Abuse of Acepromazine

Acepromazine is a common drug used to sedate animals. It slows down the nervous system and is usually low in side effects. Unfortunately it can be mishandled by animal owners overusing the drug on the animal or themselves.

Features

• Acepromazine is a tranquilizer. It blocks receptors of dopamine in the brain, which slows down the central nervous system. The exact mechanics of how acerpromazine works is unknown, but it is only legal to give to certain animals. Human-related medications are thorazine and compazine.

Horse Abuse

• The most common type of abuse of Acepromazine is of horses. Acepromazine is a less severe type of tranquilizer, and is used for horses that are hard to handle or who have excess nervous energy. It can be a good training tool if used in moderation, but if used on a regular basis it can become abusive. Acepromazine has not been tested for daily use on a horse, only for occasional use. Many times this type of abuse happens by accident because people do not think of it as abuse due to the fact that acepromazine is a low level tranquilizer.

Abuse in Humans

• Medical prices have increased and the amount of people who are self-medicating is on the rise. Humans who are on medications related to acepromazine are realizing that they can get acepromazine much cheaper from their veterinarian than they can get their medication from their pharmacy. Doing this is abusive because it was not prescribed to the user, meaning the amount and frequency the drug is taken can be dangerous. Also, acepromazine is not tested for humans, meaning no one is sure of the side effects that could occur to humans when consumed. According to MedicineNet.com, a toddler reportedly died after taking acepromazine prescribed for the family dog.