WalMart Insulin??

Hi guys! I hope everyone is enjoying the fall so far. My cats got some new toys yesterday, icluding a new cat tree for the patio, and they are in love!!

I went to WalMart today to refill my cat's Lantis, and the cost was $288!!! The pharmacist was very nice and pulled me aside to talk to me about other options. He said, that I probably don't need the lantis, becuase that is the "designer" insulin. He mentioned that Walmart has three other options for $24/month, and we dont need a perscprition.

WalMar offers:

Insulin N
Insulin R
Insulin 70/30

Does anyone have any expereince with these?? I am seriousely looking to switch over, if it makes sense, of course! The $288 this month is not doable! Let me know if you've tried it and what you think

 

@Emilyskor is there any chance you can make a quick trip up to BC? Here we don't need a prescription for insulin & I know the lantis is much cheaper, I paid about $110 for a box of 5 pens.

I think the insulin Walmart was telling you about is the harsh short acting novelin insulin but I could be wrong.

 

Vegetable is right, those are short-acting insulins that are harder on the cat and the caregiver. If you can't get up to Canada, you can order the Lantus from a Canadian pharmacy. We have several people here who do that. I'll look for the link for you. There's also someone selling Lantus on the Supply Closet forum for a good price.

Edited To Add: here's the link to a discussion of different Canadian pharmacies.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...rmacy-to-buy-lantus-from.141318/#post-1481134

 

Yes, these are fast-acting, harsh insulins (Novolin) sold under Walmart's Relion label. CJ was on Novolin N and it was quite harsh on her.

You can also order lantus from https://rxcanada4less.com/search.php. As of a few weeks ago, this pharmacy said there was no longer a waiting list. Best to contact them and confirm.

 

If not other choice N is OK but only lasts 8-10 hours.
R is much shorter while 70/30 is a mixture of N and R.

 

Pharmacists thinking they should give veterinary advice contrary to what the vet prescribed tick me off. Lantus is not a "designer" insulin, it is a different insulin, that acts differently and will have different results.

What were you paying $288 for, a vial? If you keep it refrigerated it will last well past a month, most members get 3-6months. You do not follow the 28 days on the label. If you switch to pens, you can usually use every last drop and a box of 5 could last you even up to a year if you are on a small dose.

 

I echo Melanie and Smokey on this. You do not need to replace your insulin every month!

 

I'm CONSIDERING this as well. I never started Lantus. That's just not an option for me. I pay $20 just for shipping for prozinc thru valley vet because i live in florida. I have a Walmart less than a few miles down the street, so it'd be cheaper AND more convenient than having to have someone home to sign for a package, etc. Sorry my answer is not much help - just I can relate. I know it's definitely not a desirable insulin here, but I did have two vets actually say that it's all they use on their patients. I don't know if remission is possible on novolin though. One vet said that is not my goal anyway - lol easy for him to say

 

Remission is possible with any insulin, including Novolin. CJ went hypo and right into remission on Novolin in less than 3 weeks. But many cats bounce right back up on Novolin and need to go on another insulin that is longer lasting.

 

If you are considering Humulin or Novolin NPH, Please read the FDMB primer posted here.
You may wind up needing to dose every 8 hours with this insulin to get adequate control.
The pharmacist is giving veterinary advice and is not licensed to do so. He can certainly suggest discussing with the vet.
Another lower up front cost insulin is BCP PZI. Your vet sends in the Rx; you pay the company. It is similar, though not identical, to ProZinc. Guidelines to use it are posted here. It generally does last about 12 hours in most cats.

 

I just about peed my pants when Bandit went back on Lantus in March and I discovered that the price of a vial had gone up from $110 to $288 since I last had to buy it, and a pack of pens rose from $240 to almost $500!

I ordered from Mark's Marine Pharmacy instead: https://rxcanada4less.com/search.php

If you get the 5 pack of pens instead of the vial (you use a syringe still and treat each pen like a mini-vial), It's about $155-165 including shipping BUT it will last you a year or more (I typically would go through a pen every 2-3 months). That's only about $14 a month for insulin.

Your pharmacist is NOT correct about Lantus being a "designer" insulin for cats. Cats have faster metabolisms than dogs or people and need a long-acting insulin for it to be effective. 86% of cats on Lantus go into remission with the correct diet and proper dosing, as opposed to less than 25% on N. You'll end up paying far more for that N in the long run than you will for the Lantus.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I will try out those online pharmacies recommended by a few of you. I appreciate the help! This will be the first time I've had to buy insuline in the last year, so I was shocked to see how high th price was! I've been lucky and have been able to get a year's worth of use from one vial, however, I am now starting to notice it's strength is diminishing.

Thanks again for the feedback, it has been very helpful!