Diphenoxylate/Atropine
“This page provides important general information for pet owners whose animals have been prescribed Diphenoxylate/Atropine during a consultation by Dr Noor in Perth.”
Diphenoxylate/Atropine for pets
(dye-fen-ox-i-late; at-roe-peen)
Description:
This medicine is an opioid-type cough medicine and a medicine used to help with diarrhea.
Other Names for this Medication:
- Lomotil®
Common Dosage Forms:
- Veterinary: None.
- Human:
- Tablets that contain diphenoxylate 2.5 mg plus atropine 0.025 mg
- An oral liquid that contains diphenoxylate 2.5 mg plus atropine 0.025 mg in each 1 mL
This handout does not include every piece of information that exists for this medicine, and it has not been reviewed by the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. It is meant to help with common questions, but it does not replace medical guidance. If you have more questions or need additional details about this medicine, call your veterinarian or your pharmacist.
Key Information
- You may give this medicine either with food or without food. If your pet throws up or seems unwell after getting it on an empty stomach, give the next dose with food or a small treat. If the vomiting does not stop, contact your veterinarian.
- In dogs, the side effects seen most often are trouble passing stool (constipation) and being sleepy.
- In cats, this medicine must be used carefully because cats may become too excited.
How is this medication useful?
For dogs, diphenoxylate-atropine may be used to help treat diarrhea or to reduce coughing. The FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) has approved this medicine for people, but it is not officially approved for animals. In some situations, the FDA allows veterinarians to prescribe medicines that contain this drug for other species or for different problems. You and your veterinarian can talk about why this option is the best fit.
What should I tell my veterinarian to see if this medication can be safely given?
Many factors can change how this medicine works for your pet. Talk with your veterinarian about the items below so you can decide together on the safest plan.
- Other medicines may affect diphenoxylate-atropine. Tell your veterinarian and pharmacist about everything your pet receives, including medicines, vitamins, supplements, or herbal products. Also share how much you give and when you give each one.
- Tell your veterinarian about any health problems your pet has now, or has had before.
- If your pet has had treatment in the past for the same problem, tell your veterinarian what was used and whether it helped or did not help.
- If your pet is pregnant or nursing, discuss the possible risks of using this medicine.
- Tell your veterinarian and pharmacist about any past medicine reactions or side effects your pet has had, including allergic reactions, not wanting to eat, diarrhea, itching, or hair loss.
How long until I will know if this medication is working, and how long will the effects of this medication last?
You should expect your pet to start feeling better within 1 to 2 hours. After that, the signs you are seeing should begin to improve. This medicine does not last long in the body, so it stops working within 24 hours. However, the helpful effects may last longer if your pet’s kidneys and/or liver do not work as well.
When should this medication not be used or be used very carefully?
No medicine is completely safe for every patient. Your veterinarian will talk with you about any concerns that apply to your pet.
If your pet has any of the issues listed below, speak with your veterinarian about the possible risks compared with the possible benefits.
- Do not use this medicine in animals that are allergic to it or to other opioid drugs (for example, morphine).
- Do not use it if the diarrhea is due to a poisonous substance.
- Do not use it if there is a blockage in the intestines.
- Do not use it if, within the last 14 days, your pet has been exposed to certain flea collars or dips that contain amitraz (a monoamine oxidase [MAO] inhibitor, meaning a type of drug that blocks an enzyme called monoamine oxidase) or to other MAO inhibitor drugs.
- Use extra care in animals that are older, weak, frail, or have a head injury.
- Use extra care in animals that are pregnant or nursing.
- Use extra care in animals with thyroid, heart, lung, kidney, or adrenal gland problems.
- Use extra care in cats. Cats may react strongly to this medicine and may become overly excited. Do not use in kittens.
What are the side effects of this medication?
Side effects that usually are not serious include:
You do not need to be highly worried if you notice the signs below unless they are severe, get worse, or keep happening. If that occurs, contact your veterinarian.
- Dogs: constipation and/or sleepiness.
Side effects that may be serious or indicate a serious problem:
If you notice any of the signs below, contact your veterinarian right away.
- Throwing up, diarrhea (or not producing stool).
- Not wanting to eat.
- Yellow color of the skin, gums, or the whites of the eyes (jaundice).
- Shaking muscles or seizures. Cats that become overly excited while taking this medicine have a risk of this (rare).
- Fever.
- Very low energy (listless).
If my animal gets too much of this medication (an overdose), what should I do?
If you see an overdose happen, or you think one may have happened, call your veterinarian or an animal poison control center right away for instructions.
How should this medication be given?
- To get the intended effect, give this medicine exactly the way your veterinarian directed. Always read the prescription label so you confirm you are giving it correctly.
- You can give this medicine with food or without food. If your pet vomits or seems sick after getting it without food, give the next dose with food or a small treat. If vomiting continues, contact your veterinarian.
- If you are using the liquid form, measure it with great care. Your veterinarian or pharmacist can provide special measuring spoons or syringes.
- If giving the medicine is difficult, contact your veterinarian or pharmacist for ideas to make dosing easier and to lower stress during medicine time.
- This medicine may be used for different lengths of time. Make sure you understand how long your veterinarian wants your pet to keep taking it. You may need prescription refills before treatment is finished. Before you stop giving this medicine, speak with your veterinarian, because there may be important reasons to keep using it.
What should I do if I miss giving a dose of this medication?
If you forget a dose, give it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, do not give the missed dose. Instead, give the next dose at the regular time. Then continue with the normal schedule. Do not give two doses at once and do not give extra doses.
How should I store this medication?
- Keep this medicine at room temperature, stored in the original prescription container or in an approved dose organizer (such as a pill minder).
- If your veterinarian or pharmacist has prepared a custom-made version (a compounded product) for your pet, follow the storage directions and the expiration date provided for that product.
- Store it where children and other animals cannot reach it.
Can handling this medication be hazardous to me, my family, or other animals?
No special handling steps are needed unless you are allergic to this medicine. After you handle any medicine, wash your hands.
How should I dispose of this medication if I don’t use it all?
- Do not put this medicine into the toilet and do not pour it into a sink drain.
- If your area has a community drug take-back program, use that option.
- If there is no take-back program:
- Combine the medicine with coffee grounds or cat litter so it is unpleasant to children and animals and not recognizable to people who may search through trash.
- Put that mixture into a sealable plastic bag so it does not leak, and place it in the regular trash.
- Do not keep leftover medicine to use later, and do not give it to anyone else.
What other information is important for this medication?
- This medicine may be prohibited in some animal competitions. Before entering a competition while your animal is receiving this medicine, check the rules and regulations.
- If you have any other questions about this medicine, contact your veterinarian or pharmacist.
“Disclaimer: The information on this page is provided as general educational material only. Every animal’s health situation is unique, and treatment decisions must be based on a full veterinary assessment. Always follow the specific instructions given during your consultation, and contact the prescribing veterinarian if you have any concerns.”