Itching after Dexamethasone in cats

The FDA has received 84 reports of itching in cats after Dexamethasone. That is 11% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 8.9% across reports for all cat medicines.

84Reports

73%Marked serious

26%Recovered

13%Died or euthanised

3 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

21 28%

1–2 days

16 21%

3–7 days

8 11%

1–4 weeks

16 21%

Over a month

14 19%

How the animals did

Recovered

20 24%

Recovered with lasting effects

2 2.4%

Still unwell when reported

28 33%

Died

3 3.6%

Euthanised

8 9.5%

Not known

23 27%

Problems reported at the same time

Hair loss

28 33%

Loss of appetite

22 26%

Lethargy

20 24%

Application site reaction

16 19%

Skin rash or irritation

15 18%

Vomiting

14 17%

Didn't work as expected

12 14%

Skin redness

12 14%

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 itching in cats?: 84 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 3 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).

Itching with similar medicines

Itching after Prednisolone 134 reports · 11% of its reports
Itching after Prednisone 85 reports · 9.6% of its reports
Itching after Dexamethasone + Neomycin + Thiabendazole 69 reports · 8.6% of its reports

All reported side effects of Dexamethasone in cats · Medicines most reported with itching