NBC: "FDA approves drug for dogs scared by noise" (epilepsy & anxiety med)

"FDA approves drug for dogs scared by noise: The drug was developed top treat epilepsy but can treat anxiety, too."

Dec. 4, 2018 / 11:39 AM EST

By Maggie Fox

 

Most pets don’t like loud noises, but some dogs really lose their cool when they hear fireworks or even loud traffic — vomiting, howling and damaging furniture.

 

Now vets can prescribe a drug to help keep them calm.

 

The Food and Drug Administration has approved an anti-epileptic drug, Pexion, to treat dogs freaked out by noises.

 

The drug is already approved for use in treating epilepsy. Known generically as imepitoin, the drug is similar to Valium and other benzodiazepines but works in a different way to treat noise aversion. Other seizure drugs, such as gabapentin, can also treat some types of anxiety.

 

“Dogs with noise aversion are sensitive to loud noises such as fireworks, street/traffic noises, and gun shots,” the FDA said Tuesday.

 

The drug is already approved for use in treating epilepsy. Known generically as imepitoin, the drug is similar to Valium and other benzodiazepines but works in a different way to treat noise aversion. Other seizure drugs, such as gabapentin, can also treat some types of anxiety.

 

“Dogs with noise aversion are sensitive to loud noises such as fireworks, street/traffic noises, and gun shots,” the FDA said Tuesday.

 

Studies have shown that Pexion can help dogs stay calm during fireworks shows, the FDA said. “The owners of 66 percent of dogs receiving Pexion scored the overall treatment effect as excellent or good, compared with 25 percent of dogs receiving the placebo.”

 

The drug must be used cautiously. “The owners of three of the 90 dogs that received Pexion in the effectiveness trial also reported that their dogs became aggressive, including growling towards a young child and lack of restraint or self-control towards other dogs,” the FDA said.

 

“Certain drugs used to reduce anxiety, such as Pexion, may lead to lack of self-control of fear-based behaviors and may therefore result in a change in aggression level. The label information accompanying Pexion notes the recommendation that owners should carefully observe their dogs during treatment.”

 

The drug was originally developed to treat epilepsy in people but it had some troubling effects on metabolism so was never brought to market for use in humans.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-approves-drug-dogs-scared-noise-n943516

 

 

Some related articles on the same topic:

 

https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm626582.htm

 

https://www.americanveterinarian.com/news/fda-approves-pexion-for-canine-noise-aversion

 

 

 

And from Wikipedia, here's info about the medication imepitoin:

 

Imepitoin (INN), sold under the brand name Pexion, is an anticonvulsant which is used in veterinary medicine in Europe to treat epilepsy in dogs.[1][2][3][4] It is was recently approved in the United States.[2][3][4] The drug also has anxiolytic effects.[1][2] It was originally developed to treat epilepsy in humans, but clinical trials were terminated upon findings of unfavorable metabolic differences in smokers and non-smokers.[1][2]

 

Imepitoin acts as a low-affinity (4,350–5,140 nM; relative to Ki = 6.8 nM for diazepam and Ki = 1.7 nM for clonazepam) partial agonist of the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor (up to 12–21% of the maximal potentiation of diazepam, a full agonist of this site).[1] It is the first partial agonist to be approved for the treatment of epilepsy.[1] The drug also dose-dependently blocks voltage-gated calcium channels.[3] It is not a benzodiazepine; instead, it is an imidazolone, and bears some structural similarities to hydantoin anticonvulsants like ethotoin and phenytoin.[1]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imepitoin

 

 

They have been prescribing benzos to dogs for years.

 

The general public doesn't seem to care much about the damage that benzos do to humans, but could you imagine the outrage if it came out that dogs were suffering from years of protracted pain and suffering from benzos?

 

There would be lynch mobs.

I know! It would be pretty horrible if a dog were as dizzy as I am. It wouldn't be able to walk and would just fall over.

They have prescribed benzos to dogs for years, and usually in much higher doses than humans take them.  As much as I hate benzos, I don't think this is a bad thing, since some dogs actually injure themselves when they hear loud noises or thunder.  (I didn't realize how much of an issue this was until some people posted pictures of their dogs after july 4th - some dogs will actually run into windows or glass doors, sometimes breaking them and causing serious injury, in an attempt to get away from the noise).

As much as I hate benzos, I don't think this is a bad thing, since some dogs actually injure themselves when they hear loud noises or thunder.  (I didn't realize how much of an issue this was until some people posted pictures of their dogs after july 4th - some dogs will actually run into windows or glass doors, sometimes breaking them and causing serious injury, in an attempt to get away from the noise).

 

Who knows whether dogs are susceptible to damage from benzos (I suspect that it isn't a common thing if they are, as most people probably aren't giving their dogs benzos on a daily basis for an extended period of time) but I'm still not sure if I would advocate giving them these drugs that are obviously neurotoxic to humans in some capacity. It's up to the pet owner to provide a safe environment for their dogs if the dog has problems with loud noises.

I suspect it's a similar thing to the use of such meds in humans -- a giant experiment. All medications come with risks,and pet owners would have to decide whether they think such risks are worth taking.

 

In this case, the above-mentioned medication is NOT a benzo, but according to the Wiki info, it appears to affect the GABA-A receptor. As such, it might have some similar side effects. We're talking about dogs, though, so there must be differences too.

I say we should make fireworks illegal.  Fireworks and gunshot even scares my cat.  The side effects of this drug they are putting the dogs on sounds terrible.  Why not just natural supplements to calm the dogs?  Big Pharma found another way to make lots of money.

To me, fear of gunshots is a normal reaction. I don't think it should be medicated. And I can understand animals being afraid when fireworks go off because the sound is jarring and you can't explain to a cat or dog what is going on.

I know loud noises like fireworks, etc scare the crap out of me and my cat when I'm here inside my home.

Is there a lot of that there? We only have them once or twice a year here (in Canada).

yes, in the summer months.