From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2005-05-06 15:13:00 UTC
Subject: Diazoxide (Proglycem); how to find compounding pharmacies; info on
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Cardiomyopathy and on Heart Block
Message-id: <D76F7B2B-1CC7-4330-AED1-4FBA7E997DE7@mac.com>
In the archives at
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
you will find past vet posts on Diazoxide (The non-generic which can
be harder to find and also can be more expensive is Proglycem.) We
get it compounded. Pharmacies which are used to doing compounding of
medications for ferrets can be found in the REFERENCE SHELF file in
FILES at
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
That is one of our most requested files among people who don't
realize that it is already there. Co-moderator and FHL librarian,
Pam Sessoms updates it as members let her know more information.
We personally have found very varied responses to Diazoxide among
ferrets. In some ferrets it didn't help at all, but for others it
had a strong effect. This was particularly good for Seven of Six
which was a blessing because her heart problem was not cardiomyopathy
but A/V Heart Node Block, a rare cardiac complication of
insulinoma. Prednisolone and Prednisone are not among the best drugs
for an animal with heart disease to have, but one or the other is
typically given with insulinoma, so you can see why this was a
concern especially when you read the File and posts on heart medical
problems.
Also in the FILES section are two compilations. One is on page 1 of
the Files and one is on page 2. (Look for the arrow that turns pages
to go back and forth.) These are a few years old so there is new
information in the Archives, but one way to get a LOT for info on
either is to read the compilations first and then go to the easily
searched COMPLETE FERRET HEALTH LIST ARCHIVES which is at a different
site:
http://fhl.sonic-ferret.org
(You can also link to that site by using the link on the FHL
Homepage, and the archives have a link back to the FHL.)
In Seven of Six's case her response to Diazoxide was so good that she
was able to actually have her Prednisolone reduced -- a very non-
typical strong response. This in part helped her go 9 good months
with Complete (Level 3) A/V Heart Node Block and insulinoma, a very
good result for that level of this heart disease.
For diazoxide I strongly recommend trying a short trial of a few
weeks with compounded Diazoxide to see if there is an effect before
deciding whether to buy a larger amount because it is expensive, but
a real treasure for those in whom it works.