Didn't work as expected after Dexamethasone in cats

82 reports to the FDA describe didn't work as expected in cats given Dexamethasone. That is 11% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 8.7% across reports for all cat medicines.

82Reports

54%Marked serious

18%Recovered

21%Died or euthanised

7 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

18 25%

1–2 days

11 15%

3–7 days

11 15%

1–4 weeks

17 24%

Over a month

15 21%

How the animals did

Recovered

15 18%

Still unwell when reported

31 38%

Died

10 12%

Euthanised

7 8.5%

Not known

19 23%

Problems reported at the same time

29 35%

25 30%

17 21%

16 20%

12 15%

11 13%

11 13%

11 13%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Dexamethasone reduces inflammation and immune activity.

Steroids commonly cause increased thirst, urination and appetite, especially at higher doses.

Questions owners ask

Can Dexamethasone cause didn't work as expected in cats?: 82 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within 7 days of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Didn't work as expected with similar medicines

Didn't work as expected after Prednisolone 181 reports · 15% of its reports
Didn't work as expected after Prednisone 126 reports · 14% of its reports
Didn't work as expected after Dexamethasone + Neomycin + Thiabendazole 72 reports · 9.0% of its reports

All reported side effects of Dexamethasone in cats · Medicines most reported with didn't work as expected