Pet Poisoning Calls Involving Antidepressants Increase Over 80%

Similar Rise Seen for ADD/ADHD Medication Exposure Cases

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Calls to Pet Poison Helpline involving accidental exposures to antidepressants and antianxiety medication rose 84.9% between 2019 and 2022, before falling just 3.2% in 2023. The toxicology experts also saw an 81.2% rise in calls involving ADD/ADHD medications over the same time period, with a small drop of 1% in 2023. This means that calls involving ADD/ADHD medications and antidepressants rose more than 80% over the five-year period.

"The use of and public discussion around these types of medications has increased over the years, which has helped many people improve their quality of life," said Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. "In addition, according to a recent study, the rate of antidepressants dispensed to young people increased dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic. We believe that as a result of these and other factors, over the past five years Pet Poison Helpline has seen more than an 80% increase in calls involving antidepressant, antianxiety, ADD and ADHD medications."

October is ADHD Awareness Month, so the toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline used their Toxin Trends tool to analyze proprietary call data involving accidental exposures to these medications. It also found that the state with the highest number of ADD/ADHD and antidepressant-related exposure calls from 2019-2023 was Texas, followed closely behind by California and Florida.

"Being able to assess which states commonly have certain toxin-related calls can provide valuable insight for veterinary professionals," Dr. Schmid explained. "In the case of ADD/ADHD medications, this information helps them to be more diligent in recognizing the concerns and likelihood of a pet in their area being exposed to these types of medication. Regardless of what state you live in, mental health medications can have deadly consequences when ingested by animals. Changes to the cardiovascular and nervous systems are the main areas of concern and the specific symptoms vary depending on the medication ingested."

Pet Poison Helpline plans to release future iterations of the Toxin Trends dashboard that will highlight additional insights gleaned from the company's database of emergency calls. The goal of sharing this exclusive data is to save pets' lives and make the world safer for animals by educating the public on potential concerns common in their area.

"The increase in calls involving antidepressants illustrates the danger of pets having access to their human companion's medication," Dr. Schmid added. "Although we're focusing on pets who have had an accidental exposure, children and other vulnerable people could be harmed if they had an accidental or overexposure to these medications. Keeping track of all medications and storing them out of reach of pets and unintended people will help to keep the entire household safe."

About Pet Poison Helpline 
Pet Poison Helpline®, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. Per incident and subscription service options are available. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $85 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. The company also offers pethelpline^(SM) and pethelplinePRO^(SM) subscription services directly to pet lovers. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

CONTACT: Curtis Steinhoff, Pet Poison Helpline®, (602) 300-8466, [email protected]

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SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline