leftover dog medication (how much, vet, prescription, infection)
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I hope I can post this here for some suggestions. I do understand there are FDA rules governing returning prescription medications. No one will touch them. Not the vet (who prescribed them) nor the pharmacy that filled the prescription, but I am left holding an unopened box of Cyclosporine. My dog was prescribed this medication for a trigeminal nerve issue which appeared to resolve more quickly than expected. 2 boxes of 30 capsules. Cost me $300. At the follow up, the vet told me to discontinue that medication (I was flabbergasted!!! and she winced when I told her how much it was....) and follow another course. I have 1/2 a box of the 1st box and a completely unopened second box of this medication.
I don't know what to do with it. I can't post anywhere to try to get it to someone who maybe has a dog taking this medication. Anyone have any suggestions?
For now, we are going to hang on to it (cause what else can I do?) in case the condition returns. It doesn't expire til next year.
Mod: Not sure I am violating any rule here. Only looking for suggestions.
One lesson: If you find out a particular medication is going to cost a fortune, see if you can get less of it to start and refill as or if needed. I wish I would have considered this. Vet just shrugs her shoulders. She's fantastic but disconnected from my dilemma.
I hope I can post this here for some suggestions. I do understand there are FDA rules governing returning prescription medications. No one will touch them. Not the vet (who prescribed them) nor the pharmacy that filled the prescription, but I am left holding an unopened box of Cyclosporine. My dog was prescribed this medication for a trigeminal nerve issue which appeared to resolve more quickly than expected. 2 boxes of 30 capsules. Cost me $300. At the follow up, the vet told me to discontinue that medication (I was flabbergasted!!! and she winced when I told her how much it was....) and follow another course. I have 1/2 a box of the 1st box and a completely unopened second box of this medication.
I don't know what to do with it. I can't post anywhere to try to get it to someone who maybe has a dog taking this medication but I can't say for sure. Anyone have any suggestions?
For now, we are going to hang on to it (cause what else can I do?) in case the condition returns. It doesn't expire til next year.
Mod: Not sure I am violating any rule here. Only looking for suggestions.
One lesson: If you find out a particular medication is going to cost a fortune, see if you can get less of it to start and refill as or if needed. I wish I would have considered this. Vet just shrugs her shoulders. She's fantastic but disconnected from my dilemma.
I volunteered at our local Humane Society and I believe the veterinary department of the facility took donated medications but I can't say for sure. In the adoptions area, where I worked, we told people who wanted to donate meds to go to the vet area and they would know what to do.
If it's a controlled substance there's probably a lot more red tape or maybe they won't accept it at all - I just don't know - but your local shelter would be the first place I would contact. Good luck! There are people out there who euthanize their beloved pets because they can't afford medications.
Years ago when one of our dogs was diagnosed with diabetes requiring two shots of insulin per day and regular blood work I learned that when the diagnosis is made so many people opt to euthanize because of the ongoing cost. It was expensive but worth every penny but we were in a position where we were able to easily afford it. It has to be heartbreaking to love an animal so much but know that the cost is impossible to carry. In some places, there are organizations that fundraise specifically to help owners with the cost of meds so they can continue to care for their beloved pets.
I have to go off track here with a great story that's related to the post. In an area where I used to live, an elderly couple had a dog that was diagnosed with diabetes. They could afford the meds but just could not do the injections. A call went out to the local volunteers and within a day there were volunteers lined up to go to the owners' home to do the twice daily injections. A schedule was coordinated for the morning shot and the evening shot. It was a very beautiful thing.
I volunteered at our local Humane Society and I believe the veterinary department of the facility took donated medications but I can't say for sure. In the adoptions area, where I worked, we told people who wanted to donate meds to go to the vet area and they would know what to do.
If it's a controlled substance there's probably a lot more red tape or maybe they won't accept it at all - I just don't know - but your local shelter would be the first place I would contact. Good luck! There are people out there who euthanize their beloved pets because they can't afford medications.
