Long term side effects of Bethanecol Chloride and Doxazosin?

For those seeking advice on caring for incontinent pets and animals with kidney-related problems.
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drakonka
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Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 11:19 am

Long term side effects of Bethanecol Chloride and Doxazosin?

Post by drakonka »

A couple of months ago I had a thread in the Emergency section, about our Maine Coon kitten who couldn't pee and had been in hospital for weeks. Nobody had been able to express him at the 3 hospitals he was in and we haven't either. They found a stricture during a bladder biopsy and did a perineal urethrostomy, but afterwards in the hospital he was still not peeing. The vets said they did everything they could and he was sent home to be put to sleep, but miraculously peed the next morning, the day he was to be euthanized. He still hasn't fully recovered and is on constant watch, but seems happy and active otherwise (except the last day, when he's been constipated and has developed what we suspect is a bout of cystitis - he's been to the vet who has given him and enema and prescribed further laxatives*).

Anyway, my main question is about the long term side effects of Behanecol Chloride and Doxazosin. He is still on both of these twice a day, 7am and 7pm. Each time he gets 1/2 5mg pill of Bethanecol Chloride (under the name Myocholine) and 3/4 4mg pill of Doxazosin (under the name Alfadil). He is on much less medication than he used to be, but we can't seem to lower it any further at this time. When we go down to 1/4 BC instead of 1/2 in one of the daily doses his peeing slows down greatly and then goes back down to 24 hours at varying times. We are afraid to risk it slowing down further and put the dose back up. It's been a few months and it seems that he may need to be on this medication for a long time, if not the rest of his life.

The vet has said that no studies have really been done on the long term effects of Myocholine or Alfadil because usually cats need it over the short term and then stop. I'm wondering if anyone here has had their cats on one or both of these medications for months or years at a time, and what side effects your cat has experienced that we should maybe watch out for.

(*For the constipation we have been prescribed 2mg Lactulose twice daily and we are also trying out Cystease in pill form for the cystitis. At the vet yesterday they thought his problem was constipation, but this morning he has also been going to the box quite frequently (it seems to have slowed down now) and only getting a little bit of pee out. We were worried about stricture or infection, so if this continues we will take him back to the vet. He DOES also tend to get small pees out before trying to poop, which is why it might also still be constipation-related.)

Thank you in advance for any advice or sharing your experience with these medications.
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critters
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Re: Long term side effects of Bethanecol Chloride and Doxazo

Post by critters »

Buddy didn't take Beth. long-term because it increased the spasticity of his bladder so much that I couldn't express him; he was on PBZ for months instead. SO...No help here, I'm afraid.
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