Hi, my cat is currently on budesonide 1mg/daily for suspected IBD/SCL (no biopsy, just ultrasound showing thickening & enlarged lymph nodes). His only symptom is vomiting and it's well-controlled at this dose. I'm seeking insight on anyone's experiences with weaning or tapering budesonide. when did you start tapering/weaning and how? Did you lower the dose (i.e. .5/mg daily) or go to every other day 1mg? Also, does anyone know what the half-life or excretion timing is for budesonide? I've heard as much as 36 hours for prednisolone, but can't find anything cat-related for budesonide. thanks in advance for any help!
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Budesonide - experience with tapering or weaning?
- Thread starter Pekkle98
- Start Date
Hi. I searched this site for previous threads - and the internet (as I am sure you did too)) - and found nothing about weaning/tapering Budesonide. I am thinking you might have some success on one of the forums related to IBD and/or SCL in cats since the members are more focused on treatments for these conditions.
Raw Feeding for IBD Cats | Groups | Facebook
Feline Lymphoma Support Group | Groups | Facebook
Raw Feeding for IBD Cats | Groups | Facebook
Feline Lymphoma Support Group | Groups | Facebook
Hi
I don't have any experience with this, and from the length of time from your post to now, I'm wondering if not very many other members have either. Would you be able to communicate with a University Medical Veterinary Department?
This is a list in date order from TCS threads that mention Budesonide, but as feebysowner mentioned, I don't know if there's anything helpful or that answers your questions;
Search Results for Query: budesonide
I don't have any experience with this, and from the length of time from your post to now, I'm wondering if not very many other members have either. Would you be able to communicate with a University Medical Veterinary Department?
This is a list in date order from TCS threads that mention Budesonide, but as feebysowner mentioned, I don't know if there's anything helpful or that answers your questions;
Search Results for Query: budesonide
Hi, this info might come too late for the original poster. I did research on Budesonide for my cat (intestinal small cell lymphoma validated by PARR testing of mesenteric lymph nodes). I tried Prednisolone 2mg first but she reacted poorly so I quickly terminated that after 3 days, then 2 days at half dose and then ended. Now on Budesonide 0.5mg daily (in liquid form at 0.25ml). She is doing much better (ceased chemotherapy due to side effects and just going on week 6 of Budesonide) with very little obvious reaction to it (although she dislikes taking it because of me putting it on my finger and in her mouth). She started putting on weight and playing and running around, so she seems to have gotten to the "sweet spot". Now I'm thinking of tapering her off so that she doesn't get to the negative side effe
I did some research regarding weaning off and didn't find anything yet. However I'll put a couple of links to related articles with good info.
Glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency and glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome: Two sides of the same coin (good info)
Budesonide for Cats: Dosage, Safety & Side Effects - Cats.com (see question answer section)
I did find a medical article (can't remember if it was for humans or cats) that mentioned half-life of certain steroids. If I recall it was Dexamethasone, Prednisone and Budesonide. I can't remember the figures for Dex but for Pred it was like 8-12 hours and for Bud something like 3-6 hours. So that may mean it can be weaned a little less gradually than Pred if it is already closer to 0 concentration by the time the next does rolls around at 24 hours. But don't quote me on that. The one article (see link below) said that it reached maximal concentration after 1 hour in dogs. No clue how fast it tapers off to 0.
The thing that is certain, it is a potent glucocorticoid and the only reason it doesn't weak as much havoc on the system as Pred is because it is majoritarily first pass metabolized by the liver so there's little systemic availability (though not none, especially if the esophagus, stomach or small intestine are affected and too permeable). So I'd still go slow assuming that there is some adrenal suppression possibly and letting the body adjust and gradually increase endogenous cortisol production.
In my kitty's case, I was planning on taking it down by 0.03ml per week, for 7 weeks of taper after a course of 6 weeks of Bud. However, having read that duration on glucocorticoids is a factor in its effects on the HPA axis and adrenal suppression, I'm thinking of halving the time and going down 0.06ml per week, watching her reactions to stressors and weakness levels, so that she'll have been on it for only 10 weeks total instead of 13. I'm going to ask my veterinary oncologist's advice on tapering off (keep in mind his advice is chemo and steroids for life with intestinal lymphoma!) and report back if there's any interest.
