Artificial Sweeteners In Medications

[RosieMaia]

Hi!

One of my pigs has recently been diagnozed with a chronic issue. I'm posting these questions in a separate thread here because I feel it's a wholly separate topic, but if you think they should be merged, that's fine by me.

The piggy will probably require taking medications daily, in particular, metacam and glycosamine. Both veterinary products are sweetened with aspartame and sorbitol, so I'm concerned about the long-term effects of taking these sweeteners. Naturally, my first priority is his quality of life, and I'd like to make sure he's pain-free and mobile for as long as possible. However, he has had an instance of bloat once, and I know sugar alcohols like sorbitol have gas buildup and diarhoea as potential side effects.

In the past, he has taken metacam and antibiotics (post-op after he was neutered), and both were sweetened, but this was only for a week. Now, he's facing the prospect of having to take sweetened medications for the rest of his life.

How did your pigs cope with sweetened medications when taking them long-term? Do you have any tips on minimizing their side effects? Is there an unsweetened version of metacam available in the UK OTC?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

One of my pigs has recently been diagnozed with a chronic issue. I'm posting these questions in a separate thread here because I feel it's a wholly separate topic, but if you think they should be merged, that's fine by me.

The piggy will probably require taking medications daily, in particular, metacam and glycosamine. Both veterinary products are sweetened with aspartame and sorbitol, so I'm concerned about the long-term effects of taking these sweeteners. Naturally, my first priority is his quality of life, and I'd like to make sure he's pain-free and mobile for as long as possible. However, he has had an instance of bloat once, and I know sugar alcohols like sorbitol have gas buildup and diarhoea as potential side effects.

In the past, he has taken metacam and antibiotics (post-op after he was neutered), and both were sweetened, but this was only for a week. Now, he's facing the prospect of having to take sweetened medications for the rest of his life.

How did your pigs cope with sweetened medications when taking them long-term? Do you have any tips on minimizing their side effects? Is there an unsweetened version of metacam available in the UK OTC?

Hi! Guinea pigs can cope with both long term glucosamine and metacam. I have had several of mine on both for years - one of them lived to a very respectable 8 years of age after suffering from interstitial cystitis (with daily glucosamine and metacam) between age 2-5 years old, but she was totally free of that for the last three years of her life. She died from a completely unrelated issue.

 

[RosieMaia]

Were they sweetened? If so, that's very good to hear I was really concerned about the effect of the sweeteners on their stomachs

 

[sport_billy]

We have had a piggy on metacam daily for two years, wasn't an issue at all

 

[Wiebke]

Were they sweetened? If so, that's very good to hear I was really concerned about the effect of the sweeteners on their stomachs

Metacam is - as a syringing painkiller it has to be in order to be accepted even by pets that are completely off their food.

We have never had any reports about digestive issues in conjunction with long term use of metacam or cystease/glucosamine in all the years. I have also never experienced any (including my arthritic guinea pigs).

 

[RosieMaia]

OK, thanks. That really has put my mind at ease I guess I tend to worry unnecessarily

 

[Freela]

One of my pigs was on Baytril as suppressive antibiotic long-term in a banana-flavored base which had to have been sweetened with something... she never had an issue as a result.