Years ago when one of our dogs was diagnosed with diabetes requiring two shots of insulin per day and regular blood work I learned that when the diagnosis is made so many people opt to euthanize because of the ongoing cost. It was expensive but worth every penny but we were in a position where we were able to easily afford it. It has to be heartbreaking to love an animal so much but know that the cost is impossible to carry. In some places, there are organizations that fundraise specifically to help owners with the cost of meds so they can continue to care for their beloved pets.
I have to go off track here with a great story that's related to the post. In an area where I used to live, an elderly couple had a dog that was diagnosed with diabetes. They could afford the meds but just could not do the injections. A call went out to the local volunteers and within a day there were volunteers lined up to go to the owners' home to do the twice daily injections. A schedule was coordinated for the morning shot and the evening shot. It was a very beautiful thing.
I love that story!!! and indeed, I cannot imagine euthanizing a companion animal because you couldn't afford medical care. This time around, we do have pet insurance (thank God).
Thank you so much for the suggestion of contacting the veterinary department at a Humane Society! No one has suggested this yet. I'll let you know what comes of that.
Like I said, I completely understand controlled substance issues, but an unopened and hermetically sealed package of expensive meds .....I should be able to give that to someone.
My personal story: I'll keep it short. We had another dog who had some unknown infection in one of his thighs....they could never figure out what it was and even went with a surgical procedure to root around. They cured him with medications, ultimately, but when my husband go to $6K I said, how far are we going to go with this and he said until I know we've done everything we can for him. Ringo lived for several more years after that. After that set of dogs, we said we'd never get another dog (I can only go through so many nervous breakdowns over my beloved pets) and then when we did get our current dog, pet insurance was the first thing we did.
I hope I can post this here for some suggestions. I do understand there are FDA rules governing returning prescription medications. No one will touch them. Not the vet (who prescribed them) nor the pharmacy that filled the prescription, but I am left holding an unopened box of Cyclosporine. My dog was prescribed this medication for a trigeminal nerve issue which appeared to resolve more quickly than expected. 2 boxes of 30 capsules. Cost me $300. At the follow up, the vet told me to discontinue that medication (I was flabbergasted!!! and she winced when I told her how much it was....) and follow another course. I have 1/2 a box of the 1st box and a completely unopened second box of this medication.
I don't know what to do with it. I can't post anywhere to try to get it to someone who maybe has a dog taking this medication. Anyone have any suggestions?
For now, we are going to hang on to it (cause what else can I do?) in case the condition returns. It doesn't expire til next year.
Mod: Not sure I am violating any rule here. Only looking for suggestions.
One lesson: If you find out a particular medication is going to cost a fortune, see if you can get less of it to start and refill as or if needed. I wish I would have considered this. Vet just shrugs her shoulders. She's fantastic but disconnected from my dilemma.
Some pharmacies do have safe disposal for medications. You might need to call around because not all do. When my father passed he left a huge amount of prescription medications. I was able to find a Meijer that had a disposal program where I dropped off the majority of them. By the time I got back to the state I was then living I realized I still had a couple bottles so I found a CVS that had a disposal program. In each case it was simple - there was a bin about 4 feet tall near the pharmacy counter that you could drop the medications in. But you do need to call around - even though I found a CVS that did disposal not even all CVSs do it.
I love that story!!! and indeed, I cannot imagine euthanizing a companion animal because you couldn't afford medical care. This time around, we do have pet insurance (thank God).
Thank you so much for the suggestion of contacting the veterinary department at a Humane Society! No one has suggested this yet. I'll let you know what comes of that.
Like I said, I completely understand controlled substance issues, but an unopened and hermetically sealed package of expensive meds .....I should be able to give that to someone.
My personal story: I'll keep it short. We had another dog who had some unknown infection in one of his thighs....they could never figure out what it was and even went with a surgical procedure to root around. They cured him with medications, ultimately, but when my husband go to $6K I said, how far are we going to go with this and he said until I know we've done everything we can for him. Ringo lived for several more years after that. After that set of dogs, we said we'd never get another dog (I can only go through so many nervous breakdowns over my beloved pets) and then when we did get our current dog, pet insurance was the first thing we did.
Your husband's a gem
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