Starting Arnold on Lantus

So the vet called this morning and confirmed we wanted to switch Arnold and he said he'd call in the NPH and went over dosing. I asked him if it would be all right if we chose another insulin and he wanted to know why etc. I told him Levemir was preferred (just from what I've read here, it seemed like a good start for us) or Lantus. He told me he had no experience w/ Levemir so told me he'd do some research and call me back. He called back this afternoon and said he was familiar w/ the Lantus so we decided to try it instead. We talked a little about dosing and I mentioned I wanted the pens vs a vial and we talked about that. He told me I could talk to the pharmacist about it and just be sure to call back to get it noted in Arnold's file. He was really nice and didn't seem upset that I had my own ideas like some Drs can be. So we're doing Lantus at 1u BID, does that sound right? I need to read on the Lantus forum b/c I think I remember it works a little differently than the Vetsulin and how we had been doing it. Thanks for all your help!

 

:RAHCAT good for u!

often times, vets will take clients requests into consideration, and look it up themselves, good for u!

Lantus does work differently than vetsulin, so yes, reading up on lantus would be a good start.

 

It looks like we're starting w/ the vial. I just can't cough up $250 right now to get the Lantus SolarStar pens. The vial is 1/2 the price and the vet said should last 4-6 mos at least.

 

Sounds like you have an awesome vet. From what I've read here 1u BID (or even .5) is a good way to start.

My mom's cat Francis was on 3.5 unites PZI and when he swithced to Lantus he only needed .5. Quickly that changed to .25 and now to a "fat zero" all in less than a month, so make sure you're hometesting. Best of luck!! dancing_cat

 

Sorry... everything I've seen and read says you won't get more than the 28 days out of the Lantus vial. That's why it's more cost effective to go with the pens.

There was a posting in Supply Closet about individual pens for sell. Ask on the Lantus ISG also.

 

Here's the Supply Closet thread:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4502

 

Thanks. I'm not spending $100 if I can only get 28 days out of it. No way, no how! I'll check the supply closet again, thanks. Grrrr. If I have to, I will spend the $$$, it's just not ideal. Then again, if we can get 10 mos use out of the pens, that's not horrible.

 

I'm worried about shipping since it's really cold here and I know it can't freeze.

 

is the vial 10ml?
if so, lantus manufacturers give an open vial a 28 day span, BUT many on the lantus board have used it up to 40 days with no wonkiness.
this is where ur data collecting will come in handy when you pass 28 days, u will wanna keep an eye on the vial, making sure u haven't dropped it, rolled it around, left it unrefridgerated etc

the way I hear, the 10ml vial, as Lantus is a human insulin, humans use more than cats, hence the size difference - human vs cat...therefore the 10ml vial is economical for human use.


if u pick up the 5-pack/ 3ml vials, which in the long run is a better deal, not sure of U.S pricing, others can chime in that, depending where u are maybe...
but if u use the 5-pack, thats about one vial per month, therefore, lasting you 5 months or more

the pens, I am not too sure about, again, I hope others can offer some thoughts on that.

UNopened lantus has a fridge life of up to 6 months by the way.
This board has a Supply Closet forum, where members posts diabetic items for sale or to give away, check there often.

But, at this point, you get what you can afford, and if it's lantus, no matter what size etc..you are half way there to treat Arnold.

Can I ask what syringes u are using?
And you're home testing right? obviously, u have a spreadsheet, lol
if u dont have the 1/2 unit marking syringes, you will want to pick those up, an example: BD brand 3/10cc', with 1/2 unit markings, Walmart's Relion brand also carries them

If you're not certain of those just ask, start a new thread, or add it to ur subject line.

I'm going to link this thread in the lantus forum to get lantus users coming over to offer feedback to get u started, so stick around here for now, when your ready you can move over to the lantus forum.

 

Thanks, I need all the help I can get! I may just wait to get his insulin till tomorrow and just do the vetsulin again tonight. That'll give me more time to figure it out, plus we're going out tonight for my youngest's first birthday. That's going to screw up Arnold's #s anyways, grrrr. I need to get him new food too. He doesn't seem too keen on his food and I just found an all natural dog and cat food store last night that we're going to after school today. I'm excited to see what they have as the poor cat has no safe treats and he's starting to run when he sees me coming w/ his black glucometer case. :sad: I'm sure that's probably part of his # wonkiness, is sometimes he eats more than other days. I've been trying to keep track of what flavors I feed him, but haven't found a pattern. Maybe we'll try the Fancy Feast b/c it seems a lot of people (well, cats, lol) here like it.

 

Jennifer,

KItty Kaviar is a popular treat as are freeze dried meat and fish. You can always boil up a chicken breast and cut into small pieces.

 

I have the Lantus vial and my vet told me I'd get much longer than 28 days from it. More like a couple of months. The recommendation for humans is to only use the vial for 28 days. With cats, you can continue to use it as long as the insulin remains clear. If it starts to get cloudy or you see floaties in it, it's time to ditch it. Keep it refrigerated and don't shake or drop it. You don't have to roll Lantus in your palms either.

My cat went off insulin less than a month after starting it, so I practically have a whole vial left. :smile:

 

We're using U-40 syringes, but I know I need to get some U-100 now. I forgot that when I was on the phone w/ the vet and then called back to verify which unit on which syringe. He was sooooo nice!