Similar article on half-life of Bud.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
I did some research regarding weaning off and didn't find anything yet. However I'll put a couple of links to related articles with good info.
Glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency and glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome: Two sides of the same coin (good info)
Budesonide for Cats: Dosage, Safety & Side Effects - Cats.com (see question answer section)
I did find a medical article (can't remember if it was for humans or cats) that mentioned half-life of certain steroids. If I recall it was Dexamethasone, Prednisone and Budesonide. I can't remember the figures for Dex but for Pred it was like 8-12 hours and for Bud something like 3-6 hours. So that may mean it can be weaned a little less gradually than Pred if it is already closer to 0 concentration by the time the next does rolls around at 24 hours. But don't quote me on that. The one article (see link below) said that it reached maximal concentration after 1 hour in dogs. No clue how fast it tapers off to 0.
The thing that is certain, it is a potent glucocorticoid and the only reason it doesn't weak as much havoc on the system as Pred is because it is majoritarily first pass metabolized by the liver so there's little systemic availability (though not none, especially if the esophagus, stomach or small intestine are affected and too permeable). So I'd still go slow assuming that there is some adrenal suppression possibly and letting the body adjust and gradually increase endogenous cortisol production.
In my kitty's case, I was planning on taking it down by 0.03ml per week, for 7 weeks of taper after a course of 6 weeks of Bud. However, having read that duration on glucocorticoids is a factor in its effects on the HPA axis and adrenal suppression, I'm thinking of halving the time and going down 0.06ml per week, watching her reactions to stressors and weakness levels, so that she'll have been on it for only 10 weeks total instead of 13. I'm going to ask my veterinary oncologist's advice on tapering off (keep in mind his advice is chemo and steroids for life with intestinal lymphoma!) and report back if there's any interest.
Similar article on half-life of Bud.
Budesonide ER oral tablets: Side effects, dosage, and more
Budesonide ER oral tablets are a generic prescription medication approved to treat ulcerative colitis in adults. Learn about side effects, dosage, and more.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
By the way, in case anyone was wondering, my plan is to keep the chemotherapy and steroid therapy as options to use when symptoms return as this small cell lymphoma is indolent (slow evolving). So she'll have treatment phases (which she hates although much more tolerated with Ondansetron given 1 hour prior to Chlorambucil; and I hate putting her through it) interspersed with wellness and "wonderful life" phases. I prefer this to constant chemo and steroids because of their side effects.
It's my first time treating SCL so we'll see if things pan out that way, but so far I'm almost using the veterinary medications homeopathically so as to limit their negative side effects and obtain the slowing down of the cancer cell proliferation in her intestines and lymph nodes.
I've modified her diet to wet canned food and raw freeze dried food only (once I ditched the dry food her vomiting ceased the very same day!) and I'm being very cautious around known allergens for her (seafood in her case; although sometimes, especially during chemotherapy, to get her stimulated to eat I'll give her whatever floats her boat) as SCL is hypothesized as a possible latter transformation of IBD, which itself starts with chronic exposure to allergens. By the way, read up on Carageenan and see what you think.
If anyone has any advice based on their experiences with treating feline small cell lymphoma, Chlorambucil, Budesonide, Prednisolone, or any related matter, I highly welcome hearing all about it.
It's my first time treating SCL so we'll see if things pan out that way, but so far I'm almost using the veterinary medications homeopathically so as to limit their negative side effects and obtain the slowing down of the cancer cell proliferation in her intestines and lymph nodes.
I've modified her diet to wet canned food and raw freeze dried food only (once I ditched the dry food her vomiting ceased the very same day!) and I'm being very cautious around known allergens for her (seafood in her case; although sometimes, especially during chemotherapy, to get her stimulated to eat I'll give her whatever floats her boat) as SCL is hypothesized as a possible latter transformation of IBD, which itself starts with chronic exposure to allergens. By the way, read up on Carageenan and see what you think.
If anyone has any advice based on their experiences with treating feline small cell lymphoma, Chlorambucil, Budesonide, Prednisolone, or any related matter, I highly welcome hearing all about it.
