Trazodone-gabapentin association increases sedation scores with mild hemodynamic and echocardiographic impact in healthy cats

Despite the increasing use of drugs to facilitate feline management in veterinary care, there is still a lack of information on the anxiolytic and sedative effects and their specific physiological impacts. We aimed to compare the sedative, hematological, biochemical and cardiovascular effects of oral single-dose trazodone and gabapentin, alone or in combination, in 8 healthy adult mixed-breed domestic cats on a prospective, randomized, cross-over, and placebo-controlled study. Cats were assigned to receive an oral single dose of trazodone (50 mg) (TG), gabapentin (100 mg) (GG), trazodone (50 mg) and gabapentin (100 mg) (GTG), or placebo (PG). Sedation score, physiological, hematological, biochemical, and cardiovascular variables were assessed at baseline and 120 minutes after drug administration. The mean dose of trazodone was 12.1± 1.1 mg/kg and gabapentin 24.2± 2.3 mg/kg. All data were normally distributed. Blood tests remained within the reference range, but plasma protein increased by 3.78 % in TG. Trazodone alone and associated with gabapentin significantly reduced respiratory rate and systolic blood pressure compared to baseline and placebo. GTG showed a reduction in heart rate and the highest sedation scores. Short-duration excitatory reactions were observed in 37.5 % of the cats in GTG and 12.5 % in TG. Isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) increased in GTG and differed statistically from GG. On ECG, no clinically relevant changes were observed. The association of trazodone (50 mg/cat) and gabapentin (100 mg/cat) increases sedation scores compared to gabapentin alone, with a mild impact on HR, RR, BP, and IVRT in cats.