Really dumb question

I'm getting down to the last little bit of insulin in the vial and it's getting harder and harder to get what's left in the vial into the syringe. It's like I have to just barely put the needle into the vial and then draw it up but it's hard to figure out how far to insert the needle. I'm sorry if that sounds confusing ... it's early and I'm not totally awake yet ... need WAY more coffee! I want to use as much of the insulin as possible before starting on another vial but am wondering if it's me or if it's a case of getting the last little bit out is an impossible task. Any tips? Any suggestions? Or do I just need a whole lot more coffee to become coherant?

 

Time for a new bottle?

 

On other meds in the past, I have just maneuvered things as best as possible til I can't manage any more - insert the needle only a little, tip the bottle, etc. It's a pain.

Noticed you are in Poulsbo though, I have been there!!! My 'rents live in Sequim...

 

i'm thinking it's just a matter of arranging the bottle just right and getting just the mere tip of the needle in there.
even tho' it's low you could still have like 10 or more U's left, they're soooo small.
but get that new bottle on board soon.

 

Small world Not many people would have any clue as to where Poulsbo is ... nor Sequim for that matter.

 

Yup, called in the refill already and have to pick it up tomorrow.

 

When I first picked up the PZI the first of last month the pharmacist said there were 200 doses in the vial. Well, it's definitely short because I've been giving only 1 unit AM & PM which means it should have lasted 100 days according to my calculations and it hasn't been nearly that long. But I'm not complaining because cost wise it's still reasonable.

 

What kind of "PZI" and what strength are you using? Sounds like maybe a compounded insulin? The Humulin N + PZI compounded should work OK but I just thought I would mention since you are getting a new bottle that [since it is a compounded insulin] that the strength from bottle to bottle can/may vary. Just something to keep an eye on as you switch bottles.

46 days @ 2U = about 100U in your last bottle? Seems odd maybe? Even a 5ml bottle that many compounded insulins come in is 200U at U40 strength. How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking?

10ml of U40 ProZinc = 400U in a bottle which you can get for about $90 and it has a shelf life of 2 years from the date of manufacturer. BCP PZI [even though it is compounded, is another good alternative].

 

For your next bottle you might request that it be made in U-40 strength, then you could use the U100 syringes with the conversion chart linked in the sticky at the top of this forum and dose in much finer and consistent gradients. You would just need to absolutely not get the two bottles mixed up.

What are your thoughts about BCP or ProZinc?

 

I have to admit I don't know enough about BCP or ProZinc to form an opinion. My vet was the one that wanted Puckett to be on the compounded PZI. Puckett is not the only cat in my household (I have 9 kitties) and several of them refused to eat canned food. I've been feeding EVO dry for a long time but have gotten Puckett to eating mostly canned food at this point but he does have access to the EVO dry. However, at this point he's eating very little of it which I'm very happy about. But my vet said because we can't change to everyone eating canned food she felt that the PZI would be the best choice of insulins. And at this point he accepts the injections well but he's still not letting me test. He's absolutely phobic about having his ears (or feet for that matter) handled. He's come a long ways since he was diagnosed but we have a long ways to go yet. When he's on the couch lying next to me and he's drowsy he'll let me rub his ears but if I try to take a hold of one he's instant awake and "takes a powder" so to speak.

Oops ... forgot to answer your other question. To have this amount compounded it costs me $44.

 

BCP and ProZinc are both PZI insulins.

My only thoughts are that since you were talking about getting a new bottle you might consider one of these insulins.

You can read the sticky at the top of this forum for lot of info about PZI insulins and more. There's even a list of place to get the ProZinc if that is something you would decide on. The BCP is a good choice too and can be ordered in U-40 strength too. The cheapest way to the the BCP seems to have you vet send BCP a script rather than your vet procuring it from them then charging you a markup.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1979

Also you said your current insulin was U-100 strength. If it came in a 5ml bottle and was actually filled with 5ml then you should have ended up with 500u in that bottle and not 200U you were told. But I have no idea the bottle size or what it was actually filled with.

Anyway, maybe something to talk with you vet about if you wish.

 

The vial I got with the compounded PZI wasn't full by any stretch of the imagination. It had exactly 200u of insulin in it. I will be checking in with my vet next week and will talk to her again about the insulin and options. I'm blessed with a vet who knows me very well and knows my "skittish" cats and she encourages me to do as much as possible on my own since my cats get so stressed at the vet clinic. Puckett has done extremly well on the small dose of insulin that we're giving him.