Posted by: Ruby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
New Drugs Available: DORMITOR (medetomide) AND ANTISEDAN
(atipamozole)
Dr. Lee Morgan
Dormitor is a new injectable alpha-2 agonist being
marketed by Pfizer. The
drug is used as a sedative-analgesic. According to
Pfizer, Dormitor is a more
selective, and thus more effective, alpha-2
agonist than older alpha-2 agonists,
such as xylazine. Dormitor can be given IV or IM,
with IV route giving a more
rapid response (3-5 minutes vs. 5-10 minutes for
IM administration). The
sedative effect of Dormitor is about 3 hours, with
the analgesic effects being
about 90 minutes.
Antisedan, an alpha-2 antagonist, competitively
inhibits medetomidine and
provides a rapid, predictable reversal of
Dormitor. Generally, reversal occurs
within 5-10 minutes of administration of
Antisedan. Side effects of Dormitor
include bradycardia, peripheral vasoconstriction,
and occasional vomiting.
We have used Dormitor/Antisedan or a limited basis
at SouthPaws. The drug
seems to be useful for minor diagnostic and
clinical procedures not requiring
general anesthesia, but where chemical restraint
would provide better control
than manual restraint and where fast recovery
times are wanted. Typically, this
includes bandage changes, oral exams, skin testing
and such. We avoid the
bradycardia side effect by adding a small amount
of glycopyrrolate to the
Dormitor upon administration. Pfizer suggests that
Dormitor be avoided in the
face of renal, cardiac, or liver disease or in
other severely debilitated dogs.
--
RUBY, the incomparable ladyR & the "O"
Florida http://www.danebytes.com/ruby
"Every Dane is a Masterpiece"
Remedy Village (human) http://www.lifebytes.net/remedyvillage
