Hi.  I posted a bit ago asking for less costly sources of Proglycem.  I
have found one; the pharmacy compounds the diazoxide from a generic
powder at 50 mg/ml at a reasonable price.  In the past we have used the
commercial brand, which fillers include alcohol (though we checked into
these and decided it was okay to use).  The suspension seems to be better
tolerated.
 
Our vet and we had decided to try and help our 7 3/4 -year-old Minnie lose
weight by cutting back on pediapred and adding diazoxide.  The result is
wonderful!  Minnie has lost eight ounces and is acting herself again, not
just eating and waddling off to sleep.  She even stashes raisins!  She can
walk much better.  The process has not all been a bed of roses, though.
At first we tried to wean her off the pediapred, very slowly, as we raised
the dose of diazoxide.  First I noticed her drinking less, then she became
anorexic.  This was about the time she was nearly weaned from pred so I
don't know if it was withdrawal from the steroid or the diazoxide.  In any
case with a little experimentation we hit upon a good balance of pediapred
and diazoxide dose, one that keeps here lapping up her chicken soup, but
not gaining weight from the pediapred.  She is on the low end dose of both
diazoxide and pediapred, which combined are about where she was at with
the pediapred alone.
 
The weight issue is extremely important with her as she has has a heart
murmur (rated 3 on a scale of 6; recently rated 5!) since birth.  She is
a runt who weighed 1 lb.  4-5 oz.  all her life, winter or spring, then
jettisoned up to 2 lbs.  2 oz.  after a few months on pediapred.  she is
now at 1 lb.  12 oz.  and looks and walks much better.  At the high end of
weight she was needing a dose of lasix once a week, which she no longer
needs (not sure if this was straight bronchitis though, rather than heart
overload; x-rays indicated bronchitis but coughing could have been caused
by heart or bronchitis; coughing has cleared up so we haven't gone to
ultrasound).
 
What I have learned is that diazoxide, like Lysodren in the days before
Lupron with adrenal disease, is a drug which doseage needs to be monitored
very carefully (at least with ferrets sesitive to it) and adjusted in
relationship to side effects.  With Lysodren, not used much anymore for
adrenal disease, we used pulsed doses and stopped administration
immediately upon side effects.  With Proglcyem I watch for anorexia and
balance the dose with pediapred.
 
Anyway, I know that some ferrets have extreme reactions to Proglycem and
cannot take it but just wanted to relate our story with a ferret who can
tolerate it but with very careful, monitored doseage.  Of course, I would
prefer to have gotten her surgery for the insulinoma (diagnosed a year
ago) but between her heart murmur and age we decided to treat her
medically.
 
Lynn McIntosh <[log in to unmask]>
[Posted in FML issue 3732]