Lantus Cost

Hi, I was blessed enough to get the free Lantus offer, when it comes time to get more - does anybody know how much it runs?

 

It's about $103 at WalMart. That's the cheapest I know of. My understanding is that it will last for 6 months as long as its kept in the fridge. Is that correct....anyone??? :?


Edited to remove "frozen"

 

I think that is about right - 6 months...Traci did u mean "not frozen"? I think u meant not frozen cuz if u freeze it its no good lol

 

Actually it will last until the expiration date on the box (unopened) usually that's about 2 years from the production date. Opened catridges and pens that are handled properly and kept refidgerated should last about 6 months or until almost empty. Some people notice that regaurdless how old the pen is the last 10 units or so aren't so effective. As long as the liquid is clear, colorless and appears to be doing it's job then it is useable. It should be kept refridgerated (both opened and unopened containers) do not freeze, and try to protect from light as much as possible.

Insulin stored at room temp. should not be used after 28 days even if it's unopened. As far as cost I have no idea (I'm not in the US) but I have heard it can vary amoung pharmacies so best is to ask around and find out if they offer a customer card or other discount.

Don't know if this is applicable to anyone but, I can have my own doctor write me a private Rx (we have a national health plan) I have to pay the whole cost myself for the insulin but if it is in my name I can save the reciept and submit it as medical expenses for taxes or claim it towards the deductable for my own health insurance ;-)

 

Monique-

If the insurance people find out the insulin is for your cat, no you, you'll be in big trouble submitting those receipts. Be careful.

Ronnie- Oops! Ididn't mean frozen, I meant kept cold. I edited the post.

 

Thanks, everyone! One last thought.. do I stick with the pens or in another form? Both about $103?

 

Don't worry Traci, they could care less about that, we have people getting a Rx for asprin which costs 3€ 2x in a week the insurance pays it because the people have thier doctor write it's for a heart condition, but the truth is they are giving it out for headache or something (which normally you would have to pay yourself) I get great deals on test strips over Ebay bacause human diabetic have thier doctors prescribe 5 times more test strips as they need, then they sell them on Ebay to make money. I can buy them at 1/2 the pharmacy price. Our health insurance is paid for through our taxes, currently we pay about 70% of our income in taxes. I don't even need to use the insulin for my deductable, usually I have met the limit in the month of January and pay nothing for the rest of the year. One of my medications costs 3,500€ ($5,000) for a 28 day supply. I take about 15 tablets morning and evening. :roll:

It doesn't matter who the medication is for, the deductable is "for the houshold medical expenses" Spooky does in fact live in my household :razz:

 

I filled the free Lantus prescription at Walmart, and for five Solostar pens, the price before the coupon was $199.99. I have no idea if you can get fewer for cheaper, or that price above is for the vial? I think the general consensus is that the pens are more cost effective because the vial *might* last six months, but there is no guarantee. With the pens, you could conceivably use each pen for a few months (if on a small dose), which would mean 5 pens could last for more than a year!

I think that several of the Canadian pharmacies are cheaper than Walmart, even with the shipping. Something like $120 for the five pens. You just have to shop around well before you need the insulin. Otherwise you'll be freaking out when you realize you're out of insulin, it's Sunday morning, and the vet and pharmacy are both closed! (I, of course, have never almost run out of insulin. Never. ;-) )

 

Holly and Pablo, good information & I thank you for your valuable input too

 

The price I quoted was for the vile. I think the pens only come in a box so you can't just get one.

Monique-holy crap! I can't believe you pay 70% in taxes. I'm glad you can submit those receipts!!!

 

I bought the vial from Walmart and it was $103. Before handing me the bag, the pharmacist asked me if I knew how much it cost and I said, "Yes, but I gotta have it." She knew it was for Mally and was probably wondering if I wanted to spend that much for insulin for a cat.

The vet did tell me that I could continue to use the Lantus vial as long as it remained clear, even if I went past the recommended expiration date.

