Lantus - how long should I use one pen?

I know the pharmacists say 28 days or whatever, but even my vet said studies have shown its okay to go 4-6 months.

So I was just curious what experience people have found.

 

Well the answer is it all depends. On how it is stored, handled etc. It can last anywhere from one month to thrre, four , maybe six.


The only way to know for sure ifit is bad is. If it is clpudy, has floaties or you get bgs that are wonly for an extendeds period for no appaerent reason.

 

here is a link from the lantus forum on proper handling and storage of Lantus:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151

hope that helps a bit!

 

Most of us store our pens in the fridge. And I don't think most get more than a month or two. But it all depends (like Hillary said)....if you start to see that the BG's are not responding as they should always check to see how long you have been using that pen. it could be bad.

 

Regardless of what your vet says, I can tell you that it CAN lose potency in the one month's time. My lantus lost it after about 30ish days, and I know because the very first shot from the new container gave better numbers.

Sure many say theirs has lasted longer but just be warned, it you doubt, seeing as Hilary stated, BG numbers creaping up, and you are past that cutoff date, you may be needing to crack open a fresh pen.

 

mine's lasted about 9 weeks (almost to the last drop). i used to throw away pens/cartridges at 28 days, especially if i saw higher numbers around then, but learned the numbers had other explanations. when cleo's lantus has gone bad (3-4 times), it has had a very strong bacon smell instead of the normal lantus smell. in terms of how carefully i've handled it, i keep it refrigerated, but have been known to leave it out overnight and drop it a number of times with no ill effect.

 

I date the cap when I open a new pen. With 5 cats on Lantus, and of course I am on it too, I use 2 cartridges a month.

If I adopt some of my fosters, I might see if I can get longer than a month on a cartridge

Claudia

 

I have been using mine since 4/6 and still getting good results from it. I store mine in the refridgerator. It is almost empty and I expect that I will be able to use every drop. Yea!!!! :mrgreen: