Lantus Pleae help.

My vet just changed Missy's insulin to Lansus. I checked the price at my local Parmacy it is 114. Does anyone know where to get it cheaper if there is a place. Thanks everyone so much for all your help.


Rob and Missy cat(2)_steam

 

Hi and welcome. I don't know current cost but most of us on Lantus do use the pens for drawing up our insuling not the vial. The vial, even though there is more insulin in it, may go bad before you use it all. The pens are good for at least 30 days - some of us get more out of them- and you end up wasting a lot less. The pens usually come 5/box. I have seen reports of some pharmacy's being willing to split up the box and sell 1 - but sounds like that happens very infrequently. Some of us have ordered (or gone to) Canada for our lantus. Be careful if you order it at this time of year - it needs to be kept refridgerated and some people have received theirs warm - or have found out after that it had been sitting in the heat.

 

My Missy is on Lantus up here in Canada. Lantus costs CDN$ 85.00 per vial. As per the instructions it is only good for 28 days & it does not need to be refrigerated (it can be but is not reqd per info in package) However it cannot get to a temp above 30 deg C (about 100 deg). Up here no presciption is reqd for this. I have only used the vial so I cannot advise on other formats.

 

tho i live in the US i get mine from canada (canadadrugsonline.com). i buy the 5 cartridges rather than a vial because if i damage one i have others left. they last about 9-10 weeks each for me (down to the last drop on a dose of about 1.25 twice a day).

they package and ship very well and are the cheapest supplier i've found so far. US residents need a prescription, tho, which your vet can call in for you.

 

A recent thread about the Lantus bottle vs the pens/cartridges: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=20775

Shop around for the bet price. $114 is typical for a 10 ml bottle of Lantus *but* it's not worth buying it because you're throwing away a barely used bottle at the end of the month. Buy the Lantus pre-filled SoloStar or Opticlick pen cartridges instead. The prescription has to specify the type of Lantus "container" you want, ie SoloStar pens or Opticlick cartridges.

With either the pens or cartridges, you don't need anything fancy to get the insulin out. Just use an insulin syringe. The end of the pen or cartridge has a rubber stopper, just like an insulin bottle. Read the Lantus sticky on how to use a pen or cartridge: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151 There's also a picture here of how to use the pen: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=16795

 

I also agree, it is better to get the pens or cartridges. Initially you may pay almost twice as much, but they will last more than 5 times longer than a single vial. I am able to use every drop in the pen vs throwing away more than half when I used the vial because it finally quit working. Ask you vet for the script for either the pens or cartridges, it is worth the extra expense. Unless your cat is a high dose kitty, a package of 5 cartridges or pens will last almost a year in insulin.

 

Thanks for the great info on where to get Lantus cheaper! I nearly fell of my rocker when my boyfriend came home Monday and told me that Walgreens charges $114 for the bottle..I asked "is that a 3 month supply??" To which he replied "no, it's good for 28 days"..:shock: ..I'll definetly look into the cartridges and online ordering.

 

The 28 days is for an unrefridgerated vial. Keeping it in the fridge and taking care to not roll or shake it, you can get it to last quite a bit longer.
Our vial lasted 2.5 months. It probably could have gone longer, but I kept thinking I was catching glimpses of floaties and the numbers were flatter, not as much dip, and I didn't want to jeopardize going OTJ so I switched. I see many people use their vials for longer than 28 days, you just need to watch the BG numbers. Some kitties are more sensitive and their numbers will start to creep up as the Lantus gets a bit older, some can go on the same vial for quite a while.

 

I have been using the same vial of Lantus since April 19th. I keep it in the fridge, I don't roll or shake it and pretty much treat it like it's dynamite :smile:

I too was shocked at how much Lantus was going to be if I had to purchase every month :shock: I will buy the pens the next time. This is what I was told the other day...my mother is a Nurse Practioner and was
at a meeting and asked one of the nurses if she knew anything about the insulin Lantus. She did and said I shouldn't have a problem with it lasting for six months
which is what my vet told me. She works in a hospital and they throw away every 3 months. So, right now I'm making sure to track Doodles numbers I'm paying attention to
any whacky numbers (none so far ) and I check the vial every time for any floaties or anything weird.

Hope this helps. But I would not keep out, I would put in the fridge ;-)