Pergolide and Behavior changes

[Reiter]

One of my older mares has been put on pergolide a couple of months ago, nothing else has changed in her diet or surroundings and I have noticed some changes in her behavior. She seems grouchy, won't come to me like she used to and when coming in from turn-out I used to just open the gate and she would walk up to the barn and go right into her stall. She now walks away from the gate or stands there like she is confused about what to do. This might be a weired comparison, but she reminds me of a person with Alzheimers! Has anyone had experiences like this? Could it be due to the Pergolide? By the way, I also haven't noticed any benefical changes since she's been on the Pergolide, but she's at the beginning stages of cushings and hasn't really exhibited very obvious signs. Lack of energy and a longer than normal coat is what prompted me to have her tested. No one else, including the vet, thought that she actually had cushings! Yes, I'm a worry wart! ;)

[Melyni]

One of my older mares has been put on pergolide a couple of months ago, nothing else has changed in her diet or surroundings and I have noticed some changes in her behavior. She seems grouchy, won't come to me like she used to and when coming in from turn-out I used to just open the gate and she would walk up to the barn and go right into her stall. She now walks away from the gate or stands there like she is confused about what to do. This might be a weired comparison, but she reminds me of a person with Alzheimers! Has anyone had experiences like this? Could it be due to the Pergolide? By the way, I also haven't noticed any benefical changes since she's been on the Pergolide, but she's at the beginning stages of cushings and hasn't really exhibited very obvious signs. Lack of energy and a longer than normal coat is what prompted me to have her tested. No one else, including the vet, thought that she actually had cushings! Yes, I'm a worry wart! ;)

She may need her dose of Pergolide adjusted. ANd yes Porgolide will casue behavior changes.
Is she on a low glycemic diet? She might benefit from having some diet adjustments made.
Yours
MW

[Reiter]

Thanks Melyni!
What kind of changes does pergolide cause and are they normal or do they only show up if the dose is too high?
She is on a low glycemic diet and I had her insulin tested the same time I tested for cushings and it was normal! The vet said to retest the ACTH in the spring. The prescription I have is for 6 months and if I remember right is 1.25mg/day. Mare is a large Hanoverian!

[monstrpony]

My gelding got rambunctious and a bit snotty. It did finally moderate after a few months. He also had Alzheimer's moments--forget which was his stall, act like he'd forgotten some simple barn routines. My vet claimed he asked around at an AAEP meeting, and none of the vets had ever heard of mental or behaviour changes from Pergolide. Hmm. Guess none of them have ever lived with a Pergolide patient. The changes are subtle, but if you know your horse, you know that they are real.

[BornToRide]

She is on a low glycemic diet and I had her insulin tested the same time I tested for cushings and it was normal!
Just looking at the insulin level is not enough. One needs to look at the ratio between insulin and glucose. Do you have both numbers?

[Reiter]

LOL monstrpony! I'm glad I'm not totally off my rocker about the Alzheimer moments! There probably haven't been enough people to notice the changes and bring it up to their vets, for the vets to know about it! As you said, most of them don't live with their patients!

BornToRide, I didn't actually see the test results. I was told over the phone, that the ACTH was elevated but the test for IR came back normal!

[BornToRide]

BornToRide, I didn't actually see the test results. I was told that the ACTH was elevated but the test for IR came back normal!
This is not enough to determine whether or not a horse is actually IR. Ask if the vet also has a glucose # and find out what the insulin # was. If not, you'll need to retest for both and look at the ratio between the two, or if the horse is showing IR signs you could bypass that and just treat for it, if you need to be conservative about spending money.

Oh and I would always request copies of tests you paid for. It's good to have a file at home. You never know when things might chnage and you'll need to go to a different vet! :)

Lots of good info to be found on this subject on the Equine Cushings group: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/

Best wishes!

[Pookah]

Wow, I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel to see this post! I have a 29 year old pony with Cushings. We have tried him several times on Pergolide at varying doses (including less than half of the recommended), and it makes him a grouchy ***tard every time! I can't say that I have noticed Alzheimer's type symptoms, but he is definitely not a happy pony. Every time we start him on it, he immediately becomes difficult to catch, kicks at the kids when they do try to catch him, and just goes through life generally pissed off. After a couple of days off the Pergolide, he comes right back to his normal self-not really a cuddler, but certainly not a meanie either. We eventually decided to take him off of it as the benefits just weren't outweighing the side effects for him. But my vet had never seen or heard of a single case like this--she said that behavioral and mood changes were not uncommon, but were nearly always positive.

