# Famotidine - Pepcid



## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

Hi All

I've seen one or two folk on here mention this as a useful antacid

We discussed this med with the vet the other day, but they don't carry it as standard cos its given 'off licence' for kitties. She offered us a prescription to get filled either online or locally 
However I now see a prescription isn't needed after all.

So I'm wondering how much those of you who use it give to your kits and where you get it from. Vet says 4mg dosage would be fine - presumably 1mg per kg body weight.

In the meanwhile she's done us some metoclopramide syrup just in case Sally needs it in the next few days.
I do of course much prefer slippery elm bark but its been so stressful trying to get it into her :001_wub:

Thx
Kath


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## sharonchilds (Jul 7, 2011)

I was told about this today for Tia, im just not sure what on line pharmacie to use.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

KathinUK said:


> Hi All
> 
> I've seen one or two folk on here mention this as a useful antacid
> 
> ...


Meeko has been on Famotidine for the past 5 months he is on 1quarter of a 20mg tablet once a day, he is insured so I get it from the vets ,cant really help with where to get it from other than through your vet.
I have looked for famotidine on line but it doesn't seem readily available in the UK, Pepcid is but not sure if it would be the same dosage.One thing I have discovered though,dont mention it is for an animal unless you have a prescription as the chemist will not sell it (or anything else)to you.

ETA I tried Meeko with SE but it made absolutely no difference to his vomiting which is a shame as he didn't seem to object to it in his food


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## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

buffie said:


> Meeko has been on Famotidine for the past 5 months he is on 1quarter of a 20mg tablet once a day, he is insured so I get it from the vets ,cant really help with where to get it from other than through your vet.
> I have looked for famotidine on line but it doesn't seem readily available in the UK, Pepcid is but not sure if it would be the same dosage.One thing I have discovered though,dont mention it is for an animal unless you have a prescription as the chemist will not sell it (or anything else)to you.


Presumably its helping Meeko then buffie?

Thats really strange cos our vet specifically researched this for us today as she thinks it might help Sal. She was happy enough to write a prescription but advised that our insurance wouldn't cover it as its used 'off licence' for cats.

Pity the SEB didn't help - it's such good wholesome 'stuff'. I drink it most days myself and find it really soothing :dita:

Kath


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

I'm surprised that your vet came up with that conclusion as Famotidine would appear, from what I have read on here ,to be widely used by many whose cats have problems with excess acid.
It has made a huge difference to Meeko, he has gone from vomiting every 4/5 days to little or no vomit in 5 months.
Horses for courses where treatments are concerned unfortunately,he was happy with the slippery elm in his food but it did nothing to help ,typical


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

https://www.canadadrugs.com/products/pepcid-ac/10mg/4269

This is the 10mg version and normal dose is 1/4 tab BID, up to 1/2 tab if things are bad. Meeko is on the higher dose. The Pepsid we can get in UK Is NOT safe


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

There are two issues with this which need to be taken into account. The first is the warning at the bottom of the description which reads


> CAN NOT BE SPLIT Must be taken in existing form.


 and the second is the issue of customs. As it's outside the EU you are very limited in the amount you can order without risking charges. It used to be £13 value of the goods excluding P&P. I think it's now £15 in total including P&P. If a parcel is intercepted (many do get through but it's a lottery) there's VAT and often a hefty handling charge to pay.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Paddypaws said:


> https://www.canadadrugs.com/products/pepcid-ac/10mg/4269
> 
> This is the 10mg version and normal dose is 1/4 tab BID, up to 1/2 tab if things are bad. Meeko is on the higher dose. The Pepsid we can get in UK Is NOT safe


Thanks for the info PP's  
Meeko is on 1/4 20mg tab once a day , is that not the same as 1/4 10mg BID ?
I thought he was on the usual dose.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

havoc said:


> There are two issues with this which need to be taken into account. The first is the warning at the bottom of the description which reads can not be split and the second is the issue of customs. As it's outside the EU you are very limited in the amount you can order without risking charges. It used to be £13 value of the goods excluding P&P. I think it's now £15 in total including P&P. If a parcel is intercepted (many do get through but it's a lottery) there's VAT and often a hefty handling charge to pay.


Thanks for the info
Interesting I wonder why the 10mg is different to the 20mg ?


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Could be that as the smallest dosage pill available it's just a slightly different form.


