Epirepress
Active substance
ATC code
Species
Dog
Indications
Prevention of seizures due to generalised epilepsy in dogs.
Dose to be administered and administration route
The required dosage will differ to some extent between individuals and with the nature and severity of the disorder.
Administration route
Only intended for oral administration in dogs.
Amount to be administered
The recommended starting dose is 2.5 mg phenobarbital per kg body weight, administered twice daily. Any adjustments to this dose are best made on the basis of clinical efficacy, blood concentrations and the occurrence of undesired effects. The phenobarbital serum concentration considered to be therapeutically active is between 20-40 μg/ml.
Steady state serum concentrations are not reached until 1-2 weeks after treatment is initiated. The full effect of the medication occurs approximately after 2 weeks, and doses should not be increased during this time.
The phenobarbital serum concentration may be checked after steady state has been achieved. If it is less than 20 μg/ml and/or seizures are not being controlled, the dosage may be increased by 20 % at a time, with associated monitoring of serum phenobarbital levels. If seizures recur, the dose may be increased to a maximum serum concentration of 40 μg/ml. High plasma concentrations may be associated with hepatotoxicity.
The tablets can be divided into halves or quarters to ensure accurate dosing.
Epirepress tablets can be quartered by pressing on the flat, scored upper side of the tablet with a finger or thumb. The domed, scored lower side of the tablet should be on a firm surface.
Adverse reactions
Ataxia, somnolence, listlessness and dizziness may occur very rarely at the start of treatment. In some cases, these effects may persist for the entire duration of treatment.
A paradoxical hyperexcitability may occur very rarely, particularly after first starting therapy. As this hyperexcitability is not linked to overdosage, no reduction of dosage is needed.
Polyuria, polydipsia and polyphagia may occur very rarely at average or higher therapeutically active serum concentrations, but these effects are usually transient and disappear with continued medication.
Sedation and ataxia may very rarely become significant concerns as serum levels reach the higher end of the therapeutic range.
Hepatotoxicity may develop very rarely associated with high plasma concentrations (> 35-40 µg/ml).
Treating dogs with phenobarbital may lower their total thyroxine levels (TT4) or free thyroxine levels (FT4); however, this may not be an indication of hypothyroidism. Treatment with thyroid hormone replacement should only be started if there are clinical signs of the disease.
Phenobarbital can have deleterious effects on stem cells from bone marrow. Consequences are immunotoxic pancytopenia and/or neutropenia. These reactions disappear after cessation of treatment.
Superficial necrolytic dermatitis may occur after administration of phenobarbital.
If adverse reactions are severe, the administered dose should be decreased.
The frequency of adverse reactions is defined using the following convention:
- very common (more than 1 in 10 animals treated displaying adverse reaction(s))
- common (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 100 animals treated)
- uncommon (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 1,000 animals treated)
- rare (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 10,000 animals treated)
- very rare (less than 1 animal in 10,000 animals treated, including isolated reports)
Similar products
Showing 3 of 3 results
Epirepress
Epirepress
