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Hydroxyzine safe for long term use?



 
 
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Old January 27th 05, 06:16 PM
Mary W.
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Default Hydroxyzine safe for long term use?

Hi all...

Bonnie is a 30 pound, border collie mix (~7 years old). In the past
she's always been a bit itchy in the fall and in the spring
(we live in Atlanta, lots of pollen!). This past year or so, her
itchiness has not improved with the seasons. We are pretty sure
she's allergic to fleas, and use frontline to control them. We
have not found a flea on her in a very long time.

We have switched her food from Canidae to Solid gold to see if that
improved her itchiness. It didn't help any (although her weight is
easier to maintain on the solid gold). We have tried maintenance
doses of benadryl, but that doesn't help. At our last vet visit
(we took her in because she'd chewed up her belly and seemed to
be itching all the time), we did a course of steroids (which our vet
is very hesitant to do), to get the itching under control and
now have her on hydroxyzine. In the past, I didn't like the hydroxyzine
because it made her sleepy. It turns out she was taking 50 mg tablets.
We now have her on 25 mg tablets 3 times a day and she has completely
stopped itching and doesn't seem groggy at all.

So the hydroxyzine seems to be working well. We've just gotten a
refill from the vet and will see how she does in the next couple
of weeks. I'll then make an appointment to discuss long term
options with the vet.

My question is whether long time hydroxyzine use is a good option
for her. We've talked to the vet in the past about allergy testing
and have gotten really mixed suggestions depending on which vet
we are talking to. It seems like sometimes they suggest it, then
other times they say it usually doesn't tell you anything. Any
thoughts on that? The last vet we saw said that if they determine
what the allergy is, they can do desensitization shots. She also
said all this is pretty expensive. Additionally, to do the testing
the dog has to go off the antihistamines for a while (a couple of
weeks?), and I could see Bonnie really getting itchy again if we
did that.

Suggestions? Thanks!

Mary
  #2  
Old January 28th 05, 01:54 AM
culprit
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"Mary W." wrote in message
...


My question is whether long time hydroxyzine use is a good option
for her. We've talked to the vet in the past about allergy testing
and have gotten really mixed suggestions depending on which vet
we are talking to. It seems like sometimes they suggest it, then
other times they say it usually doesn't tell you anything. Any
thoughts on that? The last vet we saw said that if they determine
what the allergy is, they can do desensitization shots. She also
said all this is pretty expensive. Additionally, to do the testing
the dog has to go off the antihistamines for a while (a couple of
weeks?), and I could see Bonnie really getting itchy again if we
did that.


do you mean is it harmful to use long term? no. i've used it as a sleep
aid for years with no problems. my fiancé has used it as an antihistamine
for a long time as well. it's a fairly benign medication, just be sure
she's drinking enough water and getting enough fiber (it can cause
dehydration and constipation). it's certainly something i'd be comfortable
giving to my dogs, providing they tolerated it well, which yours seems to.

YMMV, of course.

-kelly


 




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