Telmisartan for Cats: Overview, Dosage & Aspect Results

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Telmisartan is a drugs that helps decrease blood strain when it’s abnormally excessive, which is known as hypertension. Hypertension generally is a very harmful well being situation and treating it successfully is essential. Learn additional to study extra about telmisartan and the way it’s used for hypertensive cats.

Telmisartan for Cats Overview

Treatment Sort:

Angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), anti-hypertensive

Kind:

Liquid (FDA accredited model Semintra) and tablets

Prescription Required?:

Sure

FDA Permitted?:

Sure, however solely the liquid model Semintra

Life Stage:

Grownup and senior cats

Model Names:

Semintra, Micardis

Widespread Names:

Telmisartan

Accessible Dosages:

10mg/ml oral resolution (Semintra), 4mg/ml oral resolution (accessible outdoors the US); oral tablets in 20mg, 40mg, and 80mg dimension (Micardis and generic tablets)

About Telmisartan for Cats

Telmisartan is known as an angiotensin receptor blocker, or ARB. The upkeep and steadiness of blood strain is a really difficult collection of occasions and at all times being adjusted by a number of processes within the physique.

Telmisartan works by blocking a receptor known as angiotensin 1 (AT1), which results in dilation of blood vessels and adjustment in potassium and sodium ranges that result in decrease blood strain.

Telmisartan is taken into account more practical at lowering blood strain in cats in comparison with ACE inhibitors (ACEi) like benazepril. On common, it reduces blood strain by about 25 mmHg.

Hypertension, or systemic hypertension, is taken into account medically important at ranges at or exceeding 160 mmHg. A long-term examine evaluating hypertensive cats for six months discovered that telmisartan was very efficient at controlling blood strain constantly when beginning between 160 mmHg and 200 mmHg.

The examine didn’t embody cats with blood pressures exceeding 200 mmHg given security considerations for the placebo group of cats who weren’t receiving treatment. Nonetheless, the examine authors surmised that had these cats been included, telmisartan would have been as equally efficient.

Amlodipine is one other anti-hypertensive treatment that’s generally used for cats with hypertension. Amlodipine should still be a primary alternative by many veterinarians, particularly for very hypertensive cats, as it could be more practical total at lowering blood strain by about 30-50 mmHg.

There are some instances the place telmisartan could also be used rather than amlodipine or they might be used collectively. If amlodipine results in undesirable uncomfortable side effects, telmisartan would be the subsequent best option. In instances the place additional rising an amlodipine dose just isn’t desired, telmisartan could also be added.

Whereas hypertension secondary to kidney illness is extra frequent in canines, this can be seen in cats. Any blood strain treatment has the potential to worsen kidney illness however the capability for anti-hypertensives to scale back protein loss by the urine (proteinuria) can also be crucial. In these instances, it could be higher to steadiness decrease doses with two separate medicines (like pairing benazepril and telmisartan) than to make use of a really excessive dose of a single treatment.

Dosing Info for Cats

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Telmisartan is FDA accredited for treating feline hypertension beneath the model identify Semintra. It’s the solely treatment FDA accredited for cats for treating hypertension.

Semintra comes as a ten mg/ml oral resolution with its personal dosing syringe. A 4mg/ml telmisartan oral resolution (requiring a better quantity) is accessible outdoors of the USA.

Telmisartan does additionally are available an oral pill type. The commonest model identify is Micardis, with generics additionally accessible. This kind just isn’t FDA accredited to be used in cats however could also be chosen as an extra-label possibility by your vet relying on value and dosing strategies that work greatest to your kitty. Off-label use of medicines is quite common in veterinary drugs.

For Semintra, the FDA labeled dose is 1.5 mg/kg (0.68 mg/lb) by mouth each 12 hours for the primary 14 days, then elevated to 2mg/kg (0.91 mg/lb) as soon as day by day.

Blood strain treatment doses ought to solely be adjusted based mostly on recheck blood strain measurements along with your veterinarian. If blood strain is discovered to be too low throughout a recheck, the dose could also be decreased by 0.5 mg/kg (0.23 mg/lb) at a time.

The next desk offers approximate quantity doses for the ten mg/ml focus Semintra based mostly on 2.5 lb weight increments. The syringe Semintra comes with has quantity measurements in 0.1 ml quantities.

These quantity doses are designed to supply steering solely and shouldn’t be thought-about a substitute to your personal veterinarian’s dosing and directions. These weights could not match your individual cat’s weight precisely and actual dosing is essential. Dosing changes for blood strain treatment ought to solely be adjusted based mostly on recheck blood strain measurements. Doses ought to by no means be adjusted with out your veterinarian’s steering.

