Switching from PZI Vet to Lantus

Hello! My name is Kate and my little man is named Shay. He has been diabetic now for 4 1/2 years and has been on PZI Vet for 4 of those years. He hasn't even been truly "managed" on the PZI Vet, but he hasn't had any ketone problems since starting (he had a lot of ketone problems prior to starting the PZI when he was first diagnosed and put on humulin). So, now that I cannot get the PZI Vet, my veterinarian is suggesting a switch to Lantus. He recommends this over the Prozinc. Is there anyone in this support group that has made teh switch from PZI to Lantus and if so, any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!!!!

 

Many of us have, and it sounds like your vet is fairly well-read. What dose are you at now? Are you hometesting? Check out Cindy and Mousie's thread here in Lantus Land, she just switched to Lantus on Friday after years of PZI.

I think you will find your Shay will be very happy with Lantus. Many of us ex PZIers have noticed the cats, even at higher numbers, seem to feel better on Lantus.

Upon switching, you will need U100 syringes, Lantus is a U100 insulin, so you can no longer use your U40 syringes. When you get your syringes, request those with 1/2 unit markings. Makes it easier to measure mid-doses.

 

Hi there,
I do believe there are several people who have made that switch so make sure to check back on this post for a day or so.

I just made the switch myself last friday actually. You can look at my spreadsheet if you want to see where we're at. we've reached the point that the lantus is doing something now. now we have to wait for Mousie's body to figure out how to use it properly.

oh, and another one to look at would be Sarah and Buzz. she just made the switch in January I know so while waiting for others to chime in you could read some of her threads too maybe

have you read the Stickies at the top of this forum? if not I encourage you to do so as the way lantus works is quite different from pzi so if you go into it not knowing anything about it, you'll get frustrated pretty easily in the beginning.

 

Thank you for your quick response! Oh, yes, I have been testing Shay all these years and he is such a trooper about it! I'll check out these threads (cindy/mouse and sarah/buzz) as well as the stickies. I am super nervous about this switch, but am also hopeful that, in the long run, Lantus will work better for Shay. Thank you for your support .... we should all feel so blessed to have each other to rely on.

 

Welcome and please rest assured that you can toss those worries right out the window.
You are in the absolute perfect place to get your Shay up n running on Lantus.

It's great that you have lots of test numbers, so you have data to put into your spreadsheet. Once you set up your profile with stuff about you and Shay, and create your signature with links to your profile and Shay's spreadsheet, you will be able to get some awesome guidance by others around here.
I switched from Caninsulin to Lantus, and everyone here was so helpful to me with the transition; it was smooth as glass!

Others will be along with all their suggestions and details and info, so get ready to be drowning in info and support!

Pats and scratches for Shay and you have a great day!

 

Welcome to LantusLand. Everyone here is so helpful and will make you feel right at home. I switched too. but had only just started on Vetsulin when I found out about the recall. Tess is doing so well on Lantus that I'm actually happy there was a problem because it motivated me to switch.

Read up on the stickies at the top of the page, ask lots of questions and get as much of Shay's info posted as soon as possible so you can start getting advice. Setting up the spreadsheets and profile looks daunting, but really isn't that bad. There's lots of help available.

Since you've been on PZI so long the hardest part will be that Lantus dosing is based on lowest BG of the cycle and isn't changed until several cycles to let the cat stabilize. There is a lot of carryover in Lantus, we call it a shed, takes some getting used to.

Got to go, time for another test. :roll:

 

What is the animal source for Lantus? Does anyone have experience with being on PZI for 4 years and then making the switch to Lantus. I am really nervous about this!!! Thanks in advance for advice.

 

animal source?

we used pzi vet from september 2006 until last week. my reasons for switching aren't like most peoples and my situation is slightly different than a lot so to be honest, i was just kind of curious since lantus has so much success and since i had some i figured why not try it at least.

 

Hi Kate! Welcome to FDMB and to Lantus Land (LL). As Cindy mentioned, I switched from PZI to Lantus in January. Buzz wasn't on PZI as long as Shay has been (only 4 months) and she had actually gone into remission for a month but then came back out. I chose Lantus because of PZI being discontinued, I had heard good things about it, it has an undeniably great remission rate, and I had a coupon for free Lantus.

It was quite a switch, I'll tell you that. Lantus is completely different than PZI in terms of the way it works, and it took my head a little bit to get wrapped around that. I imagine with you using PZI for so long it will be quite an adjustment, but the people here are absolutely wonderful, and incredibly knowledgeable. You will receive help and support any time you ask for it, and I couldn't have asked for better people to help with my transition.

