We might switch to Lantus

Toying with the idea of moving to Lantus as we are getting no where with ProZinc. He stays high and flat. Have the experts here in L & L land seen that scenario before and switching to Lantus gives results? Guess I need some feedback before purchasing the very expensive vial of Lantus. My vet claims that the vial will last much longer than the expiration date if stored properly and the top is kept clean. If someone could give me some feedback, I would be very appreciative. Thanks in advance.

 

I use the Lantus Solostar pens which come 5 pens to a pack. Each pen contains 5 ml. A vial contains 10 ml. It works out to be cheaper to purchase the pens (to say nothing of being clumsy and if you drop the vial all of your insulin is gone). The pens and the vials have the same shelf life once opened which, according to the manufacturer is 28 days. I used my last pen for over 90 days -- pretty much to the last drop. FYI -- it's not a matter of the expiration date. Usually the expiration date is years from the date of purchase. As long as you store and handle the insulin properly, people here have used the vials for roughly 6 mos. (or until the vial is finished). Obviously, how long you use the insulin also depends on the dose.

There are also any number of people who have switched from ProZinc to Lantus or Lev and have been very satisfied. The dosing strategy is very different though.

 

The vial will last up to 6 months if cared for properly, but in the long run, you'll be better off buying the Lantus Solostar pens because you can use every last drop.

As for price, Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada can't be beat for price....that's why a lot of us are buying from there now. All the information is in the Insulin from Canadian Pharmacies post (the very LAST post talks about Marks). They've also got great customer service!

I have heard that even if you have a script for a vial, that they'll let you get the pens instead if you ask. The pens are the best deal because you can use every last drop. Each pen is 300 units (you get a box of 5 pens) and it'll stay good until the expiration date on the box (usually about 2 years). You use regular insulin syringes and just pull the insulin out of the pen like you do a vial

A vial from Marks is $99.99 plus shipping...the pens are $144.99 plus shipping (versus about $250 for a vial in the US and about $450 for a 5 pack of pens)

 

Thanks so much for you response about the vials vs pens.

 

Wow, that is a big difference in pricing. My vet quoted me 3 hundred and something for a vial. How does it work with an RX and buying online? Do I have to send the script to them or is there a RX number I give them?

 

You can have your vet call in/fax a script, or you can email/snail mail or fax a paper script directly to Marks

Probably easiest to just ask for a paper script so you can "shop around" for price and then email or fax it to Marks.

They have an 800 number too and are very helpful if you want/need to call them

 

If you call Mark's they will contact your vet. Customer service is excellent.

 

Thanks ! It will be refreshing dealing with a company whose customer service gives you "customer service" LOL

 

Yeah, it's truly wonderful dealing with the people at Marks. When I first found them, I had serious doubts about dealing with a Canadian pharmacy after reading all the horror stories on the web about them, but Marks somehow "looked" different. They were also in Vancouver and I had a friend who lives there and I asked about them and she assured me they were a real pharmacy next to a real doctors office, not one of those "warehouse" pharmacies on the web who are just there to make money.

I called them and really checked them out. They were very patient and willing to answer all my questions and the final thing that won me over was they didn't even WANT my payment information until they had the script and were ready to fill it .....and they called me when they were ready.

That's when I started sharing with anyone who'd listen about how great they were and people have been very happy with Marks ever since!

And they lived happily ever after...LOL

 

It looks like the ProZinc doesn't last quite long enough in his body, leaving him in high numbers. I really don't have experience with ProZinc dosing, although we started on it as well, but I'm wondering if your scale is too low, ie, that his dose overall needs to be increased. That's what it looks like to me. Perhaps checking with someone experienced with dosing with ProZinc would be good. @Sue and Oliver (GA) is one person that I can immediately think of who knows ProZinc.

If you do decide to switch, you'll find you have to think differently about the dosing. Instead of changing dose based upon the preshot number, we look at the low points of each cycle and base dosing changes by those. Doses are typically help 3-5 days for those following the Tight Regulation Protocol. If Bubba is eating the young again dry food regularly, then you would choose the Start Low Go Slow dosing method. Those doses are held for one week at a time before being adjusted. If you can get rid of the dry food, then you have the option of following Tight Reg, which is a little more flexible. It's up to you.

At the point that you want to change, give us a holler and let's look at the doses you're giving and we can help you figure out a starting dose on the Lantus.

By the way, the other choice for a depot insulin is Levemir - lots of people are very happy with it as well. Both Lantus and Lev are good insulins. Because they are both depot insulins, we use the same dosing guidelines for them.

There is a video on the sticky about taking care of your insulin - it's worth reading that sticky and watching the video so you don't contaminate your insulin once you've got it. You especially don't want to see-saw the insulin back and forth from the syringe to the vial/pen. The syringes have a lubricant inside and that isn't great for these insulins.

And welcome to the group - keep asking questions and we'll be happy to help you.

 

Thanks so much for the information and I will check out the sticky on taking care of the insulin. That is good to know as I often have trouble getting the insulin to the right marker on the syringe and often shot it back in and redraw.

 

Why can there be no dry food on the TR protocol but can be with the SLGS? I sometimes give Bubba some YA maybe a 1/2 tbsp. at a time but not every day.

 

TR was developed under research conditions. Dry food takes much longer to be metabolized so it hangs out in your cat's system for much longer than canned food. YA may be a bit different but it was not available at the time the protocol was developed and tested. TR is far more aggressive with regard to dosing so it makes sense to keep as many of the variable under control as possible.

If @Jill & Alex (GA) ar around, Jill may be able to add additional insight into the rationale.

 

Thanks for your response. Do cats go into remission with the SLGS method as well?

 

Feeding a wet canned or raw diet is a prerequisite for practicing TR. It's simply a safeguard built into the protocol.
TR is an advanced technique with rapid adjustments to dose. Dry food has a tendency to stick around in kitty's system for about 3 days. One would not want the effects of dry food to wear off as a bounce is breaking or when kitty is headed towards low numbers.

Yes, they do. However, the TR Protocol has a better track record in that it appears the faster one can get kitty into normal numbers and keep them there... the better chance for remission.