Hi, Stephanie -

Prescribing  compounded pergolide at this time still seems to be okay; the scare tactics that BI are advertising to veterinarians have no teeth. Here is the one case that I am aware of where the FDA failed to shut down a compounding pharmacy in Florida:

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/fda-files-notice-appeal-over-veterinary-compounding-ruling

 It may make your vet feel better to prescribe the compounded in doses that are difficult to achieve with the Prascend pill, such as 1.1 mg. If your vet is able to purchase compounded pergolide, she is in effect writing a prescription to the supplier of it, so there should be no difficulty in writing a prescription for you.

The most economical way to get pergolide is to have your vet write a prescription, and then you send/fax/email it to the pharmacy of your choice. This is true for Prascend as well as compounded pergolide - it is always cheaper to get it through a pharmacy than from the vet's office. I don't want to knock vets here, since I am one, but it is a fact that they have to pay more, and charge more, for drugs from their suppliers than do pharmacies; and their mark-up is always higher.

Below is a link to various compounding pharmacies - these are not recommendations, merely information. Any compounding pharmacy should be in good standing with the regulations and the regulatory bodies, and do regular testing on their drugs to ensure quality.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/EquineCushings/links/all/Compounding_Pharmacies

There are some on-line supply places where you can buy Prascend at reasonable prices (reasonable for Prascend, that is)

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=e0f4888c-86de-4ce9-9013-6d947df697a8

http://www.allivet.com/p-3229-prascend-tablets-1-mg.aspx

These require a vet's prescription, as well.

One of the better ways to deal with this very common issue is to offer to pay the vet for the writing of the prescription. Many vets do charge for this service, but it breaks the ice a bit if you offer first. Part of the vet's office income is from drug sales, paying for a prescription-writing service seems reasonable. And I know for a fact that vets have been subjected to many letters from BI, suppliers, and even veterinary regulatory bodies stating that it is illegal to write a prescription for compounded pergolide, so lots of us are rather cautious about it. BI's aggressive marketing and scare tactics have worked well.  

I am in Canada, and write prescriptions for my own horses and clients' horses to the Island Pharmacy in BC, but unfortunately, that is no help for you!

Jaini (BVSc),Merlin,Maggie,Gypsy

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ECHistory/files/Jaini%20Clougher%2C%20Smithers%20BC/