I am very happy with Lantus so far, and Buzz is doing great. It was rough in the beginning, and if you look at my SS starting on January 9th, you will see what kind of numbers Buzz had at first. It took her almost a month to really settle in and get used to it. It might not be that way at all for Shay, but be prepared that it could be. That was the hardest, most frustrating thing for me: waiting it out. There were times I was ready to call my vet and ask for ProZinc. I stuck with it, though, and I am really glad I did (just like everyone said I would be ). So although it can be difficult, if Shay has a rough start to Lantus, please just hang in there and know that it WILL get better. I say this not to scare you off, but to prepare you for how things might go.

You asked about an animal source in Lantus. I assume you mean like PZI was made from beef and pork. Lantus is a human insulin and is man-made (recombinant DNA technology). You can read more about it if you are interested at the website, which is http://www.lantus.com

I think it's great that your vet wants to prescribe Lantus. Any insulin switch is scary, so we know where you're coming from on that, but you are in good (the best) hands here, and we are more than happy to answer your questions. Do some reading on other sites about Lantus, and read people's posts (called condos) here in LL to see what their experiences are. I have learned a lot just by doing that.

Ask any questions you think of, and remember that you have been doing this for 4.5 years and you can handle the switch!

 

Well, now Sarah, that post just about made me cry! Thank you for your honesty and kindness. I am as ready as I am ever going to be to make the switch. The last dose of PZI will be tomorrow night (Thursday) and I will start Shay on Lantus on Friday morning. I will be home Friday through Sunday so I can really keep a watchful eye on him and check his bg's often. My vet suggests that I may not see the real results for a week or so, so I need to be patient. I will spend some time reading other peoples posts/history and get a bit more acclimated. I take such comfort knowing that you all are here for support and I'm sure we will be in touch more as I make this transition! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

Cindy was sucked into the dark side cuz she heard we had cookies. It's not her fault. :lol:

 

You are most welcome.

I do want to reiterate what Carolyn said about the syringes since you will be starting Lantus on Friday. Definitely get the ones with 1/2 unit markings, otherwise it's very difficult to measure out the precise doses you will need. Here is a link to the correct kind, just so you can see what they look like (apologies if you already know this or already have some): http://tinyurl.com/qrwezq

Quite a few people use the Walmart brand, ReliOn. I'm not sure where you live but a few CA people say that they need a prescription, and some folks have trouble finding them at their Walmart, so you might want to call first. They are usually around $12 for 100, so it's quite a good price.

 

You have cookies?!?! Why didn't anyone say so? :smile:

 

OMG they didn't tell you Sarah? They're in the foyer, go get some! hehehe

 

I am on my way! I hope there's Oreos.

 

Hi Kate & Shay,
WELCOME!!
Stu was on IDEXX PZI Vet from January 2006 until late October 2009, so almost 4 years. I don't think he was ever regulated on PZI Vet and I didn't home test in those 4 years, just went to the vet for tests every 6 weeks or so. We switched to Lantus because PZI Vet was discontinued. The vet (a new vet; we had moved in the meantime) had read good things about Lantus and started us on it, but the dosing is so different from PZI Vet that we were shooting too large a dose at first. I started home testing about 2 months after beginning Lantus because I was alarmed at Stu's blood glucose readings at the vet's. I found and joined this wonderful board, and have learned a great deal. Basically I started Stu over from scratch (in mid January). Now we have reached a point where I can really see progress. The very knowledgeable and compassionate people on this board have helped us every step of the way. Whenever you have a question, do not hesitate to ask. Someone who knows the ins and outs of the protocol we use will be along to help you. Read all of the "stickies" (the informational articles at the top of the Lantus forum). When you begin Lantus, be sure to ask the people here about dosing. They will want to know what your dose on PZI Vet was, how old/big/well your cat is, what you feed him, etc. etc. You will get good advice. Above all, don't shoot blind! I made that mistake and poor Stu may have paid for it! Lantus is very different from PZI Vet, especially from the standpoint of scheduling the shots: you don't have much leeway as you did with PZI vet. Lantus should be given every 12 hours.
Congratulations on your choice of this insulin! I think you will like the results. I know you will like the people on this board.
Stu sends his welcome to Shay,

Ella & Stu

 

Well, I'm a mix of super nervous and super excited ... Shay just got his first shot of Lantus! His amps was 322 and since this is first experience with Lantus, my vet and I decided to start with 1 unit. I am in for the whole weekend and will be doing spot checks. I am also getting my spreadsheet up and going so you guys can help me track his progress. Wish us luck .... Here's hoping Shay will do soooo much better now that he has switched from PZI Vet to Lantus!!!

 

I'm excited to see what the day will bring for you and Shay! Remember, don't get discouraged if he is in high numbers for awhile. It will start to work once his shed builds up. Go Shay!