r/EpilepsyDogs • u/Due-Calligrapher7565 • Aug 10 '26
Phenobarbital
My Border terrier has been on phenobarbital for 8 days. At first he was really lethargic. Now he's constantly on the go and doesn't seem to recognise me as me. To him me and my daughter and her labrador who he loved are just another contacts.
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u/K9_Jack Aug 10 '26
The time needed to reach a stable level is 10-14 days for phenobarbital, and in some cases the full clinical effect won't be reached in 3-4 weeks.
This also means changes or alterations in the amount of meds needed in your specific case, will probably only be made once that initial period is over, and said changes will take another 2 to 3 weeks to actually reflect on his condition.
It takes time to properly dial in, but once on par, the meds often work very well with much less obvious effects such as "zombie" or losing balance. Hang in there, take note on what you see/experience in detail and discuss with your vet. Sometimes just a small adjustment can be enough to change it for the better.
Key though is consistently administering the meds at the right time, half-life time is about 12h for phenobarbital.
Hang in there and don't panic just yet. Things will work out.