Doctors have warned that Americans risk organ damage and even death by taking prescription drugs to their cats, dogs and even fish in a bid to save money on prescriptions.
DailyMail.com has learned of at least three cases of people using prescription pet medication, including a 67-year-old man who took fish antibiotics for his bad cold.
Patients easily obtained medications in several ways; even using leftover pills from a pet’s old prescription or pretending that your pet was unwell to get a new medication.
Meanwhile, doctors have warned this website that they have treated many uninsured patients who have suffered serious complications after taking pet medications, which typically cost five times less than human pills, on average.
There are at least 120 medications that can be found in both the human and animal world, including amoxicillin and aspirin.
DailyMail.com found several cases online of people claiming to have taken their pets’ medications.
But the animal version usually comes in a very low dose and mixed with other substances to help pets’ digestion, which can cause damage, especially in the liver, where the medicine is processed.
The dose may also be too low to have an effect, leaving serious health problems untreated.
Among those taking medicines intended for pets was Andy Shecktor, 67, who told DailyMail.com he often takes penicillin from his pet fish’s stores when he has a bad cold.
The Pennsylvania native says he started looking into the medication because he started having difficulty getting a prescription from his doctor for his recurring sinus infections.
“Infections have caused pneumonia in the past, so I’m aware that I need to treat them to prevent this from happening again,” said Shecktor, an engineer who says he takes the equivalent dose of fish antibiotics previously prescribed by his doctor. . .
‘It has worked perfectly every time. And that has kept me out of the hospital.
Andy Shecktor, 67, from Berwick, Pennsylvania, told DailyMail.com that he takes penicillin meant for his aquarium whenever he has a bad cold. He says he is at higher risk for pneumonia, but it is difficult to get a prescription for the medication from a doctor.
“The penicillin that is used for fish and that sort of thing is actually the exact same pills (as the antibiotics used for humans).”
In another case, Madeline Pendleton, a budget enthusiast on TikTok, revealed that she orders medications from foreign veterinarians to treat bacterial infections.
She said: ‘I once treated an infection by purchasing antibiotics from a foreign website where I treated my weight as if I were a large dog to estimate the dose.
“Again, it’s not safe or medically advisable, but it’s what we do, we try to solve the problem ourselves at home, as cheaply as possible.”
And he added: “And yes, buying antibiotics for dogs abroad and sending them to me urgently was even cheaper than going to the doctor.”
In yet another case, emergency room doctor J Mack Slaughter said he had a patient who came in with a broken leg and said he planned to take his dog’s painkiller gabapentin.
He said on TikTok: ‘Tonight I had a patient who broke her leg. And when I offered her painkillers, she said, “No, that’s great, I took gabapentin for my dogs.” And I was like, “What?!”
There are many videos online showing people suggesting taking pet medications. Shown above is an antibiotic for human consumption (left) and for pets (right). Doctors warned that parts of the pill designed for fish could make it toxic to humans
The one above is the pill in the bottle for human consumption (left) and the one for animal consumption (right). The user noted that they looked very similar.
And in yet another case discovered by DailyMail.com, a woman posted a video on TikTok comparing antibiotic pills for humans and fish tanks, commenting that the two looked “identical.”
The question has been asked repeatedly on Reddit, with one user responding: “Many animal medications are humane in smaller doses.”
“Not all, but many are (heck, some people take their veterinary prescription to their local pharmacy to get it filled at a cheaper price).”
TO 2016 study A study involving 400 American adults found that 16 participants admitted to using antibiotics for their pets.
Under US law, it is illegal to take prescription medications that have not been prescribed to you by a doctor.
Brigid Groves, vice president of the American Pharmacists Association, strongly warned Americans against taking medications for their pets.
She said: ‘A medicine made for animals may have an ingredient that is not made for humans and could be harmful to you.
‘Depending on the ingredient, it could cause upset stomach, nausea and vomiting, or diarrhea.
“Other times, depending on what the ingredient is, it could cause even more serious effects, such as liver problems, which could be very harmful and lead to hospitalization or even death.”
Dr. J. Mack, an emergency physician in Fort Worth, Texas, added that by self-treating with medications for a pet, patients avoid doctors and potentially take the wrong medication.
“They may overlook the fact that this is a more serious infection that could trigger sepsis (a life-threatening reaction to a serious infection),” he said.
A recent study found that prescription medications for pets cost on average five times less than their human counterparts.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota found, for example, that while the antibiotic amoxicillin may cost $2 per pill for dogs, it cost $10 per pill for those with health insurance and more than $100 for those without health insurance. .
Typical antibiotic treatment involves taking one pill daily for up to 14 days, which could cost an uninsured patient $1,400.
Dr Arjun Gupta, the doctor behind the research, said: “Given that many people are uninsured or underinsured, it is important that cash prices for medicines are affordable and that prices are not exploitative.”
Drugs for humans are likely more expensive because they have to jump through more regulatory hurdles and have different storage requirements, the scientists said.
But they also warned that some drug companies charge more for human versions because they know people will pay more.
There was a rush of people taking animal medications around the Covid pandemic amid rumors that ivermectin, a dewormer for horses, could help prevent the disease.
In August 2021, the CDC reported a 24-fold increase in prescriptions for the anti-parasitic drug, amid false suggestions that it could treat Covid.
Doctors cautioned that studies showing a beneficial effect used doses of the drug that were much higher than the amount humans could safely consume.
But prescriptions still rose from 3,600 a week on average to more than 88,000, and poison control centers also reported a five-fold increase in calls related to the drug.
Xylazine, or tranq, a horse tranquilizer, is another example, which has recently found its way into the illicit drug trade.
There was also a rush of people taking chloroquine, a fish tank cleaner, after hearing Trump endorse hydroxychloroquine as a treatment.
A couple in Arizona reportedly took the substance and the man died shortly after, while his wife was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.
She told a local news station: ‘I had (the substance) in the house because I used to keep Koi fish. I saw it on the back shelf and thought, “Hey, isn’t that what they talk about on TV?”