I just can't find any safe treats here. I bought some anchovy ones and he wouldn't even put them in his mouth. He stared at me like I was stupid, lol. I'm hoping this new store will have some for him. I did find some freeze drired salmon, but I really don't think he digs anything from the ocean. :lol:

 

Hi! Congrats to starting with Lantus. We have the solostar pens. And if you get pens with the latest expiration date they can last until then if you don't end up using all the pens. I got my pens filled at Target and they told me it would have cost ~$200. I was fortunate enough to get a coupon for 5 free pens of lantus solostar pens before the coupon expired 12/31/09.

 

Good to know, thanks. Yeah, the vet was adamant that I'd get at least 4 months out of the vial b/c I did express my concerns on cost and getting the most use out of whatever I bought. I can see why people try and find new homes for their sugar cats. :cry:

 

Check the petstores for Halo brand Liv-a Littles(? I think thats the name) they make freeze dried treats too.

will u be able to get a preshot test tonight before your last dose of vetsulin? I noticed there wasn't one last nite. Just to be safe.

if u need help, just post here in health for vetsulin help tonite

 

I didn't get a pmps last night b/c he didn't eat when I gave him dinner and I normally test then and then he ate and BIL and his wife and surrogate came over so we kind of missed it I think.

 

Hi: Welcome to Lantus. Good luck with finding a good supplies. Do you have a Cosco near you. They have the best price on the cartridges or pens. Do you have a meter to home test. Walmart has the best deal with the Ultima and the strips are 100 for $39.00. I have used the cartridges for more then 30 days but not all the time. I switched from the vials because they were usually toast after 35 days. Post often, lots of help available here. Hope you did not purchase the AlphaTrak, the strips are only available through the vet and very pricy and you will be using a lot of them. Again, welcome to Lantus users. It is a great place and you will do fine with all the support.

P.S. You don't have to have a Cosco membership to purchase RXs.

 

Look for Pure Bites freeze dried chicken breast dog treats at the new store you found. They're good for both dogs and cats. My four cats were treat addicts before I switched all of them over to wet food only when my cat was diagnosed. When I stopped feeding the dry food, I stopped with the dry treats as well and started using the freeze dried chicken. They love it. I tried the freeze dried fish as well, but they didn't like it. After a few weeks of getting only the freeze dried chicken as treats, they gobble it up and don't even miss the old treats they used to get.

If you can't find the Pure Bites, I know Petsmart has their own version of freeze dried chicken called Prime Bites.

 

I have to run the kitchen tap when I try to sneak a freeze dry treat out of their treat jar, kitties hear everything!! And they know the sound of the treat jar opening. If they hear me they wont leave me alone!! :lol:

 

Sound asleep on the other side of the house, my kitties know when I'm opening their treat bag. All of a sudden they appear out of nowhere. :lol:

 

Thanks so much on the Costco tip, wow! I can get the pens there for $190! If we have a card, we can get a discount too since there's no rx coverage for it. Makes me think hard about renewing our membership. ;-)

 

Great if you can get the pens at Costco! If might even be worth it to renew your membership. :smile:

 

There have been several discussions about how long Lantus lasts. There is a piece on Think Tank:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... 15,1906669

while the manufacturer says 28 days, the fact is, lantus lasts a lot longer than that.

We recommend the pens, as they are smaller amounts in each pen and thus overall more economical than the vial. While the upfront cost is higher, the actual per usage/months cost, comes out cheaper.

So, check out supply closet and maybe you can split a set with someone or purchase a single pen or two. Rather than 5 at a time.

Additionally for treats, here is where I found online the least expensive treats to get:

http://www.kingwholesale.com/Shopping/i ... fm?id=5994

I buy the largest chicken bags and buy 6 at a time to get the free shipping. depending on how many cats you have, it can last a long time.

http://wholesalesupplementstore.com/liv ... reats.html

I only buy chicken (beef tends to be too hard and is intended for dog teeth not kitty teeth).

Now, you know my secrets! ;-)

 

Based on my experience the Lantus cartridges are a little less expensive than the disposable pens. That makes since since the pen essentially incorporates the cartridge and thus the pen has more parts than just the cartridge. However, where I buy mine they do not stock the cartridges but have to special order it. They get special order deliveries twice weekly.

 

Costco does not require you to have a membership for their pharmacy.
Also if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you the cost of the pens with a discount card is about $170....not sure if that price is the same everywhere.

 

No one here stocked the cartridges either, just pens and vials. We didn't pick it up tonight, DH wasn't sure he wanted to yet. I just don't see the point of prolonging the inevitable, I think he agrees now that he understands it's just putting it off a few wks at most I think by not doing it now. He's just mad we're basically throwing away $$$ by switching before we 'have to' but he's also not the one that has to redo everything and deal w/ the adjustment periods. I am going to write a letter to our old ped though about how upset I am about them giving me Vetsulin to begin with since they knew we'd eventually have to transfer off it and soon at that. :-x Of course send printouts as well from the Vetsulin manufacturer.

I did get some new food to try, $$$ food, lol. He's scarfing it down though like he hasn't eaten in a week! I was going to start a thread about everyone's favorite food. I got some foods from the reccomended list and some Before Grain that a friend reccomended to me. That's what he's eating now mixed w/ his MD dry. I also got him some chicken treats, he hates those too. I'm not sure how and when he got so picky! :lol: