Vet prescription

The vet called me in a prescription for Lantus but he told me that not many experts in the field prescribe it b/c it has very few benefits and they didn't see much improvement using it. Why would he say that? I thought it was the insulin mainly used. Right now he has me on Humulin N and I hear that's awful but he seems to think it's the best. Also I want to purchase from a canadian website instead b/c it's only $107.99 for 5 pens. And it's $225 for 3 pens at my local pharmacy!

 

all of us have our cats on lantus - and lantus has an excellent track record in cats. really seems to help them return to good health.

i think you will find that we can help you get your cat regulated nicely - i'd encourage you to post daily, read all the stickies at the top of the lantus forum page, starting here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18139

my cat didn't use humulin, so i can't speak to it. but one major difference is that dosing decisions on lantus are made based upon the lowest point the cat gets to in a cycle, the nadir, not the preshot numbers. so you have to shift your way of thinking and really have to get a minimum of one mid-cycle test as well as preshot tests.

welcome from me and punkin!

 

Your vet probably said that because s/he's more familiar with using Humulin, especially if the vet practice sees a lot of dogs. My vet's response to Humulin N was that it's a good insulin for dogs and not so much with cats.

Lantus actually has a better track record than most other insulins for getting cats into remission.

 

I'm sorry, but your vet is just wrong. Lantus is now the standard prescribed insulin by any vet who has kept current with feline diabetes.

Humulin N is not a good insulin for cats, but it works well in dogs. Similarly, Lantus is a great insulin for cats, but not so good for dogs. I think your vet is treating feline diabetes the same as canine diabetes, but they are two VERY different things. Cats have much faster metabolisms that require long lasting insulins, while dogs have much slower metabolisms. I've attached an article for you to give to your vet--honestly, I would switch vets. He's not kept up to date, and when you've presented him with new, current information instead of doing his research to see if you're correct he contradicted you without any evidence. If he were my vet, I would demand he show me these mysterious studies that goes against everything that's been published in the past few years.

Sara, I mentioned this in your thread in Health but the pens only come in packs of 5. So the $225 at Target is for 5 pens, not 3. I think the pharmacist misspoke to you or was confusing (It's a pack of 5 3ml pens).

I'm so glad you're switching insulins! You'll see a VAST improvement with Lantus over the N!

 

Well I decided to go ahead and purchase the Lantus pens from a canadian pharmacy (saw the link on another post)..5 pens for $107.99! My vet doesn't have prescription pads so they are going to fax them and then they just gotta sign something and send it back! Yay! Hopefully this was a good deal.

 

Btw, I was just talking to a Cornell Vet Student the other day who works in the hospital, she said that the standard recommended treatment for feline diabetes there is now Lantus+home testing+Purina DM canned. This made me happy! I told her that they should really stop shilling the DM, but I think Cornell is partnered with Purina Veterinary Diets so that's never gonna happen.

 

Because he doesn't keep up with the current veterinary treatments and methods. IMO, a good vet continually goes to seminars, classes, reads the various veterinary journals, etc to keep up to date.

I know that there are at least a few published studies done on diabetic cats and Lantus out there, the Rand one most notably.. There is also VIN.com, a veterinarian-only web site where there is tons of info about using Lantus and a message board to talk with other vets.

When Squishy wasn't doing well on N, I asked the then-vet about Lantus. She had never used it but went to VIN.com to get more info about it and talked to some vets there. A friend of mine who was in vet school at the time saw the post from my vet looking for info and sent me a copy of the entire thread Vet wrote Squishy a prescription for Lantus after she got the info she needed :smile:

It is. ProZinc is another insulin that some vets prefer to use. Some vets may prescribe a particular insulin based on the pet's specific needs. Lesser known is Levemir but more and more vets are prescribing it now.

 

my vet does go to conferences to stay up to date, and he told me he specifically asked about the dry food. he had us using dm canned or dry - and after we got to FDMB i told him that no diabetic cat should be on dry food. he specifically asked one of the conference leaders and then gave me some explanation about it being higher in carbs, but because it's dry that's not the actual carbs as eaten because canned food is "diluted" with water . . . ? i obviously didn't get the logic and i didn't ask questions because i flat out disagreed with him.

and other than the diabetes stuff he's a fantastic vet. i always wonder if he'll look on here and know that it's me and i'm talking about him. *waves to him*

when you're ready to start with the lantus, it really helps if someone explains things along the way. feel free to post daily and ask questions. the protocol looks easy and straightforward, and it is, but sometimes it's hard to read your cat's body's responses to the insulin. people will be glad to help you.

 

Your vet sounds like mine! She was fine with the 8 hour duration, the roller coaster ride, and a nadir of 200 (because going lower with erratic Humulin is risky!) as long as Lug was feeling better, and he was, somewhat. It didn't take much research to find out there were better options. I signed the release :shock: (everyone's vet has you sign a release when you ask for Lantus, right"?), got the prescription, found individual pens at Target, and never looked back!

We have a nadir of 59 and a PS (.5U) of 106 this evening! :mrgreen:
DON'T ACCEPT HUMULIN IF IT'S NOT WORKING FOR YOU. cat(2)_steam