How to Re-introduce Fluoxetine

[GailMJ]

I posted back at the end of December / beginning of January that my three year old Persian, Jazzy, had to go on Fluoxetine for improper urination. She started with 5mg every day but the side effects of appetite loss, infrequent toileting, and disengagement from us led her vet to cut the dose to 2.5mg after 11 days. She stayed at that dose until close to the end of February, about 10 weeks in all, and didn't have any accidents during that time. We were giving her the Prozac, 1/4 of a 10mg tablet, in pill pockets, which worked most of the time, but she had started to spit it out, or eat the pill pocket but not the pill, etc. and with the vet's blessing we started weaning her off. For two weeks she got 2.5 mg every other and then we went to 2.5mg every three days for two weeks, and then stopped. Dring the time we had her on every other day her old personality came back and her appetite, which had already improved, completely returned. We had decided that if we had to put her back on at some point we, and she, would do well on 2.5mg every other day. So it has been almost 3 weeks with no medication and it has had time to get completely out of her system. Earlier this week I found where she had urinated on the leather sofa in the den, and today I found where she had urinated on one of the guest beds, both places she had done this before. So now I know that she needs some fluoxetine in her system. I have some on hand and need to start her back on it. But it's a holiday weekend and my vet is out of the office until Monday, and I don't want to wait until then to start her back up. So my question is, should I start her back on 2.5mg every day to ramp her up, and then back off, or should I just start with 2.5mg every other day? Has anyone had experience restarting it?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

You mentioned that "we had decided that if we had to put her back on at some point we, and she, would do well on 2.5 mg every other day". WHO is the "we" who decided this? If your Vet was part of this "we", then I would think you would be fine to start up just as you stated...2.5mg every other day. If your Vet was NOT part of that discussion, then I really think it would be wise to wait until you can discuss it with them. Holiday weekend? They are closed for the Easter weekend? Most Vets are closed on Sunday unless they are emergency Vets, but I never thought they would close for a long weekend for Easter. Where have I been?

Either way though, I would still give them I call on Monday and let them know what is going on just in case they advise increasing it for a short time or something else.

Also, be sure to clean all areas where she has urinated with an enzymatic cleaner to wipe away any and all traces of her urine. You may not be able to smell it, but unless you use an enzymatic cleaner, you can bet SHE can still smell it and will be drawn to that area.

 

[GailMJ]

"We" are my husband and I, based on her behavior on 5mg daily vs 2.5mg daily vs 2.5mg every other day. Of course I would discuss this with her vet before implementing it long term. The vet's office is not closed, but my vet is out of the office until Monday, and the receptionist said she would have him call me then. I asked her about referring the question to another vet, but she was hesitant to do so since they were not familiar with Jazzy's specific case. I didn't want to wait until Monday when I could already have two or three doses of meds in her by then. She tends to respond to it quickly. I have already cleaned the area with enzymatic cleaner and laundered the spread, sheets, and mattress protector (yes it's waterproof). As far as things being closed on Easter weekend, I see you are in the beautiful state of Arizona. I'm in Georgia, in the Bible Belt, and this is a long weekend for many in our area. Thanks you for your response.