[Evalee Hunter]

Pergolide is known to cause behavior changes in some human patients that take it. It has been thought to cause obsessive type behavior - one report was a person taking pergolide who became an obsessive gambler whereas they had not gambled before. I would certainly think it could cause behavior changes in horses as well, although I've never seen a horse betting on horses.

[LMH]

Wow, I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel to see this post! I have a 29 year old pony with Cushings. We have tried him several times on Pergolide at varying doses (including less than half of the recommended), and it makes him a grouchy ***tard every time! I can't say that I have noticed Alzheimer's type symptoms, but he is definitely not a happy pony. Every time we start him on it, he immediately becomes difficult to catch, kicks at the kids when they do try to catch him, and just goes through life generally pissed off. After a couple of days off the Pergolide, he comes right back to his normal self-not really a cuddler, but certainly not a meanie either. We eventually decided to take him off of it as the benefits just weren't outweighing the side effects for him. But my vet had never seen or heard of a single case like this--she said that behavioral and mood changes were not uncommon, but were nearly always positive.


Same here-I just tried it on Polo for the second time...went through 1 bottle (about 60 days-more or less from adjusting dose).

He quality of life is worse on it than off.

I just took him off of it-will manage him with diet and anything else I can find but no pergolide for him. If it extends his life but makes him mentally unsound that is a good plan for us.

No Alzeimher's-just bipolar aggressive/depressive.

[Watermark Farm]

I was just discussing this with a friend the other day. We both have Cushings/IR ponies on pergolide and low nsc diets. She feels her pony has become very aggressive since going on pergolide, and she contacted her vet about taking him off. The vet confirmed that some horses do undergo personality changes while on pergolide, but he wasn't sure if it was due to the drug, or to other causes (not addressing IR diet needs, etc.).

Food for thought, though.

[BornToRide]

Thanks for sharing everyone - this is good to know. Are your horses maintaining fairly well on just the diet management?

[LMH]

BTR Polo is still very mild. He was able to do very well on Chasteberry and his IR diet and APF (good for both cushing's and IR) until fall.

He had a pretty rough rip so I started the Perg. I have since read that Dr Kellon has suggested just a fall course of Perg for horses that have that fall dip.

I may do that again next fall.

So far so good-BUT he not not yet an extreme case

[Melyni]

Thanks Melyni!
What kind of changes does pergolide cause and are they normal or do they only show up if the dose is too high?
She is on a low glycemic diet and I had her insulin tested the same time I tested for cushings and it was normal! The vet said to retest the ACTH in the spring. The prescription I have is for 6 months and if I remember right is 1.25mg/day. Mare is a large Hanoverian!

In some horses (but not all) pergolide causes changes in behavior, it can make them more aggressive and or more depressed. You cold try halving the dose and change her diet to include some of the herbals that can help. See if you can improve her hair coat and other symptoms with diet rather than drugs. But don't go off the pergolide cold turkey, that can cause seizures. Halve the dose every two weeks bringing her down very gradually.
The vet is correct you should not test for ACTH until the days beging to lengthen again since ACTH production is in part affected by daylight length.

You could of course do the old Qh trick of leaving a light on in her stall between 10p and midnight, and see if that helps. That tricks the body into thinking that it is spring.

I'd suggest you try a mix made for these horses such as Balance EQ.

PM me if you need more details.
Yours
MW

[happyappy]

Hello:

I have had my pony on pergolide for over 3 years. I also have him on 2mls of APF per day. His personality did change a bit, but he never became aggressive, just grouchy from time to time. After a bit of time say 6 months this grouchyness lessened, he is still grouchy a little, but only when you want him to work, but he is a pony! He loves people, just does not always like to work, that is when he is grouchy. We had him with a friend for 2 years, and he did become very grouchy with the little girl was riding him. He did not like her kicking at his sides. I do have him on a tight diet, proper supplements, good turnout and exercise. He is ridden 4 times per week, once on a trail ride, 3 times working his walk/trot/canter and a little jumping. He loves being back with us and is getting his work ethic back. We have had him back for 1 month. 2 Years ago, he was one heck of a hunter/jumper pony and hope to get him back to that.

You might want to make sure his insullin and glucose levels are normal.

Joann

[Gunnar]

My 18 year old Han. has been on Pergolide for 4 months now. His behavior has changed in that he is more lively! :eek: Before the drug he was dull and too quiet. Even to the point of tripping enough to fall down. Now he has a livelier look in his eye and is more of his old self, particularly when jumping!:eek: :lol:

He was agressive before Pergolide and that has not gotten any worse. Not happy being groomed, saddled etc. And he is mean towards other horses when being ridden. He may be even a little better now!:)

He has lost weight but that is good for his 18 year old joints! ;)