Hyperthyroid medicine?

[momofive]

My old buddy, Bernard, was recently diagnosed with hyperthyrodism. He was placed on once a day medicine.

He really seems to be doing better on the meds. I have two questions--is there an optimal time of day to administer the medicine? We are giving it to him in the evening, would it be better in the morning, or does it matter?

Also, he needs to be on this medicine for the rest of his life. We are currently buying it from the vet, for about $60/month. Is there a cheaper way to get it for long term use? Is there a mail order pharmacy for cats? Thanks!

[smokey the elder]

Is he on tapazole? I think you can get that from petmeds.com or someplace for a lot less.

[kittykatharine]

My kitty was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and I wanted to pass on some helpful information :

Comparison of Treatments for Hyperthyroidism in Cats

Methimazole (pill form or dermal)
(Can purchase on 1800petmeds.com for .45 cents per pill or around $15 a month)

Advantages
Medication readily available
Inexpensive in short-term
No anesthesia or surgery
No hospitalization or special facilities required
Treatment is reversible, if needed
Development of hypothyroidism very rare
Preferred in cats with kidney failure or other serious disease
Used prior to radiation or surgery to stabilize cat Not a cure; the adenoma will continue to grow

Disadvantages
Lifelong therapy necessary
Medication may need to be given more than once daily
May be difficult to give medication
Medication occasionally has side effects some cats cannot tolerate
Periodic blood work required

Surgery
Advantages
Cures the condition unless all of the abnormal tissue is not removed
Approximately the same cost as several years of methimazole
Short hospitalization
No need for daily medication Requires anesthesia
Cat must be a good surgical candidate

Disadvantages
Post-operative complications can occur to parathyroid gland or nerves in the area
Could rarely cause hypothyroidism
Not possible if thyroid tissue is located within the chest
May need to be repeated


Radioactive Iodine Treatment
Advantages
No anesthesia, sedation, or surgery
All abnormal tissue is treated
No need for daily medication
Does not destroy healthy tissue or other organs
Normal thyroid function returns within a month
Preferred if malignancy present, or thyroid tissue located within the chest

Disadvantages
Availability limited
Most expensive alternative: over $1,000
Specialized facility required
Hospitalization and quarantine required
Treating other diseases during initial days following treatment is not possible
In rare cases may need to be repeated
Could rarely cause hypothyroidism

[Kater]

The first question is a great thing to ask your vet. I would assume the main thing is to keep it at a consistent time each day, however, you should ask.

There are some MANY places that sell veterinary prescriptions. Many are not reputable! I would see if your vet clinic will do "price matching" for you and give you the medication for the lowest advertised price you can find. Often veterinarians prefer to do this because they want clients to be receiving quality prescription products. This is much better than doing business with a company with whom you have no history.

[Lizzie]

I get almost all my cat meds from Costco pharmacy at far better prices than I would pay at my vet; a few I get from KV Vet Supply, my vet faxes them the prescription. As with all meds, the more you buy, the less you pay - well, usually. That's because each time you refill you are paying a service charge as well as paying for the medication.

I had the radioactive iodine treatment done on one of my cats, and it worked out very well. Other, older cats have had the medication for years and all without ill affect. If your cat has a long life ahead of him, it can work out to be more cost effective to go with the iodine treatment.

[Freedom]

This is a touchy subject for me.

Vita was diagnosed in March. She is the 3rd of my cats to be diagnosed. The other 2 died within 8 months of diagnosis.

I read so many cats doing well on the meds, mine don't seem to. I am quite worried about Vita. It's been 3 months and she is still losing weight. We've checked and adjusted the meds each month, so far to no avail.

My vet has used the Tapazoale for each one. I worry that the food I used for 12 years (Science Diet) may be a cause. My vet recommended that food and wasn't too happy when I upgraded to a higher quality food.

One vet recently told me there are newer and better meds available for cats for this in England and Europe, but they haven't been approved by the FDA for use here yet. Given the track record with my cats, I didn't really want to hear this news. She says they haven't used Tapazoale over there in over 10 years, it is "old stuff."

I remember asking if Amber (my first cat to get this) could have the idiodine treatment, and after an exam my vet said he didn't need it as the thyroid was so small he couldn't even feel it. Four months later Amber was gone.

I used to get it through my local pharmacy at great savings rather than from my vet. I haven't gotten around to this with Vita as we are still adjusting the dosage, and I am working with the initial 100 pill bottle.

[pomtzu]

Why not check pricing thru the Canadian online pharmacies? You will probably save a ton of money there. I have gotten prescriptions for myself from Canada at huge savings from what I would pay at a U.S. pharmacy.

[kb2yjx]

Not that I am being lazy, but if you go to Kittykatherine's thread about her cat Sidney, I have posted alot about how my cats did on pills, transdermal, and the radioactive treatment. I think somewhere around post 10 or 11. I do not recommend the radioactive way, as you will see what happened to my Miss BooBoo Kitty....