Your horse with equine Cushing’s disease (aka Par Pituitary Intermedia Dysfunction or PPID) has been getting compounded pergolide (aka permax) from Haymarket Veterinary Service. Prascend is a new formulation of the same medication. The great advantage of Prascend over the compounded pergolide (permax) that we used in recent years is that Prascend is an FDA approved drug for horses with equine Cushing’s disease (aka PPID). This gives a greater reassurance of effectiveness, quality, safety and correct dosing. We are excited to have this new medication available!
In the past we have provided compounded pergolide for your horse, because there was no FDA approved equivalent medication available in the USA. However, now that there is an FDA tested and approved product available, we are legally required to use that product instead of the compounded medication. While we did our best to find the best quality and most stable formulations possible, in several studies compounded pergolide has been found to be less stable, and to have widely varying dosages. This is unlikely to be a problem with Prascend.
If your horse has been getting 2 mg (or more) of the old medication, the makers of Prascend recommend decreasing to 1 mg and retesting your horse a few weeks later. This recommendation is based on many studies showing that compounded pergolide often is not as strong or as consistent as FDA approved medications must be. If you are interested in trying a decreased dose on your horse, please consult with us first! There are both risks and benefits to trying the lower dose. We will help you make this decision on a case by case basis.
As you read the Prascend brochure, you will see mentions of side effects, such as poor appetite. There is no increase in risk for this or any other side effects compared to the medication your horse has already been taking, so please do not worry as you transition to the new medication.
The only bad news is that this medication will be a little more expensive than the old capsules. For legal and ethical reasons, the compounded capsules will not be something we will restock after the new medication is available.
Please feel to contact us with any questions or concerns. If you have any feed back on how your horse likes the new medication, or need tips for dosing, please let us know!
