The cash-strapped Americans who’ve been forced to take their PET’S antibiotics because they’re cheaper

Doctors warned that Americans are putting themselves at risk of organ damage and death by giving drugs prescribed to their cats, dogs and even fish to save money on prescriptions. .

DailyMail.com has learned of at least three cases where pets were treated with prescribed drugs. Among them was a 67-year-old man who took fish antibiotics for a bad cold.

Patients could easily obtain drugs in several ways. This includes using leftover pills from your pet’s old prescription or pretending your pet is sick in order to get a new script.

Meanwhile, doctors warned the website that they have treated many uninsured patients who suffered serious complications after taking pet medications (which typically cost one-fifth of the normal cost). be). On average human tablets.

There are at least 120 drugs in both the human and animal worlds, including amoxicillin and aspirin.

However, animal versions are usually in very low doses and mixed with other substances to aid your pet’s digestion, which can harm the liver, especially where the drug is processed.

It’s also possible that the dose is too low to be effective, leaving serious health problems untreated.

Among those taking medication for their pets is Andy Schechter, 67, who told the Daily Mail that he often ingests the antibiotic penicillin from his pet’s fish stockpile when he has a bad cold. He told dot com.

The Pennsylvania native said he started reaching for medication after he started having trouble getting prescriptions from his doctor for recurring sinus infections.

“Infections have caused pneumonia in the past, so we are conscious of the need to treat it to prevent it from happening again,” said Schechter, the engineer. He said he was taking the same amount of fish antibiotics his doctor had previously prescribed. .

“Every time it went perfectly, and it kept me out of the hospital.”

“Penicillin and other drugs used for fish are actually the exact same drug.” [as the antibiotics used for humans]. ”

In another case, TikTok budgeting enthusiast Madeline Pendleton revealed that she ordered medicine from a veterinarian overseas to treat a bacterial infection.

She said, “I once bought antibiotics from an overseas website to treat an infection.” There, I used my weight as a large dog to estimate the dosage.”

“Again, it’s not safe and it’s not medically recommended, but that’s what we do and we’re trying to solve the problem ourselves at home as cheaply as possible.”

She added: “Yes, it was still cheaper to buy foreign antibiotics for dogs and have them shipped by express than to go to the doctor.”

In yet another case, ER doctor J. Mac Slaughter said a patient came in with a broken leg and was planning to put his dog on the painkiller gabapentin.

He said on TikTok, “I had a patient tonight who broke her leg. And when I offered her painkillers, she said, ‘And I thought, ‘What?!’

And in yet another case discovered by DailyMail.com, a woman posted a TikTok video comparing human antibiotic pills to aquarium antibiotics, commenting that the two looked “identical.” .

This question has been asked repeatedly on Reddit, with one user replying: “Many veterinary drugs use human drugs in smaller doses.

“Many, but not all, take their veterinarian’s prescription to their local pharmacy and get it filled for less.”

a Studying since 2016 A study of 400 U.S. adults found that 16 participants admitted to using antibiotics for their pets.

According to U.S. law, it is illegal to take prescription drugs that have not been prescribed by a doctor.

Brigid Groves, vice president of the American Pharmacists Association, strongly warned Americans not to give their pets medication.

she said:’Medications made for animals may contain ingredients not made for humans and may be harmful to humans.

“Depending on the ingredients, they can cause stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea.

“Depending on the ingredients, it can also cause more serious effects, including liver problems that can be very harmful and lead to hospitalization and death.”

Dr. J. Mack, an emergency physician in Fort Worth, Texas, added that patients can skip a doctor’s visit and end up taking the wrong medication by self-medicating with pet medications.

“They may be missing the fact that it is a more serious infection that can lead to sepsis.” [a life threatening reaction to a severe infection],’ He said.

A recent study found that prescription medications for pets cost, on average, five times less than their human equivalents.

For example, researchers at the University of Minnesota found that the antibiotic amoxicillin costs $2 per pill for dogs, but costs $10 per pill for dogs with health insurance and more than $100 for dogs without insurance. discovered.

A typical course of antibiotics requires taking one pill daily for up to 14 days and can cost uninsured patients $1,400.

“Many people are uninsured or underinsured, so cash prices for drugs are affordable and pricing is not exploitative,” said Dr. Arjun Gupta, a physician who led the study. That is important.”

Scientists say human medicines will likely be more expensive because they have to clear more regulatory hurdles and have different storage requirements.

But they also warned that some drug companies are charging more for human versions because they know people will pay more.

Before and after the coronavirus pandemic, rumors spread that the horse deworming drug ivermectin could help prevent the disease, leading to a rush of people taking the veterinary drug.

In August 2021, the CDC reported that prescriptions for anti-parasitic drugs had spiked 24-fold amid false suggestions that they could treat the coronavirus.

Doctors warned that studies that showed beneficial effects used doses of the drug far higher than can be safely taken by humans.

But prescriptions are still increasing from an average of 3,600 per week to more than 88,000, and poison centers are reporting a five-fold increase in calls about the drug.

Xylazine, or Trunk, a horse tranquilizer, is another example that has recently found its way into the illegal drug trade.

After President Trump endorsed hydroxychloroquine as a treatment, people rushed to take the aquarium cleaner chloroquine.

An Arizona couple reportedly ingested the substance, with the man dying shortly after and his wife hospitalized in critical condition.

She told a local news network: [the substance] I used to keep carp, so I have one at home. I saw it sitting on the back shelf and thought, “Hey, isn’t that what they talk about on TV?”