Newly FDA approved drug for stress related to vet visits

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Daphne and Aida

Daphne and Aida

Active Member
Hi all!
Some of you might know that I regularly use gabapentin to ease the stress related to vet visits for my cats. Gabapentin has been used for years off label, has been proven secure, although it might have a sedative effect with some cats.

I just found out (during my typical Christmas reading material) that another drug has got the FDA seal for attaining this specific effect. For you folks with unwilling vets, you can legally ask them for a prescription of pregabalin (name of molecule. Name of drug: Bonqat from Zoetis)! It doesn’t have as much a sedative effect as gaba while is it as potent as a de-stresser, it lasts up to 14 hours, and it can have the same side effects as the majority of orally administered drugs (nausea, diarrhea, appetite loss). A potential drawback could be that it can incidentally increase liver enzymes.
Dose recommendation: 5mg/kg (lower for CKD cats)

From VIN
https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102894&Id=12105407
From TVP:
https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/pharmacology/feline-friendly-previsit-pharmaceuticals/
More heavy readings:
https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/262/3/javma.23.09.0493.xml
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9913435/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1098612X241250245?icid=int.sj-full-text.citing-articles.6
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvp.13061
 
Thank you! Gabapetin has zero effect on Leroy even with a double dose the night before and a double dose the morning of a visit per the vet's instructions. I'll discuss this with the vet.
 
Pregabalin for anxiety/fear was approved about a year ago.

Just an FYI - pregabalin is a form of gabapentin. The apparent advantage of pregabalin is that it takes about 30 min to be effective which likely makes it easier for caregivers and has a shorter duration than gabapentin. It has been available for humans as Lyrica for many years.

One cautionary note. Make sure that the formulation does not contain xylitol. Xylitol is unsafe for both cats and dogs.
 
Thanks Sienne!

Funny, from what I’m reading (heavy reading material) it has a longer duration than gaba, not a shorter! But cats being cats, it might be variable on each individual…! It is better absorbed (up to 94% if I remember correctly) and it doesn’t have the same peak effect as gabapentin, where 3 hours after administration the drug is in full force. Pregabalin has a more linear curve in that.

My guess is, when you say that it’s a form of gabapentin, you actually mean that both have the similar pathway in the brain (blocking the same neurotransmiter named GABA, aka gamma-aminobutyric acid), and are members of the same class of drugs (gabapentinoids).

One thing that I would be cautious is that, whereas gabapentin can be given both as an anxiolytic and as a pain medication every 8 hours for days on, what I’ve read so far recommends not to exceed two days in a row of pregabalin.

And yes, of course, xylitol, absolutely to avoid!

Wishing you all a very good start in 2025!
 
One other issue with gabapentin, at least with humans, is that it should not be abruptly stopped if it's been given over a period of more than a few days. We've seen patients with some pretty significant mental status changes as a result of stopping (vs tapering) gabapentin.
 
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