Starting dose of Budesonide. How much is too much?

[Laura304]

My cat is 13. She has had IBD for a while and has been stable on 5 mg prednisolone daily. Unfortunately, probably in part because of the steroid, she has recently developed diabetes. My vet wants to change her to Budesonide 3mg twice a day. I’m okay with switching her but that dose seems way too high. From my research, it seems like Budesonide is more potent than pred. Any experiences with how much Budesonide your cat was prescribed? We are waiting on a call back from our vet. Just wondering what the usual beginning dose is for your cats if you have experience? Thank you!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Talk to your vet about concerns that this dosage seems high to you and ask for reasons for that amount. It sounds like it is on the high side, from what I have read and seen. The dosage is actually based on body surface area as opposed to weight - so, perhaps that has some bearing on what your vet prescribed? There might also be a correlation between your cat having been on Prednisolone before and now transitioning to Budesonide that could be impacting the dose that might be needed.
Budesonide For Cats: Dosage, Safety & Side Effects - Cats.com

 

[Laura304]

Thank you for your reply. We sent a message to our vet with our concerns and we’re waiting for a response.

 

[artiemom]

I would check with your vet. My guy, who is a good size boy— 14.5 lbs, gets 1 mg budesonide twice a day.
((Hugs))

 

[mrw5641]

Laura304 I know this is old but my 14.9 lber gets 1 mg daily.

Even seeing you were on 5 mg of prednisolone daily is a lot!

Typically you wean off to the maximum effective dosage with those meds

 

[Pekkle98]

My cat is 13. She has had IBD for a while and has been stable on 5 mg prednisolone daily. Unfortunately, probably in part because of the steroid, she has recently developed diabetes. My vet wants to change her to Budesonide 3mg twice a day. I’m okay with switching her but that dose seems way too high. From my research, it seems like Budesonide is more potent than pred. Any experiences with how much Budesonide your cat was prescribed? We are waiting on a call back from our vet. Just wondering what the usual beginning dose is for your cats if you have experience? Thank you!

Hi, i know this was some months ago, but wanted to know what you heard back from your vet about the dosage? our vet is recommending 3mg/day for our 11lb. cat. From what i understand, budesonide is dosed by surface area, not weight & by that conversion, he would only need less than 1mg a day. I asked our vet about it & he said, ''This is the dosage experts use but you can do whatever you like".