Anyone ever used entire vial of Lantus?

I am nearing the 28 days and it looks fine. Frankly, I can't afford $110 a month just for insulin. The hubster is wondering too - in a not so nice way. I just want to calm his fears that I'm NOT going to spend this amount monthly. I'm giving 3 units, twice a day.

Thanks.

 

Theoretically you would use a vial in 166 days. I think some people have gotten six months out of their Lantus but many less. A lot of people her use the 3 ml cartridges or disposable pens since although the price per ml is more than the 10 ml vials you end up discarding less so the cost per usable ml is less with the cartridges/disposable pens than the vial.

 

An diabetic cat who also has acromegaly or Cushings or other health condition *may* use up an entire 10ml bottle of Lantus because of their huge insulin need.

Most diabetic cats can't use up the entire bottle before the insulin goes bad. The 28 day rule is for Human diabetics who can use up the bottle quickly. For cats, you can use the bottle longer than 28 days. Most of the time you won't know if the insulin has pooped out. Sometimes you may see stuff floating around inside the bottle. Other times the insulin will still look clear but your cat's bgs start creeping upwards.

Instead of the 10ml bottle, ask the vet to write the next prescription for either the Lantus pre-filled SoloStar pens or the Lantus Opticlick pen cartridges. Both types come in a box of five which is basically a 5 month supply. Each SoloStar pen or OptiClick cartridge contains 3ml of Lantus. You use one SoloStar pen or cartridge a month. The cost for the box is about $150 or so but it comes out to $30/month for each SoloStar pen or cartridge, much less than the $100+/month for a new 10ml bottle which gets thrown away still nearly full.

Shop around for price. Some pharmacies may charge less than others. There is also the option of buying from an online Canadian pharmacy.

You don't need anything special for the SoloStar pens or cartridge. There is a rubber stopper at the end and you just stick the insulin syringe needle right into it. This Lantus sticky has a picture: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151

And see this post for pictures of the different "containers" of Lantus and how to use a SoloStar pen or cartridge: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... d63c404f5b

 

and don't forget, you don't have to toss that vial unless the numbers get wonky or you see floaties in it.

(psssst.......any way to not keep hubby so informed about all this? LOL!! i learned many many years ago to not leave statements from the vet laying around :lol: )

 

The most I got was about 4 months. Have your vet write a new script for either the Lantus cartridges or Solostar pens the next time you need to buy insulin. The inital cost is about twice of one vial, but you get 5 cartridges/pens. My cat gets 2.5 units twice a day and a pen usually lasts almost 3 months.

 

You may not need a new prescription, my vet wrote me a prescription for the 10ml vial. But when I went to the pharmacy I asked to get the 3ml cartidges instead and she said fine.

 

Our vet told us we could use our Lantus for up to 3-4 months, which I tend to do, because I cannot afford $120 a month for insulin either. So far, never had a problem doing this.

 

We got a good 3 months or so out of Yittle's first and last vial of Lantus. It was enough to put him into diet controlled remission where he stayed until the cancer got him.

 

There is a sticky on the Supply Closet forum that has info about getting lower priced insulin from Canadian mail order pharmacies. Here.

 

I had thought that the 28-ish days cutoff mark was based on testing the ending up with the statement that Lantus should be effective for 28 days but not sure what happens after that time - because that's how long they tested it or something.

I compare it to the expiry tags on my bread - they can say good till Sep03 but I am pretty sure that if kept properly, I could still eat it on Sep04 or maybe even later.

How long did they test Lantus to reach that length? Anybody know? Maybe in all their testing, Lantus failed at various times, but stayed good up to that 28day mark.

I am sure if you treat it well, not leave it out in the heat for 2 days, or manhandle it in some way, you can easily use it till you start to see the results degrade in you testing.

Me, I use cartridges of Levemir and dearly wish I could get vials because 1 cart of 3ml lasts me about a week for Shadoe and Oliver. If you have a high dose kitty, the vials will surely get used to the last drop. When your total insulin use per day is 62units, the vial would not be wasted.
I think that point would be a great argument to give your vet if you get the rx for a vial and not cartridges. Ask the vet how long it would take to use up that 10ml vial if your dose is something like 1u BID or some other low amount. When the vet says a number longer than 28days, tell the vet fine, YOU can pay for the excess that will be lost when the insulin loses its punch, OR you can give me the rx for cartridges.

Crazy that I can't get the vials of Levemir in Canada, but I can get the Lantus vials.

 

Go ahead and use your vial for as long as you think it is working. When you need new insulin, be sure to get the pens or cartridges (3ml * 5 pens) rather than the vial.

 

Keep on using it until your kitty's blood sugar numbers start looking high for "no apparent reason" --- and the reason may be that the insulin has "pooped out".

the 28 days are "guaranteed strength when kept at room temperature"

So -- many here get longer duration when the insulin is stored in the refrigerator and handled carefully. (don't roll, shake or drop)

 

Thanks, all. So far , it's looking as clear as air and I do treat it like it's an ounce of "Joy" real perfume. It's never out of the fridge for more than 5 minutes, if that.
I'll ask about the pens, next time I need to refill.

 

As long as you are home testing, use the vial until the numbers begin to rise. As a human diabetic, I could never get more than 4-5 weeks out of a vial. I didn't use it up, the test numbers started to rise.

One thing to be sure is use a new syringe each time you inject.

Even though I have been on insulin for over 30 years, I learned about the Lantus cartridge option on this board, not from my human diabetic care team.

This board is fantastic.

Good luck,

Claudia

 

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That's funny- my vet tech said to roll it gently between my palms or on a soft towel.

 

Rolling is needed for the cloudy insulins that need resuspension, like PZI. Not needed for the clear insulins like Lantus and Levemir.

 

For that pasat 5 years I"ve used Lantus till it runs out pretty much--and each one lasts for me 4-5 months. I only bought the vials the first few times, then started buying the pen cartridges in case I'd break one. I keep them all refridgerated in one of the fridge drawers, even before I open them. I don't think I've every had a problem with them going bad, although if I've gotten bad numbers sometimes, I've switched to a new one...but I say keep using it past one month, for sure.

 

My vet told me the same thing too ..... I am so happy I read the Lantus stickies before I got the insulin - I would have ruined our vial in no time if I followed her instructions!