Is trilostane safe?

[aliciam]

My 8 year old victorian bulldog was diagnosed with cushings about 4 months ago. :( She was put on trilostane and is indeed improving to some degree. She doesn't seem constantly thirsty and hungry, and has been having far less accidents. However, it makes me nervous to be giving her meds in which you are advised to wear gloves!!! That was just a red flag for me. So, I started doing research but have come up with mixed responses to its safety. From what I am understanding, it seems safer than the old drug that was prescribed but there are others that are still swearing that their dogs had harsh side effects to trilostane as well. I talked to my vet about it, and she still recommends trilostane. I just want to do what helps our dog without hurting her in any way. :( I did order Cushex drops. My vet said she hadn't heard of them. But I am hoping to give them a try??? I don't know if I would feel better about lowering her dosage of trilostane and trying the cushex? My vet did say as long as the cushex is all natural it would be worth a shot???? Any advice on any of this? Thanks so much!

[Squirt's Mom]

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[goldengirl88]

Welcome to you and your baby. I am sorry for the reasons that brought you here, but please know if your dog has Cushings this is the best place in the world for help and support. You did not mention any testing on your dog to confirm Cushings? I am baffled by that , or maybe you just did not mention it. This is a tricky disease to diagnose and requires several tests. Has your dog had a urine creatinine test, ACTH,LDDS, Blood Panel, and Ultra Sound. Any of these? If the answer is no please hold off on the Trilostane until you get them. This is a powerful drug as you said and you do not want to give it if the dog does not have Cushings. What are the symptoms that your dog presented with? How much does your dog weigh? How much was the suggested dosage? Please give us a little background on your dog. When you get these tests we will need to see the abnormal numbers and the scale given by the lab for normal values as all labs are different. So you need to get copies of all testing done. You need to measure the daily amount of water your dog is drinking and keep a journal. Please take the Cushex back. It does not work, if it did there would be no need for these drugs we use. It will not help your dog! Please let us know when you get the testing done. This disease can be managed on the drugs for the type of Cushings your dog has. It has yet to be determined if your dog has it , but if so you need to know what type. Pituitary, Atypical, or Adrenal are all types of Cushings. The very best thing you can do for you and your dog is get to reading about this disease and educate yourself as you will be the only advocate for your dog. You are not alone and we will help and support you. Please do not put blind faith in anyone concerning your dog, that includes your vet. Everything will work out after you find out what your dog has. Blessings
Patti

[addy]

Hi and Welcome,

We all wish we did not have to use the drugs our dogs need but sadly, they are what works when we are dealing with Cushings.
In the hands of a villigent, educated vet and mom or dad, they most defiantly can be successfully used. They key is you having knowledge educating yourself and never blindly following your vet's advice. Your vet needs to ave experience with the drugs and then you still must ask questions.

Zoe has been on Vetoryl since June 2011. She is having issues now but they are not due to the drug.

Glad you found us.

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi and a belated welcome from me as well!

I have manually approved your membership so just disregard the email notification from us.

I was wondering if you could get your hands on copies of the tests that were used to diagnose Cushing's in your girl and post those results here, thanks! Also could you tell us what symptoms your girl was/is dispalying that led you or your vet to test for Cushing's in the first place? How much does your girl weigh and what is the dosage of Trilostane she is taking? I am sorry for all of these questions but the more we know about your girl the better our feedback can be, ok?

Elevated cortisol is what is harmful to a dog that has Cushing's disease and Cushex drops will do nothing to lower cortisol so I would sugeest that you not spend any money on buying them.

We have seen that adverse side effects are minimal when a dog is started at a low dose of Trilostane. Also having a vet/IMS that is knowledgeable and experienced with Cushing's and the proper protocols is very important.

Here is a link to our Resource Thread that has a wealth of information regarding Cushing's and the medications that are used for Cushing's:Helpful Resources for Owners of Cushing's Dogs (http://www.kcushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10) Please feel free to print anything out and if you have any questions, do ask them. ;)

Know that you are not alone on this journey as we are here to help in any way we can.

Hugs, Lori

[labblab]

However, it makes me nervous to be giving her meds in which you are advised to wear gloves!!! That was just a red flag for me.
Welcome from me, too! I see that you've already been given some great information so I will not duplicate what the others have said. I did want to ask, though, where you received the warning to wear gloves when handling trilostane, because I fear you are being frightened unnecessarily. It is true that the manufacturers of brandname Vetoryl recommend that owners wash their hands after handling the capsules so as to avoid the possibility of skin irritation. And if, by chance, you are pregnant or trying to conceive, they advise against handling the drug at all. But otherwise, for the general public, I have never read a warning that gloves be used. So perhaps we can allay your worries that the capsules must be handled with such extreme caution. Here's a link to Dechra's U.S. Product Insert that contains the human warnings related to handling the capsules:

http://www.dechra-us.com/files/dechraUSA/downloads/Product%20inserts/Vetoryl.pdf

Marianne