The cash-strapped Americans who’ve been forced to take their PET’S antibiotics because they’re cheaper – including man who takes penicillin prescribed for his FISH

Doctors have warned that Americans are risking organ damage and even death by taking medications prescribed for their cats, dogs and even fish – in an effort to save money on prescriptions.

DailyMail.com heard of at least three cases of people taking medications prescribed for pets – including a 67-year-old who took fish antibiotics for his bad cold.

Patients could easily obtain the medication in various ways; including using leftover pills from a pet’s old prescription or pretending the pet was unwell to get a new script.

Meanwhile, doctors have warned this website that they have treated many uninsured patients who have suffered serious complications after taking pet medications – which generally cost five times less than human pills, average.

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

But the animal version typically contains a very low dose and is mixed with other substances to aid digestion in pets, which can cause damage – especially to the liver, where the drug is processed.

The dose may also be too low to have an effect, leaving serious health problems untreated.

Among those taking pet medications was Andy Shecktor, 67, who told DailyMail.com he often takes the antibiotic penicillin from his pets’ supplies when he has a cold.

The Pennsylvania native says he started reaching for the medication because he began having trouble getting a prescription from his doctor for his recurring sinus infections.

“The infections have caused pneumonia in the past, so I am aware that I need to treat them to prevent this from happening again,” said Mr. Shecktor, an engineer who says he is taking the equivalent dose of fish antibiotics previously passed through his doctor has prescribed. .

‘It has worked perfectly every time. And it kept me out of the hospital.”

“The penicillin used for fish and things like that are actually the exact same pills (as the antibiotics used for humans).”

In another case, TikTok budgeting enthusiast Madeline Pendleton revealed that she orders medications from foreign vets to treat bacterial infections.

She said: ‘I once treated an infection by buying antibiotics from a foreign website, where I treated my weight like I was a big dog to estimate the dosage.

‘Again: not safe, not medically recommended, but it is what we do, we try to solve the problem at home as cheaply as possible.’

She added: ‘And yes, buying antibiotics for dogs abroad and having them sent to me by express was still cheaper than going to the doctor.’

In yet another case, ER doctor J Mack Slaughter said he had a patient who came in with a broken leg and said she planned to take the painkiller gabapentin from her dog.

He said on TikTok: “I had a patient tonight who broke her leg. And when I offered her pain meds, she said, “No, that’s cool – I took gabapentin for my dog.” And I thought: “What?!”.

And in yet another case uncovered by DailyMail.com, a woman posted a TikTok video comparing antibiotic pills for humans and aquariums, noting that the two looked “identical.”

The question has been asked repeatedly on Reddit, with one user replying, “Many animal medications are human medications in smaller doses.

“Not all, but some do (some people take their vet prescription to their local pharmacy to get it filled cheaper).”

a study from 2016 Surveying 400 American adults, 16 participants admitted to taking their pets’ antibiotics.

Under U.S. law, it is illegal to take prescription medications that have not been prescribed to you by a doctor.

Brigid Groves, vice president at the American Pharmacists Association, strongly warned Americans against taking their pet’s medications.

She said: ‘A drug made for animals may contain a component not made for humans and could be harmful to you.

‘Depending on the ingredient, it can cause stomach upset, nausea and vomiting or diarrhea.

‘Other times, depending on what the ingredient is, it can cause even more serious effects, such as liver problems, which can be very harmful and lead to hospitalization or even death.’

Dr. J Mack, an emergency room physician in Fort Worth, Texas, added that by treating themselves with a pet’s medications, patients are excluding doctors and possibly using the wrong medications.

“They may overlook the fact that it is a more serious infection that can cause sepsis (a life-threatening reaction to a serious infection),” he said.

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

For example, the University of Minnesota researchers found that while the antibiotic amoxicillin for dogs may cost $2 per pill, it was $10 per pill for people with health insurance and more than $100 for those without insurance.

The typical course of antibiotics involves taking a daily pill for up to 14 days, potentially costing the uninsured patient $1,400.

Dr. Arjun Gupta, the doctor behind the study, said: “Because many people are uninsured or underinsured, it is important that out-of-pocket prices for medications are affordable and that prices are not exploitative.”

Human drugs are likely to be more expensive because they have more regulatory hurdles to overcome and different storage requirements, scientists said.

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

Around the Covid pandemic there was a rush of people taking animal medicines, amid rumors that the horse dewormer ivermectin could help prevent the disease.

In August 2021, the CDC reported a 24-fold increase in prescriptions for the anti-parasite drug, amid false suggestions that it could treat Covid.

Doctors warned that studies showing a beneficial effect used doses of the drug that far exceeded the amount people could safely consume.

But prescriptions still rose from an average of 3,600 a week to more than 88,000 – with poison centers also reporting a five-fold increase in calls related to the drug.

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

There was also a rush of people using the aquarium cleaner chloroquine after hearing that Trump endorsed hydroxychloroquine as a treatment.

A couple in Arizona allegedly ingested the substance, and the man died shortly afterwards, while his wife was hospitalized in critical condition.

She told a local news network: ‘I had (the substance) at home because I used to have koi fish. I saw it on the back shelf and thought, “Hey, isn’t that the stuff they talk about on TV?”.