Medication Facts
- Performance enhancing
- N/A
- Total hours to clear
- N/A
- Frequently used
- Not recorded
- ESC ID
- NERVE-0620
- Trade names
- Not recorded
- Drug type
- N/A
- Plasma half-life · hours
- N/A
- Equine dosing
- N/A
- Cmax · peak plasma concentration
- N/A
- Tmax · time to peak plasma concentration
- N/A
- ESC concentration guidance
- N/A
- Primary withdrawal · hours
- N/A
- Washout withdrawal · hours
- Not recorded
- ESC control type
- N/A
- Medication report required
- N/A
Uses & side effects
Nerve
Product-specific side effects await source review.
Drug interactions
In equine medicine and regulatory oversight, nerve medications are strictly evaluated based on whether they treat neurological diseases (such as EPM), manage chronic nerve pain (such as laminitis or arthritis), or act as local anesthetics to block pain during performance.Under USEF, FEI, and HISA regulations, nerve-blocking agents and behavioral neuromodulators carry some of the strictest penalties in the sport.1. Local Anesthetics (Nerve Blocks)These medications physically block nerve conduction to eliminate pain in a specific region of the body. They are routinely used for lameness diagnostics but are strictly prohibited in competition because masking a structural injury can lead to catastrophic breakdown.Mepivacaine Hydrochloride (Carbocaine®): The gold standard for diagnostic equine nerve blocks (e.g., palmar digital nerve blocks) due to its rapid onset and minimal tissue irritation.Lidocaine Hydrochloride: A shorter-acting local anesthetic used for minor surgical procedures, skin suturing, or line blocks.Bupivacaine Hydrochloride: A long-acting local anesthetic utilized for extended post-operative pain relief or deep axial blocks (such as sacroiliac or dental nerve blocks).Regulatory Status: Banned on competition days. The detection of any local anesthetic in a competition sample constitutes a severe drug violation.2. Chronic Nerve Pain & Neuropathic MedicationsThese medications alter how the central nervous system processes chronic, maladaptive pain signals, such as those from chronic laminitis, navicular disease, or neck arthritis.Gabapentin: A neuropathic pain modulator increasingly used off-label in equine medicine. It targets the voltage-gated calcium channels in the spinal cord to alleviate chronic, burning nerve pain that traditional NSAIDs cannot touch.Amiantone / Ammonium Sulfate (Sarapin®): An injectable botanical extract used by veterinarians for regional nerve blocks or intramuscular "pitching" to dull chronic nerve pain in the back, hocks, or stifle region without causing motor impairment.3. Anti-Protozoal Neurological MedicationsThese medications target the protozoa responsible for Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), a devastating neurological disease that attacks the horse's brain and spinal cord, causing muscle wasting and ataxia.Ponazuril (Marquis®): An FDA-approved oral paste that crosses the blood-brain barrier to kill the protozoa (Sarcocystis neurona).Diclazuril (Protazil®): An FDA-approved top-dress pellet formulation utilized for convenient, daily EPM treatment.Toltrazuril / Pyrimethamine / Sulfadiazine: Alternative or compounded combinations utilized in aggressive or refractory neurological cases.Regulatory Status: Generally permitted for therapeutic use during USEF competitions, provided the horse is deemed neurologically safe to compete by a veterinarian.4. Forbidden Long-Acting NeuromodulatorsThese medications are human psychotropic drugs or antipsychotics that are illicitly used in performance horses to sedate nerves and alter behavior over weeks or months.Fluphenazine Decanoate & Reserpine: Long-acting antipsychotics that permanently alter dopamine and norepinephrine pathways to keep a horse unnaturally quiet.