Equine Pergolide Toxicity: A Case Series.

Publication/Presentation Date

7-1-2024

Abstract

Veterinary medication exposure may result in human toxicity, with approximately 6,000 exposures to veterinary-only medications reported to poison centers in 2022. There is a paucity of literature on the management of poisoned patients secondary to pharmaceuticals intended for equine use. Pergolide is a dopamine and serotonin receptor agonist and is currently approved to treat equine Cushing's disease. It was previously approved in the United States (US) to treat Parkinson's disease in humans; however, it was withdrawn from the market in 2007 due to its association with valvular heart disease. We report two cases of pergolide toxicity in horse owners following unintentional ingestions. Both patients experienced similar clinical presentations resulting from their unintentional pergolide ingestions. Veterinary medication ingestion presents a unique challenge to clinicians as the drug may have limited human toxicity data and/or recommended animal dosing may differ greatly from human dosing. Case reports of human toxicity may assist with anticipating the clinical course and guiding medical decision-making.

Volume

16

Issue

7

First Page

64265

Last Page

64265

ISSN

2168-8184

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

39130979

Department(s)

Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine Residents, Toxicology Division, Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty, Fellows and Residents, USF-LVHN SELECT Program, USF-LVHN SELECT Program Students

Document Type

Article

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS