Carafate Side Effects and Uses

Status
Not open for further replies.
Cat Ma

Cat Ma

Member Since 2015
Has any cats here had an adverse reaction to or side effects from Carafate like vomiting or lethargy? Has it been prescribed for anything other than ulcers in cats?
 
CJ was doing well till after her dental. The vet insisted I continue CJ's prednisilone while giving her Onisor for several days. The pred is ongoing. Vomiting came a few days later after her dental. The vomiting has stopped since her Cerenia injection but CJ is still lethargic and not eating much. I have to force feed her much of the time now. The vet prescribed Carafate but said not to give it to CJ unless she wasn't feeling better. Will the Carafate make her feel even worse?
 
Last edited:
Carafate binds to any ulcerated areas in the GI tract to protect them from further irritation.
 
Carafate is supposed to "coat the lining of the stomach" so it's protected against the harshness of the NSAID (which can cause ulcers)

Prednisone can also cause the stomach to be touchy, so the carafate may help if she's still having tummy troubles
 
She's been alternating between constipation and soft stools. She's never had issues with Prednisilone, thankfully.

@Squalliesmom did you give Carafate to Squallie on an empty stomach?
 
Last edited:
@Squalliesmom did you give Carafate to Squallie on an empty stomach?[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, I don't remember, but I would guess no. The vet did not give me any specifics for administering it, though. She stopped it as soon as his diarrhea cleared up because she didn't want him to become constipated.
 
The vet didn't specify, either. From the link you gave, it says "Ideally, this medication is given on an empty stomach (at least one hour before feeding or two hours after)" so I am doing that. The constipation concerns me but if needed, hopefully Miralax or pumpkin will help.
 
Cat Ma said:
The vet didn't specify, either. From the link you gave, it says "Ideally, this medication is given on an empty stomach (at least one hour before feeding or two hours after)" so I am doing that. The constipation concerns me but if needed, hopefully Miralax or pumpkin will help.
Click to expand...
I looked it up on a few other sites as well and they all said it was best if given on an empty stomach. Does your vet have weekend hours, or someone on call that you can call and ask about it?
 
Not on Sundays. The question now is whether the Carafate will help CJ bounce back and whether the potentially lethal combo of a steroid taken with an NSAID will affect CJ's organs in the immediate future or down the road. The warnings about giving both meds at the same time are scary. The vet and staff still insist both were safe to give despite the warnings.
 
Cat Ma said:
Not on Sundays. The question now is whether the Carafate will help CJ bounce back and whether the potentially lethal combo of a steroid taken with an NSAID will affect CJ's organs in the immediate future or down the road. The warnings about giving both meds at the same time are scary. The vet and staff still insist both were safe to give despite the warnings.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is scary! Do you know the dosage of the Nsaid? This is an excerpt from an article on the criticalcaredvm.com website:


"Let me be crystal clear right from the get-go. A steroid (aka: corticosteroid, glucocorticoid) should rarely be given at the same time as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (aka: NSAID) prescribed at an anti-inflammatory dose. This is a well-established pharmacologic principle, but for some reason, it is also one I see violated on an almost daily basis. With so many alternatives to help keep patients as comfortable as possible, I’m perpetually flummoxed by this choice of treatment. Thus I’m writing this blog post so pet parents are aware of this important issue and can be proactive advocates for their fur babies.

One should note a steroid is often combined with an ultra low-dose (NOT an anti-inflammatory dose) of aspirin to treat certain diseases like immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA; http://criticalcaredvm.com/immune-mediated-hemolytic-anemia). To highlight the difference in doses in dogs:

  • Ultra low-dose of aspirin is 0.5-1.0 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day
  • Anti-inflammatory dose of aspirin is 10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight up to every 12 hours
A combination of ultra low-dose aspirin and a steroid is OK and may help reduce the formation of potentially lethal abnormal blood clots. This statement isn’t meant to confuse you, but to make you aware of this possible acceptable mixture of these two drug classes."

I know it mentions dogs, but my search was for interaction in cats so I would guess the same info would apply. Hope this helps!
 
@Cat Ma why is CJ on prednisone? And for how long has he been on it? Side effects in long term use are many and it can create other medical problems. It also MUST be tapered down and not interrupted as in not skipping a dose or two doses in a row. Prednisone is so effective on so many things but at the same time it reeks havoc with the other systems.

I'm going to be very blunt here. It is my opinion that CJ has so many new drugs right now that could be making him sick. I would not add anything more. He needs the antibiotics after dental. He really doesn't need pain or ani-inflammatory pills past 24 hrs. The prednisone will take care of that. It's going to take a little time to get all that out of his system.

If there is kidney disease or irritable bowel disease NSAID's are an absolute NO as is never should be taken. I know it's true for humans because of my hubby bout with kidneys. Pretty sure it would be the same for animals. I wouldn't take the chance.

One of my civvies had 7 teeth pulled. Only received antibiotics. Was drowsy 24 hrs after anesthesia. Had soft food only for 5 days. She was fine in 72 hrs.
 
Last edited:
woodsywife said:
He really doesn't need pain or ani-inflammatory pills past 24 hrs. The prednisone will take care of that.
Click to expand...
I wondered about that, too, as prednisone acts as an anti-inflammatory, as well. I'm assuming the nsaid was given for pain rather than inflammation.
 
Squalliesmom said:
Yes, that is scary! Do you know the dosage of the Nsaid?
Click to expand...
It was 6 mg for 3 days.

Squalliesmom said:
One should note a steroid is often combined with an ultra low-dose (NOT an anti-inflammatory dose) of aspirin
Click to expand...
From what I've read, aspirin is listed under NSAIDs.

@woodsywife CJ is on pred for lymphoma. She needs it to stay in remission. Many cats do need pain meds with a dental and not all need an antibiotic. Onisor shouldn't have been given to CJ because of the pred and other issues. But the Carafate does seem to be helping. She's in less distress so far today and looks better than she has in days.
 
Last edited:
Sorry I'm late to this conversation. Yes, Carafate should be given on an empty stomach, at least 45min before the other meds, or else it can prevent the other meds from being appropriately absorbed or working properly. It was one of the few meds Speckles was on that didn't seem to cause side effects for him. Tanya's CRF has some info on it in case you haven't already seen it: http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments_waste_products_regulation.htm#sucralfate
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top