I also called Walgreens, which is across town, and their cost for the vial is $106, however, they have a prescription card that anyone can get and with the card I would get something like $8 off each time I needed to refill the prescription. Going that route would have brought the cost just a tad lower than Walmart, but Walmart is closer so that's where I went this time. The guy at Walgreens was not at all surprised to hear that I was pricing insulin for a cat. :smile:

 

The 10 ml bottle costs about $100 or so. The cartridges and pens are around $150 or so. Price does vary on location and pharmacy so shop around. You can also use a free prescription drug card to shave a couple dollars off the price: http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... 84,1946184

The pens and cartirdges are more cost effective than the 10 ml bottle. Stick with those.

 

Wow, really I can use Fred's drug costs as a Schedule A deduction? "for the houshold medical expenses" Fred also does in fact live in my household and I consider him my baby and total dependant! Is that legit? I will do it if so!

I have had a friend traveling over from Canada bring back Lantus for me. In Canada it is over the counter and much much cheaper, not the exchange rate only but the actual drug price. I got 5 cartridges for around $90 last year. And I am on my last vial (actually ahve several left but was thinking at some point they might be off when Fred's numbers were so high, but now I just realized I wasn't giving enough)

I have ALWAYS in past 4 years used the insulin (vials initially) and cartridges the last 2ish years way past the expiration date--like 5 or 6 months. Always kept htem refridgerated etc.

I get the test strips o Ebay too. On average pay $35-40 for 100 strips if I get in on a good bidding situation. So works out to be very reasonable.

 

I definitely prefer the small vials to the solostar pens. For some reason, I've had a harder time drawing out insulin from the pens - more bubble issues.

You can order lantus online from Canadian pharmacies pretty cheaply - 5 of the smaller vials for $109, shipping included.

 

Cats (pets) are not members of a household as defined by the IRS. Pets are property not members. I hate to say it but claiming a cat's insulin on your health insurance is fraud and drives up insurance costs. Also, have a human doctor write you a script for you cat is also fraud and could lead to disciplinary action for your doctor.

 

If you live in the U.S., it's not a legitimate expense.

 

Monique lives in Europe. She is not committing fraud here in the US :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

Yep. Things are different for Monique in Europe, but I think Martica might live in the U.S. and she asked about the deduction. :smile:

 

Wow its a lot more here in Wisconsin, even walmart charges $237 for a package of pen refils. The Insulin from Canada has gone up as of Jan 1 also and now requires a prescription in case anyone hasnt heard that yet.

 

The pen cartridges are much more cost-effective than the vials, especially since the insulin sometimes does go bad before its time (shows sparkly or cloudy precipitate).

Since a 3ml pen refill going bad wastes a lot less money than a 10ml vial going bad, I'd stick with pen refills if cost is your biggest concern.

 

If you have a Costco nearby, you may want to check with their pharmacy. My cat has been in remission for some time, but I remember that they were quite a bit less even than Walmart when she was using Lantus.

 

And to answer your first question:

1) Yes, take the free Lantus offer.
2) Cost of insulin is small compared to the big costs of uncontrolled diabetes, namely test strips and kitty litter. They will each cost a lot more per day than the insulin. If cost is an issue, pay the insulin, forget about it for a year, and work on reducing those other two costs.

 

where can you get the free lantus offer? I'm in Canada is it still offered up here? My friend is a pharmacist and he said that the drug cost up here is around $70 for the 10 ml vial. Thanks in advance

 

Hi Dillian,

The free offer was only only valid in the US and it ended on Dec. 31, 2009 anyway. Lantus is cheaper in Canada however and although the 10ml vial is a little less expensive it is not recommended for several reasons.

1. a glass vial is breakable if you drop it ALL your insulin is gone (like putting all your eggs in one basket)
2. a vial contains 10ml which is 1000 units of insulin and costs $70, a package of 5 Solor star pens are each 3ml x 5=15ml and is then 1500 units they cost slightly more (I've heard about $100 quoted) but it is also 1.5 times as much insulin!
3. In the event something happens to your pen (dropped, left in the sun, insulin goes bad) and you have to throw it out before it's empty even if you only used half your only tossing about $10 worth of insulin and you still have 4 more unopened pens that you can use.

If Lantus is stored properly and handled carefully it can last several months, the unopened pens if kept refridgerated and stored in the box are usable until the experiration date printed on them (usually about 2 years from manufacture date)