Switching insulins

My vet informed me today that after three successful years on Vetsulin we will no longer be able to obtain it and have to switch to something different. He asked me if I had a preference. I wanted to check here before giving him my two cents worth of opinion. I've heard many good things about Lantus, but also some bad things as well. We were doing great with the Vetsulin, I was consistently getting numbers in the 200-250 range before meals with a three unit dosage for an eight pound cat. Ihate to switch, but I guess I have no choice since apparently Vetsulin is no longer being produced. Any thoughts on an appropriate insulin would be helpful. When Norton was first diagnosed we tried Humulin with very poor results.

 

You will get some posts from people who like Lantus, PZI or Levemir. They all are good insulins, long lasting and gentle. If I were you, I would go over to the Insulin Support groups and read the stickies on the top, read some of the posts. That will give you a good idea of how to use the insulins and how they are working for others: viewforum.php?f=5

 

I chose Levemir -- it has the benefits of Lantus but is better because it does not sting when injected and also is less fragile -- we can use the cartridge completely - it does not go bad as quickly as Lantus.

 

I know there are a lot of people using Lantus, so there is a lot of support and info there. We use ProZinc, which is a newer insulin so there isn't as much data on it. It is similar to PZI, but not the same as it is manufactured, not compounded. I thought at first it might be a mistake, and that I might want to switch to Lantus, but I'm very happy that I stuck with the ProZinc. It gives you more flexibility if you can't shoot on a 12/12 schedule, and it is predictable if you understand the quirks with it. I would encourage you to at least consider it.

 

I haven't tried ProZinc but I've used Humulin N, BCP PZI, PZI Idexx and have settled on Levemir.

I believe my cats have enjoyed the flatter curves and the lower numbers we were able to achieve. Speaking in past tense there simply because I've had to introduce a steroid and Tucker's suffering from a CP flare so presently I'm struggling, but before that, he was loving the insulin.

For cats newer to insulin, I'd probably go with Lantus, but since yours is on three years, Lev may be better. I used Lantus for only a few days before Bean went off insulin, so my experience with that is too limited.

However, as Laurie mentioned, you may have more flexibility with ProZinc.

I guess the question is for you, what's your shooting schedule been like in the past? Do you prefer flexibility or do you normally maintain a strict schedule?