Gabapentin

[GranolaLouise]

My cat is experiencing pain but she will not eat the wet food with gabapentin mixed in it.
She spits pills back out so pills are not an option.
Question....does gabapentin come in a transdermal form?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Gabapentin has a pretty nasty taste to it. so, I guess I understand why your cat does not want to eat it in food. It can be compounded into a transdermal form - ask your vet about doing so. You can also check out Wedgewood Pharmacy about various forms of it, just as a way to educate yourself on the options. Gabapentin for Dogs and Cats: Uses, Dosage, and Side Effects (wedgewoodpharmacy.com)

 

[GranolaLouise]

Thank you. Having a rough couple of days.

 

[IndyJones]

I think it also comes in an injectable form. This would probably work better than the gel. Injectables work much faster. However if you are squeemish around needles this may not work for you.

 

[daftcat75]

It comes in a liquid form which also tastes nasty. But I can at least squirt that into Betty when she's being fussy about her capsules. It also comes in 100 mg capsules from the vet which is usually packed much looser than the capsule size. The capsule size is a size 3. The contents can be repacked almost entirely into a smaller size four capsule. (Larger size number is a smaller capsule.) Betty takes between 25 and 50 mg currently. With the vet's blessing, she lets me split up the 100's and re-pack them as I need to. So having repacked the capsules into a smaller size, I coat the capsule in a "frosting" that Betty can't resist. And because she has become fussier lately, I also coat that frosted capsule in "sprinkles." Her current "frosting" is Hills A/D. And her current "sprinkles" are powdered Greenies treats. Some days she prefers one frosting over another. For those days, I can use either Royal Canin GI Kitten or Royal Canin PR. I'm not sure where we go if she starts refusing the Greenies powder. I don't think I have anything more appealing than that. When I can't figure her out and we've tried all the frostings and the sprinkles, then I shoot a liquid dose into her and hope she feels less fussy the next shift.


We may eventually have to go the compounding route. The trouble with transdermal, besides the lower absorption, is that you have to alternate ears and wash the off-day ear so you aren't layering doses and further reducing the absorption. You may find the wet willy a lot easier than cleaning the off-day ear. The Medi-Melts look interesting if I can find a flavor Betty likes.

 

[silent meowlook]

I have never had a problem mixing the contents of the capsule into the food. I have also tasted the capsule contents and it has no flavor. The liquid is disgusting and I salivated the entire night after tasting it.

Are you supposed to give the entire capsule? Can you try giving as a pill. If you are unable to pill your cat, call your vet in the morning because there are other pain relief options they can offer that may be better like a topical or a long acting injection they give.