oe anything, take her in. Good luck


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

They do suck. I am not sure what is worse though, having seizures or dealing with all those horrible meds for seizures which made me feel like crap and have more seizures. Unforunately, seizures are not well understood in the medical world and it go to the point where I became more of a science experiment at the neurologist office. 

My primary doc. ended up weaning me off several meds until i was down to just one. I am now completely off all my meds. I've had only one seizure in the last year WITH OUT MY MEDS. We came to realize that the seizures became more frequent because they were being induced by such unbalanced med levels. Also started to have liver problems and had gallbladder removed, all because of meds my doc says.  

So...bottom line, just be careful. You'll know if it's right. The kitty will surely be sleepy and kind of clumsy (sp?) for a few weeks, but it should get better. If it doesn't, I'd talk to the vet again. Do they check her blood for medication levels ever?


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## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

> Do they check her blood for medication levels ever?


Yeah, good question! I would think they should monitor her levels at least once a month, if not more.

Boy, I know what you mean about feeling like an experiment in the neurologist's office :roll: When I first started having grand mal seizures, the doctors said they had no clue why I was having them, and that they were very rare in Lupus, except in the most severe cases...Well, um, HELLO? I guess I have a severe case then! :roll: :evil: Since my seizures originate in my nervous system, they don't show up on an EEG....so for awhile this 1 doc said I was faking them!!!!!!! Last time I checked, it was impossible to make yourself stop breathing and turn blue :roll: :roll: At least they finally (somewhat) got them figured out........Oh, and Congratulations on being seizure-free for so long w/o your meds........that is FANTASTIC!!!


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Thanks!

Ha, I was "faking too". Until....I crashed my car into two trees off the highway. Hmm, it suddenly became so real to them...jerks! I could have killed someone or myself. Surrendered my license for a full year after that...boy was that tough, but needed to be safe! 

I hate the EEG. I had to do so many of them...sleep deprived, overnight and video EEG's. I felt so strange sleeping in a hospital room for 24 hours with tons of wires coming off my head. And that gunk is hard to get out of your hair. Uggh!


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## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

> And that gunk is hard to get out of your hair. Uggh!


NO KIDDING 8O That stuff is SO GROSS. I had to have a week-long video eeg last summer :evil: It was so awful...they were determined to capture my seizures on the electrodes (which is impossible) so they would let me seize and seize and seize, and wouldn't give me medicine to bring me out of it. At one point I went for over 2 hours. Yeah, you read that right, 2 HOURS. The same hospital just got sued last month because they had a patient undergoing the same procedure, and they did the same thing to her...except she died. She had 3 young kids, too. I myself am currently filing a lawsuit because during the first month I was having seizures, they sent me home unmedicated, telling my mother that since I was faking them, I wouldn't fall and hurt myself or anything......2 hours after I got home, I had one, fell and broke my jaw on our fireplace :twisted:


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

OMG. 
I thought my story was bad. I can't believe you've gone through all that.


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## Ianthe (Jun 7, 2004)

Yeah, and the hospital I am talking about is supposed to be one of the best, not only in CA, but in the country. 8O :?


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