Itching after Praziquantel in cats

91 reports to the FDA describe itching in cats given Praziquantel. That is 5.5% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 8.9% across reports for all cat medicines, so it is reported less often than average with this medicine.

91Reports

30%Marked serious

15%Recovered

3.3%Died or euthanised

3 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

16 30%

1–2 days

11 20%

3–7 days

4 7.4%

1–4 weeks

15 28%

Over a month

8 15%

How the animals did

Recovered

14 15%

Still unwell when reported

12 13%

Died

3 3.3%

Not known

62 68%

Problems reported at the same time

Didn't stop worms

33 36%

Hair loss

22 24%

Injection site reaction

12 13%

Skin redness

11 12%

Application site reaction

10 11%

Didn't stop fleas

10 11%

Behaviour change

9 9.9%

Skin rash or irritation

7 7.7%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Praziquantel treats tapeworms.

Questions owners ask

Can Praziquantel cause itching in cats?: 91 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 Emodepside + Praziquantel (Profender) 615 reports · 11% of its reports
Itching after Praziquantel + Pyrantel 67 reports · 5.3% of its reports
Itching after Pyrantel 26 reports · 4.6% of its reports

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