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## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

Paddypaws said:


> https://www.canadadrugs.com/products/pepcid-ac/10mg/4269
> 
> This is the 10mg version and normal dose is 1/4 tab BID, up to 1/2 tab if things are bad. Meeko is on the higher dose. The Pepsid we can get in UK Is NOT safe


Hi and thanx for that PP, but now I'm REALLY CONFUSED.  

Do you know the exact difference between the Famotidine [Pepcid] we can get in UK and the one you link above. Is there something added to the human one that's not safe for kitties?

And where's the one that Meeko's on come from?

This one ships from the US so how do I know if its ok or not?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pepcid-Redu...TF8&qid=1372507026&sr=8-2&keywords=famotidine

Lots of folk on the Yahoo Group regularly use Pepcid AC for their cats and they're mainly in the US.

I've asked the vet to try to find out what, if any, is the difference is between the one for cats and that for humans. But the thing is that my vet maintains its not approved for cat so any prescription would be 'off label/licence use' anyway.

Kath


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

buffie said:


> Thanks for the info PP's
> Meeko is on 1/4 20mg tab once a day , is that not the same as 1/4 10mg BID ?
> I thought he was on the usual dose.


Sorry, I did not register that he was on that dose once a day not twice.


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## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

Hi all, 
I think I've got some clarity on this now 
A google brought up an old thread from 2007 MSE 

"Pepcid AC (famotidine 10mg) is no longer available in the UK, it was up until about a year ago but they discontinued it and replaced it with Pepcid Two which is NOT suitable for cats. You can still get famotidine 20mg from the pharmacist but oddly it requires a prescription wheras the 10mg version didn't."

So it looks like its either import the 10mg Pepcid AC from USA/Canada 
OR get a vet prescription for 20gm Famotidine tabs and have this filled by Boots or other pharmacy.

Phew ... why is everything so complicated .. why can't Sally just take the Slippery Elm? :yesnod: :ciappa:

Thanx for drawing my attention to this anomaly.
Kath


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Boots do Famotidine tablets so why not just go there. Pepcid is just a brand name and it may have something added which is a problem so go for the generic pill. Chances are it's cheaper.


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## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

havoc said:


> Boots do Famotidine tablets so why not just go there. Pepcid is just a brand name and it may have something added which is a problem so go for the generic pill. Chances are it's cheaper.


Thanx havoc, I've just rung Boots and they do stock the 20 and 40mg Pepcid/Famotindine and it is a Prescription Only Med so looks like this is the way to go other than importing 

Kath


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

KathinUK said:


> Thanx havoc, I've just rung Boots and they do stock the 20 and 40mg Pepcid/Famotindine and it is a Prescription Only Med so looks like this is the way to go other than importing
> 
> Kath


Have you asked your insurer whether they would pay for Famotidine, Pet Plan certainly does when bought straight from the vets not sure where they would stand if it were bought via prescription from a chemist though.


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## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

buffie said:


> Have you asked your insurer whether they would pay for Famotidine, Pet Plan certainly does when bought straight from the vets not sure where they would stand if it were bought via prescription from a chemist though.


They probably would buffie - at least for the vets prescription charge. 
And now that we've at long last got the sublingual b12 and metoclopramide syrup I don't feel quite so helpless .
Kath


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Kath, a few yrs ago when my senior cat (RIP) was ill with acid-related problems the vet prescribed him Zantac (ranitidine) which as you may know is also an H-2 Receptor Antagonist like Famotidine.

At the time Zantac was much easier to get hold of than Famotidine, and could even be bought OTC at pharmacies. I am not sure if this is still the case....

I believe Zantac is as well tolerated as Famotidine, though I have taken both myself in the past, and got on better with Famotidine than ranitidine, in terms of fewer side effects.

Unfortunately after taking it for about 6 mths I was unlucky enough to develop a number of food allergies, which I have never got over. There is known to be an increased risk of this happening because the drug suppresses the acid-mediated breakdown of proteins, causing undigested proteins to pass into the gastrointestinal tract resulting in sensitisation. But if the patient (cat or human) is very ill and needs the drug it's a question of weighing up the benefit against the risks. 

Here is a PubMed abstract of a comparison between Famotidine, ranitidine and cimetidine. The first 2 seem very similar but Famotidine is a more powerful drug than ranitidine.

