Triamcinolone Acetonide 0.5mg (per tab) (Manufacturer may vary)

Triamcinolone is available by prescription only. Triamcinolone is a synthetic glucocorticoid. Triamcinolone is an anti-inflammatory used to treat contact allergic dermatitis, atopy, dry skin, crusting, scaling, lick granulomas, acute arthritis, and inflammatory eye diseases. Triamcinolone works by reducing the swelling of irritated areas.

Key Benefits

• Treats many different conditions
• Prevents inflammation, which can cause itchiness and other skin irritations

How It Works

Triamcinolone is a corticosteroid, which reduces swelling. It's used to treat many different conditions, including inflammation, and immune and allergic disorders.

Indications

Triamcinolone acetonide is a highly potent glucocorticoid effective in the treatment of inflammation andrelated disorders in dogs and cats. It is indicated in the management and treatment of acute arthritis andallergic and dermatologic disorders.

View Triamcinolone Acetonide Drug Facts Sheet.

The keystone of satisfactory therapeutic management with triamcinolone acetonide, as with othersteroids, is individualization of dosage in reference to the severity of the disease, the anticipatedduration of steroid therapy and the animal's threshold or tolerance for steroid excess. The prime objective of steroid therapy should be to achieve a satisfactory degree of control with a minimum effective dose.

The initial suppressive dose level of 0.5 -1.0 mg per 10 pounds of body weight daily should be administered until a satisfactory clinical response is obtained, a period not to exceed 14 days. If a satisfactory response is not obtained in 14 days, re-evaluation of the case to confirm the original diagnosis should be made. As soon as a satisfactory clinical response is obtained, the daily dose should be reduced gradually, either to termination of treatment in the case of acute conditions (e.g., seasonal asthma, dermatitis, acute ocular inflammations) or to the minimal effective maintenance dose level in the case of chronic conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis). Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency following withdrawal may persist for several days, weeks or years. Some cases have resulted in death. To minimize the adverse effects from withdrawal or reduction in dosage, cautiously decrease dosage in agradual manner. In dogs, dosing in the morning may also be beneficial in minimizing effects because nocturnal pituitary/adrenal activity will be less inhibited. In chronic conditions, and in rheumatoid arthritis especially, it is important that the reduction in dosage from initial to maintenance dose levels be accomplished slowly. The maintenance dose level should be adjusted from time to time as required by fluctuation in the activity of the disease and the animal's general status. Maintenance dosage levels of 0.125-0.25 mg per 10 pounds of body weight daily are recommended. Accumulated experience has shown that the long-term benefits to be gained from continued steroid maintenance are probably greater the lower the maintenance dose level. In rheumatoid arthritis in particular, maintenance steroid therapy should be at the lowest possible level.

Important:

In the therapeutic management of animals with chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, triamcinolone should be regarded as a highly valuable adjunct, to be used in conjunction withbut not as a replacement for standard therapeutic measures.

Caution:

Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.

Contraindications:

Do not use in viral infections. Except for emergency therapy, do not use in animals with tuberculosis, chronic nephritis, cushingoid syndrome and peptic ulcers. Existence of congestive heart failure, diabetes and osteoporosis are relative contraindications.

Warning:

Not for human use. Clinical and experimental data have demonstrated that corticosteroids administered orally or parenterally to animals may induce the first stage of parturition when administered during the last trimester of pregnancy and may precipitate premature parturition followed by dystocia, fetal death, retained placenta and metritis.

Additionally, corticosteroids administered to dogs, rabbits and rodents during pregnancy have produced left palate. Other congenital anomalies including deformed forelegs, phocomelia and anasarca have been reported in the offspring of dogs which received corticosteroids during pregnancy.

Precautions:

Because of its inhibitory effect on fibroplasia, triamcinolone may mask the signs of infection and enhance dissemination of the infecting organism. Hence, all animals receiving triamcinolone should be watched for evidence of intercurrent infection. Should infection occur, it must be brought under control by use of appropriate antibacterial measures or administration of triamcinolone should be discontinued.

Because this anti-inflammatory steroid manifests little sodium-retaining activity, the usual early sign of cortisone or hydrocortisone overdosage (i.e., increase in body weight due to fluid retention) is not a reliable index of overdosage. Hence, recommended dosage levels should not be exceeded, and all animals receiving triamcinolone acetonide should be under close medical supervision.

Use of corticosteroids may result in the inhibition of endogenous steroid production which sometimes persists for weeks following drug withdrawal. In patients presently receiving or recently withdrawn from corticosteroid treatments, administration of a rapid acting corticosteroid before, during and afteran unusually stressful situation is recommended.

Single or multiple doses of 1 mg/kg of a corticosteroid induced hepatopathy in the dog and rabbit in astudy by Rogers and Ruebner in 1977. The condition was determined in the dog by a biopsy of the liver and was accompanied by elevated serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, SAP and SGGT (in somedogs) and increased bromsulphalein retention.

Adverse Reactions

As with the use of any corticosteroid, side effects and metabolic alterations can be anticipated when treatment is intensive or prolonged. In animals with diabetes mellitus, use of triamcinolone acetonidemay be associated with an increase in the insulin requirement. Negative nitrogen balance may occur, particularly in animals that require protracted maintenance therapy. Polydipsia or polyuria mayoccur with high dosage or frequent administration. The likelihood of their occurrence may beminimized by giving as brief a course of corticosteroid therapy as possible, and by waiting for there appearance of symptoms before repeating therapy. If polydipsia or polyuria should occur, therapy should then be resumed at a lower dosage level.

Other adverse reactions that have occurred with the use of corticosteroids are SAP and SGPT enzyme elevations, weight loss, anorexia, vomiting and diarrhea (occasionally bloody). Anaphylactoid reaction shave occasionally been seen following administration. Cushing's syndrome in dogs has been reported inassociation with prolonged or repeated steroid therapy.

To report suspected adverse reactions, to obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or for technicalassistance, call 1-866-638-2226.

Storage:

Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F), excursions permitted between 15° and 30°C (59º and 86ºF).