Lufenuron side effects
Lufenuron is increasingly used off-label as a potent antifungal medicine in a class of its own: Chitin inhibitors of the fungal cell wall. In pets, there have been some serious side effects reported in association with Lufenuron, but these adverse effects were never caused by Lufenuron but by Milbemycin Oxime, a chemical added to certain veterinary medicines that also contain Lufenuron. When Lufenuron is taken in doses higher than the doses commonly used in Chitin inhibition for flea control - such as (semi)systemic Candida treatment, it is of the utmost importance that pure Lufenuron is used, and not some veterinary flea control product with a combination of toxic chemicals such as Milbemycin oxime, which can and do have dangerous side effects when taken in large doses. Sentinel is an example of such a product that contains both Lufenuron and Milbemycin oxime.
There is an injectable form of Lufenuron, and side effects reported are transient fatigue and lethargy and allergy at the place of injection. Most likely, these reactions are not due to the Lufenuron itself but caused by the various preservatives and other chemicals in the injected fluid because oral Lufenuron does not have these reported adverse effects.
Similarly, the rare upset stomach reported by cat owners may well be due to the fillers in the Lufenuron tablets. Pure Lufenuron passed the trials on lab animals without any reports of significant bad effects attributable to the Lufenuron. Millions of pets have been given Program VET regularly and no problems are associated with the compound.
The fluor in Lufenuron is tightly bound to the rest of the molecule, so there is no risk of long-term toxic effects associated with fluorides, as Lufenuron is not a fluoride but a metabolically inert substance - except to lower organisms such as fungi, parasites, fleas and zooplankton.
Due to the inert nature of Lufenuron there are no known or expected interactions with other drugs, and according to the Swiss manufacturer Novartis there have been no confirmed reports of any side effects of the oral form of this veterinary remedy.
This is our research on the alleged dangers of Lufenuron / adverse effects of Lufenuron and not medical advice!