? Questions on switching from Novolin to Lantus

Rocky has been on Novolin since January and I think he's done well on it for the most part. Obviously it saved his life and I think I got him pretty well regulated. I've had a few reading here and there sub-250.

But lately, the past few weeks, we've been having some problems with it. He's responding to it with much more difficulty than we've had in the past. Maybe he's more insulin sensitive now? Is that possible? Because it seems like it starts hitting him within an hour of injection, as he's coming to me meowing for some food. Before it would come at usually +3 or +4.

He also has been having more symptoms of hypo (mainly at night). Such as howling, restlessness, frantic behavior, asking for more food, etc. Usually all timed around the +3-4 mark. The past few nights I haven't given him a shot he didn't exhibit these symptoms (though obviously his BG would be through the roof the next morning).

Suffice to say, I think both me and Rocky are sick of this so we're probably going to be getting some Lantus from our Canadian friends. It's what I always wanted to get but the first thing I saw was the $300 price tag before recently discovering alternatives

My questions are:

1. Novolin would always hit him the hardest at +3-4 and this is when he was frantic for food, so I always had to plan a day around being able to feed him at that time. I read that Lantus typically hits nadir around +6-8. Will he still exhibit this kind of behavior around that time on Lantus? For example if he gets a Lantus shot at 9 pm will he be up at 4-5 in the morning howling for some food? Or is this unique to Novolin due to it's harshness?

2. Can you use syringes with the pen? I'm not a fan of the pen, I don't like seeing the actual amount of insulin being injected into the cat. I'd prefer to do it with a syringe as I have been (but the pens are much cheaper than the vials)

3. If I want the pen do I need the vet prescription to specifically say pen?

4. It's been 90F+ here in Missouri and isn't changing any time soon. Is the insulin going to be safe getting here?

5. Whereas I've always been basing doses on the pre-shot test on Novolin, I've read that Lantus doses are based around the nadir, is this accurate?

Sorry for the long post, but both me and Rocky are fed up with this foolishness and I haven't gotten much sleep since it started

 

There's no pat answer for this....ECID (Every Cat is Different) ...some nadir early (like +3 or+4), some nadir right around +6 and some don't nadir until later in the cycle. All you can do is test enough to try to figure out when he'll usually nadir. Buying an auto-feeder has saved the sanity of a lot of people here! You can program it to open in those wee hours of the morning

YES! We actually don't recommend using the special pen needles because they're designed to work with the "dial-a-dose" mechanism that only dispenses in whole unit increments.

Not if you're ordering from Marks Marine in Canada. If your vet writes for the vial, you can just call and ask for the pens.

If you're ordering from Marks, they will offer to send it in an insulated cooler (along with the special envelope and cool pack they send with it)...I think it's an extra $10

Yes...lantus dosing is based mostly on the nadir, not the PS.....the PS's are important to know it's safe to give any insulin at all