Comparison of famotidine with cimetidine and rani... [Clin Pharm. 1988] - PubMed - NCBI


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## Tao2 (Sep 9, 2012)

Mittens is on famotidine, 1 quarter of a 20mg tab once a day like Meeko, but vet advises at least one day off every 7 days. I know Meeko is on it constantly with no problems, suspect time off is related to her liver problems. Vet supplies it. It has been fantastic so far, no more vomiting or 'sick lick'.


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## Tessah (Jun 19, 2013)

Personally if not getting from vet I would not get from pharmacy eg in Canada I worry about the issue of counterfeit meds which currently is fairly common I would go to uk based pharmacy or uk based online store as hopefully you should get the real thing

Also Tablets which are not scored are not designed to be split as there is no guarantee that the split portions contain equal amount of ingredients....if you have no other choice then it is your only option but it may be a reason why sometimes you have better days than others


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Tao2 said:


> Mittens is on famotidine, 1 quarter of a 20mg tab once a day like Meeko, *but vet advises at least one day off every 7 days*. I know Meeko is on it constantly with no problems, suspect time off is related to her liver problems. Vet supplies it. It has been fantastic so far, no more vomiting or 'sick lick'.


Interesting ,does this make any difference to it preventing her vomiting ?


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## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

chillminx said:


> Kath, a few yrs ago when my senior cat (RIP) was ill with acid-related problems the vet prescribed him Zantac (ranitidine) which as you may know is also an H-2 Receptor Antagonist like Famotidine.
> 
> At the time Zantac was much easier to get hold of than Famotidine, and could even be bought OTC at pharmacies. I am not sure if this is still the case....
> 
> ...


Chillminx thank you so very much for the timely reminder of why I'm uncomfortable with allopathic drugs :ciappa: :ciappa:
I almost forgot my 'herbal roots' in my desperation to get Sally eating again. 

Its saddening to hear you developed food allergies through using this drug - have you tried using digestive enzymes? At the mo I have some new ones from the US called Enzymatica Gold which were recommended by someone on one of my other Listserves.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=enzymatica+gold

The plan wasn't for a regular dose of Fm but just to avert potential crises developing whereby she has to be admitted to hospital.

I can't quite remember where but am sure I read somewhere that Zantac isn't safe for cats - need to do a google on that. 
Phew .. so many things to consider :001_wub:

Thanx again
Kath


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

KathinUK said:


> Chillminx thank you so very much for the timely reminder of why I'm uncomfortable with allopathic drugs :ciappa: :ciappa:
> I almost forgot my 'herbal roots' in my desperation to get Sally eating again.
> 
> The plan wasn't for a regular dose of Fm but just to avert potential crises developing whereby she has to be admitted to hospital.
> ...


Yes Kath, chillminx has made a very important point but I do think we all need to weigh up the situation and use these drugs only when necessary.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

KathinUK said:


> > have you tried using digestive enzymes?
> 
> 
> Many thanks for the suggestion Kath. Being keen on natural & herbal medicine myself I tried every kind of enzyme, including ones I imported from the States, of which Enzymatica Gold (or a very similar name) was one.
> ...


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## Tao2 (Sep 9, 2012)

buffie said:


> Interesting ,does this make any difference to it preventing her vomiting ?


Mixed results really Buffie. Sometimes when she has a break from famotidine she starts being nauseous straight away, sometimes no sign of nausea at all.:smile5:


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Tao2 said:


> Mixed results really Buffie. Sometimes when she has a break from famotidine she starts being nauseous straight away, sometimes no sign of nausea at all.:smile5:


As you have said it may be because of Mittens liver problems that the vet suggests a break,I asked my vet about having a day or 2 off the drug from time to time and he didn't think it was a good idea .
We will be due to go back for a check up in a month ,so will see what he suggests re whether to continue or try a break again although the last time we stopped it he started being sick within a few days


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## KathinUK (Apr 7, 2013)

Hi All, Just by way of update.

Our holistic vet is making up a herbal tincture to address Sally's nausea issue which she's putting in the post for us. Her practice is quite a trek from here. 

I feel so much more comfortable with this than the allo route. I also recognise that there are times when something is needed fast and allo's do tend to work faster ... in the short term .... and allo vets live much closer to us. :mellow:

Thanx everyone for your imput .. I feel much the wiser now 

Kath


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