1/2/20 - Clarence will be Switching from Vetsulin to Lantus - Questions

Hello and Happy New Year! . A Happy and peaceful 2020 to everyone and every kitty, of course.

I haven't posted in a long time, but find myself needing help from all the good people out here once again...
Sorry if this gets a bit long...
After talking with Clarence's vet, we have decided to try him on Lantus. I'm hoping the switch will work out for him better than the vetsulin. Time will tell.

The vet was more than happy to write a Rx for the Lantus and told me he had recently attended a conference on pet diabetes. From the sounds of it, he is now totally on board with me doing home testing and doing curves at home, reporting back to him. I am so thankful for that. And he is fine with me using a human meter (as he said, that's what was used before the pet ones came along).

I have read some of the stickies on Lantus (still working thru them all), but I do have a question about making the switch. I would appreciate any input from anyone out here.

My vet suggested that I start Clarence on the same dose he currently gets of vetsulin, which is 1.75 units. One of the stickies advises: If the cat was previously on another insulin, the starting dose should be increased or decreased by taking prior data into consideration.

I'm using a Relion Prime meter and haven't been doing a lot of testing lately, but I do understand that with a switch I will need to monitor him much more frequently.

I'm wondering if it would be better to start lower than 1.75 or if that dose seems appropriate? I plan to start once i get the Rx filled and get the U100 needles.

Thanks from both me and Clarence for any thoughts or input on the switch.

 

We do take into consideration the dose they were on, so I'd suggest starting at 1.5U of Lantus and testing as often as possible just in case he's one of the cats that reacts quickly to the change.

But you also need to be prepared that it's possible his numbers could look worse for a few days. Most of the time, it takes 5-7 days before you see the results of the starting dose because Lantus is a depot insulin and the depot has to "fill up" before you'll see how that dose is truly working.

Make sure you get some tests on the PM cycle too. Most cats go lower at night, so it's important to get at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle.

Do you know about buying Lantus from Canada? That's where most of us buy from because it's 1/3 to 1/2 the price compared to the US. Here's the information on buying insulin from Canada. Takes about a week to get to you once they have your information and copy of your script.

 

Hi Chris and thank you for the suggestion and the info that his numbers could look worse for a few days. I will keep that in mind and try not to panic if it happens. The vet gave me an Rx for just one vial with no refills, and said that if he did better on the Lantus then let him know and then he would refill. I know it is really pricey here and thought I'd fill one here and if Clarence responds good to the Lantus then I would ask my vet to write a new Rx with refills on it, then look into the Canada option. I guess I was thinking it would be easier to do that, but I'll take a look at that info again and maybe give it another thought. There are some coupons available here that I get a little off of the price (more if it wasn't for a cat), but not much. I don't know where in the US you are, but here in California, it is pretty high.

 

I'm in Missouri and the price is awful here too....about $300 for a vial and about $500 for a 5 pack of pens so Marks Marine Pharmacy was a Godsend to me!

 

Some of my ancestors were from Missouri, tho I've never been there. How is your winter weather where you are? I read the info and I am a little nervous since I don't want it to freeze and although it didn't freeze last night, it has been freezing where I am. And the cost here is the same as it is for you. My only consolation is that the per unit cost isn't horribly more than the U40 insulins. I read that if I keep it refrigerated it 'should' last longer than the 28 days, so I hope that is the case. There's no way I could afford to keep him on it at that price if it doesn't last a little while.

 

The pens will last until the expiration date on the box...Usually at least 2 years away! The 28 days limit is what they legally have to tell you but the only reason is because the manufacturer only asked the FDA to test it for 28 days!

Marks will not ship it if it's going to be too cold in your area. They'll wait until it can be shipped safely. In the summer, they offer a special cooler option to make sure it stays cool. Each shipment in the summer also comes with a special temperature sensor in the package that will show you if it spent time over 80 degrees and for how long.

They've been shipping to the US for many years and really know what they're doing.

 

Thank you so much, I will definitely be looking into them. You've been very kind and I appreciate all the great info.

Have a nice evening.