How will I know when I need to increase the Cabergoline?

Discussion in 'Acromegaly / IAA / Cushings Cats' started by Suzanne & Darcy, Mar 22, 2021.

  1. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    How do you know?
     
  2. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    I wouod wait at lease a month. What dose (mcg/kg) is Darcy on now?
    My Snuffles has been on it for three monts at dose of 10mcg/kg and it seems to be helping getting more consistant, lower BGs. I get PS BG in the low 100's with a few in the 90's.He is currently on 5 units Levemir and 9 units N.
     
  3. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    Oh, I forgot to answer about the dose. He is getting 80 mcg per day. He is about 17 lbs.
     
  4. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    That's about 10mcg/kg.

    I wouod wait unitl at least two weeks on Levemir before considering upping cabergoline.
     
    Suzanne & Darcy likes this.
  5. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    Thanks. Does your Snuffles have any of the classic acro symptoms?
     
  6. Howiesmom

    Howiesmom Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2020
    I increased from .6 mL to .9mL after consulting with my vet after about 24 days. My vet said that after reading the research from Dr. Niessen from RVC, he recommends going to higher doses right away. As my vet said, 10 mcg/kg is on the lower end of the high end so we went from 60 mcg daily to 90 mcg daily. He’s been on cabergoline for 48 days (24 days at the higher dose) and I don’t think I’m seeing any results yet.
     
  7. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    Darcy is getting 80 mcg daily. I think it's starting to help with the BG? Is it also supposed to help alleviate the other symptoms/problems associated with Acromegaly? Will it slow down or stop the excess growth of bones/englargement of organs and other damage done by the excess of growth hormone? Has it been measured that it reduces the growth hormone? Does anyone know? Of course, I imagine that if you tested IGF-1 on any given day, you would get a different number, but it seems like the number should be lower if the Cabergoline acts on the pituitary gland to reduce IGF-1. @Wendy&Neko Is there anywhere I can read about this? Thanks!
     
  8. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    [QUOTE="My vet said that after reading the research from Dr. Niessen from RVC, he recommends going to higher doses right away. [/QUOTE]
    Is there anywhere we can access this research from Dr. Niessen?
     
  9. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Just increased body weight (hen I pick him up to test he his hefty and not fat), a broadened face, maybe enlarged feet but hard to tell since he is front dclaw, protrusion of the mandible (prognathia inferior), increased interdental spacing, and a poor coat
     
  10. Howiesmom

    Howiesmom Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2020
    Is there anywhere we can access this research from Dr. Niessen?[/QUOTE]
    @Wendy&Neko i think has links to some of the research. My vet read quite a bit of Dr. Niessen’s work on his professional research listservs/forums. I’m not sure if it is the same that has been posted on here or not.
     
  11. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    I've seen a couple copies of the RVC research - this post has the link to one of them. RVC started out at 5mcg/kg as the lower end, then upped it to 10 mcg/kg and said you could start with the higher amount 10 mcg/kg.
     
    Suzanne & Darcy likes this.
  12. Howiesmom

    Howiesmom Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2020
    Thanks, Wendy! My vet had seen that you could go 10-15mcg/kg so that is why we increased Howie up to .9 mL. I’m not sure what research he had seen that in.
     
  13. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    How much does Howie weigh?
     
  14. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    If those are starting dose ranges, I wonder what the upper limit is? I’m just curious. It seems like a lot of trial and error. I need to re-read old posts or check back with @Olive & Paula about what dose she finally ended up giving Olive.
     
  15. Howiesmom

    Howiesmom Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2020
    He weighs about 12 pounds
     
    Suzanne & Darcy likes this.
  16. Olive & Paula

    Olive & Paula Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2015
    Never saw the tag. I never based the cabergoline dose on Ollie's glucose or insulin dose. Ollie started at 0.6 ml and ended on 0.84 ml. I don't think it was much of a change for the almost 2 yrs and 9 months she was on it.
     
  17. Suzanne & Darcy

    Suzanne & Darcy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    Oh, I thought you increased her dose based on her symptoms. I guess the .84 dose worked to control her symptoms like stridor, sensitivity to light, etc? What else did she have as a result of the acro? Did she get arthritis?
     
  18. Olive & Paula

    Olive & Paula Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2015
    I increased cabergoline based on symptoms, mostly the stridor. No Dr ever mentioned arthritis. But she did have pain down her back, if she sat in was on a hip (like a dog), she normally laid on her side or belly up. She did have issues walking that was not neuropathy. She was very calculated with her steps. It hurt her to walk, whether it was arthritis or bone growth I don't know. Cabergoline helped resolve all that.
     
    Suzanne & Darcy likes this.

Share This Page