The way to Administer Telmisartan to Cats

Semintra, the FDA accredited type of telmisartan for cats, is a liquid treatment that may be given by syringe. Chris Vanderhoof / Cats.com

Semintra is an oral liquid. The FDA label signifies it could be given both straight by mouth or added on prime of a small quantity of meals (not blended in with meals). This technique of oral administration could also be simpler for a lot of cat homeowners, particularly if solely small volumes are wanted.

Generic telmisartan solely is available in a pill type. For extra assist in administering a capsule to your cat, see the next hyperlinks for how you can cover drugs in meals or administering a capsule straight by mouth.

Aspect Results of Telmisartan for Cats

Telmisartan is usually well-tolerated. In FDA subject research, essentially the most generally reported hostile occasions have been gastrointestinal-related, together with:

Weight reduction was additionally a typical discovering throughout research. It was extra frequent over the 6 month subject examine vs. the 30 day subject examine and will have been associated extra to different concurrent illness situations the predominantly aged cats had (reminiscent of power kidney illness).

Dehydration, decreased urge for food, and lethargy have been additionally present in each subject research in decrease percentages.

Hypotension (low blood strain) occurred in as much as 1 / 4 of sufferers, requiring a dosage adjustment.

Non-regenerative anemia (the place crimson blood cells will not be regenerating) was seen in 5-15% of cats within the research. Non-regenerative anemias are often extra gentle, don’t progress rapidly, are very non-specific and customary to see in cats secondary to many underlying illness situations.

Telmisartan shouldn’t be utilized in pregnant queens. Use in cats with important liver illness must be approached very cautiously with extra shut bloodwork monitoring.

Overdose and Emergencies

Little is understood about acute overdoses of telmisartan in cats, however hypotension (low blood strain) can be anticipated. A cat with an acute overdose could have the next look:

• torpid
• not serious about meals
• trembling
• vomiting

Over the long-term, in cats receiving 5 occasions the really useful dose (5mg/kg/day) the most typical results seen included:

• hypotension
• decreased crimson blood cell depend
• decreased meals consumption

When you suspect your cat obtained an overdose of telmisartan be sure to instantly contact a number of of the next for recommendation:

• Your veterinarian
• ASPCA Animal Poison Management Heart (1-888-426-4435)
• Pet Poison Helpline (1-855-764-7661)

Potential Drug Interactions With Telmisartan

There are a number of medicines that will work together with telmisartan. Except indicated, interactions don’t at all times imply these medicines can’t be used collectively, however could require dose adjustment or shut monitoring. That is very true when two blood strain medicines are used collectively to regulate hypertension.

• Ace Inhibitors (ACEi) (benazepril, enalapril): elevated threat for hypotension, kidney operate modifications, shut monitoring is warranted
• Aspirin: could cut back antihypertensive results and improve threat for kidney impairment
• Benzodiazepines (diazepam, alprazolam): could improve threat of hypotension
• Buspirone: could improve threat for hypotension
• Cabergoline: could improve threat for hypotension
• Corticosteroids: (prednisolone): could lower the antihypertensive results of angiotensin receptor blockers like telmisartan
• Dexmedetomidine: could lead to additive results on blood strain (will increase) and coronary heart price (decreases)
• Diazoxide: could improve threat for hypotension
• Dichlorphenamide: could improve threat for hypotension
• Digoxin: could improve digoxin ranges, requires shut monitoring
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl): could improve threat for hypotension
• Doxepin: could improve threat for hypotension
• Insulin: could improve threat for hypoglycemia
• Heparin (dalteparin, enoxaparin): could improve threat for elevated potassium ranges
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs) (meloxicam, Onsior): potential decreased antihypertensive results and elevated threat for kidney impairment. Elevated monitoring is warranted.
• Opioids (buprenorphine, tramadol): could improve threat for hypotension
• Potassium salts (potassium bromide): elevated threat for elevated potassium ranges, elevated monitoring is warranted.
• Potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone): elevated threat for greater potassium ranges, elevated monitoring is warranted.

The way to Retailer Telmisartan

Telmisartan resolution for cats (Semintra) must be saved at room temperature (at or beneath 77 levels F (25 levels C). Brief excursions as much as 107 levels F (40 levels C) are permitted.

The shelf life for Semintra is 6 months after the bottle is opened.

Generic telmisartan tablets could also be saved at room temperature as much as 86 levels F (30 levels C). If packaged in blister packs, they shouldn’t be eliminated till proper earlier than they’re given.