Lantus vs Levimir for Acro

Lantus vs. Levimir Question.
Malachai is on 17units and is burning through vials. I've heard that a lot of people with Acro's prefer Levimir. Why is this? I know that some cats experience a sting with high doses of Lantus but if that isn't happening (yet), should I still switch?
I happen to have a hookup where I can get Lantus vials pretty cheap. Mark's Pharmacy would cost me almost $200 every 5 weeks so I'm not sure I can afford that.
Thoughts on this?
ALSO, IF I were to TRY Levimir and not see any changes/improvements, could i switch back over to Lantus or will that mess up his system/depot?
I'm not very educated on Levimir and how different it is from Lantus.
Thanks!

 

The primary reason that people will switch from Lantus to Lev is that at large doses, Lantus can sting. If Malachai doesn't seem to be bothered, I wouldn't worry about it. Functionally, the two insulins work in a similar manner. Other than Lantus stinging, the nadir on Lev is later. Those are the major differences.

If I may, I would encourage you to always get at least before bed test.every night as well at always getting a pre-shot test.. Acro kitties can still drop into low numbers. With the amount you're testing, you won't know if the tumor is revving down and what you're seeing with regard to high numbers is a bounce. You also have no idea whether it's safe to shoot. That 170 on 3/4 is a clue that Malachai may not be stuck in high numbers. Right now, you're missing over half of your data.

 

As Sienne says, it's the sting that is the primary reason people switch. I didn't switch for that reason, though I discovered later it probably was stinging a bit because Neko started purring for her Lev shots, which she never did for Lantus. The reason I switched is because she was very bouncy and I was trying to flatten her out. For some cats, Lev will give flatter cycles. It did for Neko, which made my life easier. The odd cat needs a bit less Levemir than Lantus, but not all. We ended up at about the same dose.

For Malachai, we have no idea by the data in the spreadsheet if 17 units is a good dose, or if he's being overdosed or underdosed. I am going to echo Sienne (and myself from previous posts), you really should step up the testing. The number one cause of death of acrocats is from a hypo. The acro tumour can pulse up and pulse down, meaning a sudden need for less insulin. We have few cats here who over a fairly short period of time needed quite a bit less insulin. That cannot be detected without more frequent testing. Our primary concern is safety of the cat.