? Metoclopramide Syrup okay for diabetic ???

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when I read "syrup" I think sugar, so I'd want to ask the pharmacy if there was any sugar compound in it - including anything that ends in "-ose" like dextrose or sucrose.

Poor Zeke - I hope he feels better soon. You probably already know, but if not, Marje's Pancreatitis Primer is on the New to the Group sticky in the single topic links at the bottom. I haven't heard of that particular med being used for pancreatitis before. What's it being given for?
 
Can you call where you had the prescription filled and ask if it is a sugar based syrup. (You can also taste a drop to see if it's sweet.)

From what I can tell, it probably contains sugar since there are all sorts of precautions if it's prescribed to diabetics.

Is Zeke vomiting? This is not a typical med that's prescribed for pancreatitis. It's sometimes prescribed for slow gastric motility that may result in vomiting. Did the vet run a Snap fPLI? How was the pancreatitis diagnosed?
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
when I read "syrup" I think sugar, so I'd want to ask the pharmacy if there was any sugar compound in it - including anything that ends in "-ose" like dextrose or sucrose.

Poor Zeke - I hope he feels better soon. You probably already know, but if not, Marje's Pancreatitis Primer is on the New to the Group sticky in the single topic links at the bottom. I haven't heard of that particular med being used for pancreatitis before. What's it being given for?
Click to expand...
Thanks Julie. Yes I have a copy of the sticky. We asked the specialist that did the ultrasound and prescribed the meds if they were FD safe and she said yes. DH picked up the meds and when I saw syrup I did a double take. The bottle doesn't say it's sugar free and no list of ingredients was provided.
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
Can you call where you had the prescription filled and ask if it is a sugar based syrup. (You can also taste a drop to see if it's sweet.)

From what I can tell, it probably contains sugar since there are all sorts of precautions if it's prescribed to diabetics.

Is Zeke vomiting? This is not a typical med that's prescribed for pancreatitis. It's sometimes prescribed for slow gastric motility that may result in vomiting. Did the vet run a Snap fPLI? How was the pancreatitis diagnosed?
Click to expand...
Hi Sienne, yes Zeke had a fPLI. The number came back at 22 vs a normal of 4 (I think that's what she said). This med was prescribed for nausea as Zeke is not eating much. He was also prescribed appetite stimulant mirtazipine (spelling ?). Sorry, I left the house without the discharge report. We'll also be giving him Pepcid and Bupe.
 
From the drugs.com website:-

  • Diabetes patients- Metoclopramide syrup may affect your blood sugar. Check blood sugar levels closely. Ask your doctor before you change the dose of your diabetes medicine.
It doesn't say if it actually contains sugar - still looking for information on that, it looks more as though it might be a side-effect of the drug itself.
 
manxcat419 said:
From the drugs.com website:-

  • Diabetes patients- Metoclopramide syrup may affect your blood sugar. Check blood sugar levels closely. Ask your doctor before you change the dose of your diabetes medicine.
It doesn't say if it actually contains sugar - still looking for information on that, it looks more as though it might be a side-effect of the drug itself.
Click to expand...

Thanks April. I saw that too after I realized the med was a syrup. I expressed my concerns to the specialist (not Zeke's normal vet) that prescribed this med and this was her response:

"The metoclopramide should not affect his glucose levels. If by chance it does (since you check at home) let me know, but I have prescribed this to many diabetic cats before with no ill effects."

My concern is how many of those CGs actually tested their kitties?

We're holding off until tomorrow to make a final decision. We're skipping Zeke's shot as he's at 68 and we're not comfortable that he'll eat all his required meals tonight.
 
From information that I've looked at before, it seems that only about 1 in 4 CGs for diabetic cats actually test their BG regularly - if a cat is only being curved maybe once a month because the vet considers them to be fairly well regulated, I wouldn't be surprised if the effect on BG never gets noticed.

Of course there are instances where the benefit of a medication outweighs the effect on a cat's BG, but it sounds as though it's a medication that isn't prescribed routinely for nausea and that there might well be alternatives that don't have the same effect. Though of course if it turns out to be the only medication that works well for Zeke then that makes a difference to whether or not it's a good idea to give it to him.

I think a skip sounds like the safest plan for now - 68 is a low number if there's even the slightest chance he might not eat. I think if he was my cat I'd skip too in case I couldn't persuade him to eat high carb if he needed it.

Good luck with whatever decision you do make on the medication - if he does have to have it, then I really hope it doesn't affect his levels too much.
 
IMHO, the larger issue is that metoclopramide is not particularly effective for controlling nausea. Ondansatron or Cerenia are better choices. And, if you're giving bupe, it may negate the effect of metoclopramide. You might want to read this description on Veterinary Partner.
 
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