Adhesive Tape: I Need Some of Your Veterinary Medicine Skillz.

**mksnowboarder** · #1 01-26-2010, 09:06 PM

My kitten had her surgery today. As you suggested, she got stuck with bupe (shouldn't have let my girl and her dad be the ones to take her, I'd have bitched something major). At least there's no naloxone.

However, the amount of bupe is not mentioned on the syringes, which is kinda squirrelly to me, even if it's not for humans.

She got 3 1ml oral syringes. How much bupe is in 1ml of veterinary buprenorphine?

mike

**mksnowboarder** · #2 01-26-2010, 09:15 PM

Nevermind, it's Buprenex. 0.3mg/ml. Orally, that should provide pain relief for 24 hours, though, right?

The dosing guidelines I was reading say she should be getting injections 2-4x daily of up to .05mg. However, she's getting .3mg orally. Equipotent?

mike

adhesive tape · #3 01-26-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mksnowboarder

Nevermind, it's Buprenex. 0.3mg/ml. Orally, that should provide pain relief for 24 hours, though, right?

The dosing guidelines I was reading say she should be getting injections 2-4x daily of up to .05mg. However, she's getting .3mg orally. Equipotent?

mike

I know that at the place I used to work, they would prescribe two syringes with 1/2 the days dose; one to be given in the morning, one at night. I would split the doses in two, one in the morning and one at night. I've never heard of a kitten getting .3mg at any one time, and I've never heard of a one time only, 24 hour dose. Usually owners are given enough bupe for 4-5 days worth of doses, usually twice a day. I highly doubt those three syringes are expected to treat for 3 days, once a day. Perhaps the veterinary assistant/tech foolishly consolidated multiple days doses into three syringes?

You didn't get a bag with a prescription sticker on it (like the one's on medicine bottles) that the syringes came in? What dose was recommended by your vet? Sounds fishy to me...

**mksnowboarder** · #4 01-26-2010, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhesive tape

I know that at the place I used to work, they would prescribe two syringes with 1/2 the days dose; one to be given in the morning, one at night. I would split the doses in two, one in the morning and one at night. I've never heard of a kitten getting .3mg at any one time, and I've never heard of a one time only, 24 hour dose. Usually owners are given enough bupe for 4-5 days worth of doses, usually twice a day. I highly doubt those three syringes are expected to treat for 3 days, once a day. Perhaps the veterinary assistant/tech foolishly consolidated multiple days doses into three syringes?

You didn't get a bag with a prescription sticker on it (like the one's on medicine bottles) that the syringes came in? What dose was recommended by your vet? Sounds fishy to me...

It was my mistake on the dose. 1ml would be .3mg. This has 1/10th that amount (can't remember the name for the increments). So she's really getting .03mg once a day.

The sticker said it was buprenorphine and to give her it once daily, but didn't mention how much bupe that was.

I know suboxone's human users only usually dose once daily, and that the drug has a long half-life. Are the frequencies that you're talking about for IM/IV injection? I figure that might shorten the duration, but Muffy's taking it orally.

Think I should complain?

mike

adhesive tape · #5 01-26-2010, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mksnowboarder

It was my mistake on the dose. 1ml would be .3mg. This has 1/10th that amount (can't remember the name for the increments). So she's really getting .03mg once a day.

The sticker said it was buprenorphine and to give her it once daily, but didn't mention how much bupe that was.

I know suboxone's human users only usually dose once daily, and that the drug has a long half-life. Are the frequencies that you're talking about for IM/IV injection? I figure that might shorten the duration, but Muffy's taking it orally.

Think I should complain?

mike

.03mg a day sounds more accurate. If the sticker says once a day, then I guess its once a day. IIRC you have a kitten and she went in to be fixed? Because she is young and probably fairly small, that may be why her dose is only once a day. 1/10ml of solution sounds like a completely appropriate amount.

I was talking about oral dosages, maybe the doctor at the place I worked just did things differently. When visiting vets would come and work at my place, they would comment how at their clinic they don't dose the same way my boss did and vice-versa. There is a lot of variation in veterinary medicine and I don't really know the ins and outs of dosing cats.

My bet is that your doctor probably knows what he is doing, but I would deffinitely call. Voice your confusion, ask them why there is only one dose a day and complain a bit. Make them explain, people used to call and bitch at us all the time at my job, why shouldn't you? Bother them till you get the answers you're looking for, I'm sure you're paying a lot of money for your cat's health, you should get to ask as many questions as you want.