A Pet’s Guide to Thiothixene, an Antipsychotic Medication

Helping to Manage Mental Disorders in Your Cat or Dog

By Sam Bourne.

Compulsive Behavior
Anxiety

indications for Thiothixene

Mental disorders, like schizophrenia, affect pets in the same way they affect people, and need to be similarly managed. Thiothixene is an antipsychotic medication that helps curb schizophrenic behaviors by diminishing the amount of abnormal brain activity, one of the root causes of the erratic behaviors indicative of schizophrenia. Not a cure, thiothixene simply helps to make your pets symptoms less profound, and will need to be taken for as long as their symptoms are debilitating.

Precautions

Thiothixene can potentially mask the symptoms of toxic drug overdose, intestinal obstruction, and brain tumors. Patients with heart problems should only take thiothixene if absolutely necessary. Caution should be taken when using thiothixene with other CNS depressants, or when used in pets that have a history of convulsive disorders. Pets with a preexisting low white blood cell count should have their complete blood count monitored frequently for the first few months of treatment.

Dosage

Since thiothixene is an extra-label drug for veterinary purposes, meaning that it was not designed for cats or dogs, there are no official recommended dosages for pets. Consult with your vet and follow their directions.

Brand/Generic equivalents

Navane

Side Effects

Thiothixene can affect the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, endocrine or reproductive systems, autonomic effects, hematologic effects, hepatic effects, as well as other adverse reactions, such as polydipsia, peripheral edema, nausea, increase in appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, or fatigue.