Glyburide not working...

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Nicole789

Member Since 2017
Has anyone else tried the pill Glyburide? My cat doesn't seem to be responding to it. He was just diagnosed last week and I wanted to try it first.

As far as injections go, how does that work? Someone at my vet's office said there is a type of insulin that you give them ONCE a day (not twice). Has anyone had experience with this? After that begins, what is the routine for doing sugar tests? I dont' know anything about this and I am completely overwhelmed. And stressed. I think about this constantly :-(
 
There isn't a good success rate with oral diabetes medication in cats. Injectable insulin works much better. Cats metabolize insulin very quickly and need to receive insulin twice a day. The exception would be a cat that is very close to remission and needs only a tiny dose intermittently until he gets there.

The best hope for remission is to get a newly diagnosed cat on a proper insulin dosing routine with a good insulin for cats (some work better for them than others). There's a lot to learn up front and, if you're willing to try things the FDMB way, there are skills you'll have to learn and a testing/feeding/injecting routine you'll have to follow. It's overwhelming at first but quickly becomes a normal part of your day, as many other new members can attest.

Let us know what your questions are or if you want to try what we know works. :)
 
I think Kris has this covered. :)

I just want to say that here, we can help break it down into smaller steps for you and you do get used to it really quickly. So there's lots of support available and you need not feel alone. :bighug:
 
Nicole789 said:
Has anyone else tried the pill Glyburide? My cat doesn't seem to be responding to it. He was just diagnosed last week and I wanted to try it first.

As far as injections go, how does that work? Someone at my vet's office said there is a type of insulin that you give them ONCE a day (not twice). Has anyone had experience with this? After that begins, what is the routine for doing sugar tests? I dont' know anything about this and I am completely overwhelmed. And stressed. I think about this constantly :-(
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You asked about doing home tests and what would be involved. It's a lot easier then you'd think. Once you get the hang of it testing takes all of a minute to do. It's really the best way to keep your cat safe and find the ideal dose to get him regulated as quickly as possible.

The oral medicine never works... I don't know why vets even suggest it... It just wastes time and money.
 
We took Rover into the vet after a few days of high thirst. The vet told me that the protocol for feline diabetes was to try glyburide for 6 weeks first, to see if it would even out the sugar ride. I agreed because I knew nothing. It was costly time when Rover should have been starting insulin therapy. Costly because of the cost of the drug and the extra vet appointments, but most importantly, costly because it was during those 6 weeks that we first saw the neuropathy. His hind legs deteriorated quickly during those 6 weeks, and it was a chore to keep the muscle tone up - mainly by putting treats on window ledges and getting him to run down the big hill in the backyard. I'd never do the glyburide again.
 
With cats, the oral meds try to force the pancreas to work causing even more problems. The more damage to the pancreas, the less chance of it working right. By using insulin, the pancreas is allowed to 'rest' giving it that remission chance.
 
Dear Nicole,
please don't fear injections of insulin!
There is something else you can do to help your kitty along with insulin: only wet very low carb food and some people use pet supplements from Pet Alive Pancreas Booster and GlucoEnsure. These supplements help with pancreatic function and help reduce blood glucose level. No need to use medicine as it is not helping to regulate glucose levels only force glucose from the system, not a good idea in my opinion. So by doing things I mentioned you will support your kitty's natural defence systems and you might be able to cure his diabetes. You know that cats can go in remission right? With a bit of luck and help from your vet and FDMB it is a very achievable goal!
Sending hugs
Marlena and Rocky:bighug::cat::bighug:
 
Thank you everyone for all the good wishes and words of support.

Mac is eating Purina DM Wet food and Fancy Feast Pate as well, although he seems to prefer the Fancy Feast (darn, the Purina was a lot more expensive). I also leave out Purina DM dry when I am not home (if I leave out wet food, my other two cats will eat it before he has a chance to even look at it). However he eats VERY little, even with a LOT of coaxing and watching him eat and putting it right in front of his nose, adding water to it, taking it away and putting it back down, etc. etc. etc.

Mac is 15 going on 16, and he has definitely been showing signs of aging over the last few years (slowing down a lot and losing weight little by little so we didn't even notice, really. We started making jokes that our "Old Mac" was "out to pasture.") But when I look at photos of him even from one year ago, let alone two or three years ago, I realize how much he has changed (I am talking about before he had the injury and went on prednisolone, and long before his diagnosis). I am now thinking that instead of aging slowly like he did before, he is now aging extremely quickly. I am thinking that putting him on a regimen of two needles a day plus testing twice a month at the vet's office plus fiddling around with a dosage until he (maybe) gets better...?? (no guarantees)....might be the wrong way to go at this point in his life. It is absolutely breaking my heart, but I feel it might not be in his best interests at this point in his life to prolong his life. I am absolutely devastated by this whole thing.
 
Nicole789 said:
Thank you everyone for all the good wishes and words of support.

Mac is eating Purina DM Wet food and Fancy Feast Pate as well, although he seems to prefer the Fancy Feast (darn, the Purina was a lot more expensive). I also leave out Purina DM dry when I am not home (if I leave out wet food, my other two cats will eat it before he has a chance to even look at it). However he eats VERY little, even with a LOT of coaxing and watching him eat and putting it right in front of his nose, adding water to it, taking it away and putting it back down, etc. etc. etc.

Mac is 15 going on 16, and he has definitely been showing signs of aging over the last few years (slowing down a lot and losing weight little by little so we didn't even notice, really. We started making jokes that our "Old Mac" was "out to pasture.") But when I look at photos of him even from one year ago, let alone two or three years ago, I realize how much he has changed (I am talking about before he had the injury and went on prednisolone, and long before his diagnosis). I am now thinking that instead of aging slowly like he did before, he is now aging extremely quickly. I am thinking that putting him on a regimen of two needles a day plus testing twice a month at the vet's office plus fiddling around with a dosage until he (maybe) gets better...?? (no guarantees)....might be the wrong way to go at this point in his life. It is absolutely breaking my heart, but I feel it might not be in his best interests at this point in his life to prolong his life. I am absolutely devastated by this whole thing.
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16 is old, no doubt, but it's not unheard of for a cat to live 20+ years. If you test at home you can skip the trips to the vet. Once I started testing at home my cat didnt go back until time for a yearly checkup . Just email your vet a link to your spreadsheet.
 
The fancy feast is actually better was a cat if you feed the pates. Like others have said Max never had a curve at the vet's office e cent the first day of insulin. Testing at home eliminates vet stress from the results. I do think the pred led to the diabetes and if he is on a low carb diet has a good chance of going OTJ.
 
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