Itching after Prednisolone in cats

134 reports to the FDA describe itching in cats given Prednisolone. That is 11% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 8.9% across reports for all cat medicines.

134Reports

67%Marked serious

15%Recovered

6.7%Died or euthanised

18 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

18 16%

1–2 days

10 8.6%

3–7 days

15 13%

1–4 weeks

32 28%

Over a month

41 35%

How the animals did

Recovered

18 13%

Recovered with lasting effects

2 1.5%

Still unwell when reported

84 63%

Died

2 1.5%

Euthanised

7 5.2%

Not known

21 16%

Problems reported at the same time

Hair loss

52 39%

Skin rash or irritation

49 37%

Skin scab

30 22%

Didn't work as expected

22 16%

Loss of appetite

20 15%

Application site reaction

17 13%

Skin redness

14 10%

Vomiting

12 9.0%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Prednisolone reduces inflammation and immune activity.

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

Questions owners ask

Can Prednisolone cause itching in cats?: 134 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 18 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 Prednisone 85 reports · 9.6% of its reports
Itching after Dexamethasone + Neomycin + Thiabendazole 69 reports · 8.6% of its reports
Itching after Dexamethasone 84 reports · 11% of its reports

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