? Where do you get your insulin?

i buy lantus from my vet but they are out of the way and quite a trip.

My friend asked me today why i dont get insulin from walmart. It never crossed my mind. Now that i think about it though, i doubt that would work, right? The vet calling walmart to place a prescription for a cat? She cant call in a script for me as if it were my insulin.

Are there other avenues besides the vet and or that place in canada?

Thanks!

 

yes she can write a script for lantus and you can take it to any pharmacy to fill. Just check the price first and if they sell one pen at a time in stead of the pack of 5.

 

your vet can call it into any pharmacy...including WalMart....but don't let the pharmacist at WalMart try to convince you that they have a "generic" that's only $25 that's the same thing....it's not and it's an awful insulin for cats

Yes...we've heard it a lot of times before where the pharmacist has tried to do that

Now she can't call in a script and pretend it's for you....that would be fraud....it has to be in the cats name

 

omg i had no idea! How did i not know this?? LOL
I would absolutely positively make sure it was Lantus and no subs.
Thanks!

 

I googled to find who had the best price for Vetsulin and found that Vally Vet had the best price. Just make sure to order on Monday or Tuesday and get it overnight delivery. They ship it with an ice pack. I haven't called them yet for information, that's next on my list. There were a couple of other suppliers that are less the vet.

 

You really should consider Marks in Canada though....even if you can find someplace that will break open a box and sell you one pen, you're going to probably pay $90-$100 for it....and that's only 300 units

A vial, which you'll probably end up throwing most of away, is going to be around $300

For $175, you can get 5 pens from Marks....that's enough to last most cats 1-2 years (1500 units)

 

Thanks i am going to look into that. I still need a prescription, right?

 

Yes you'll need a script, but it doesn't matter if it's for the vial or the pens and once they have it on file, you'll never need another one

Since insulin is OTC in Canada, once they have the script, they can give you either the vial or the pens, so if you want the pens but your script is for a vial, you just have to call and ask them to send you the pens instead

If you ever need to refill, you don't need a new script either....In the US you have to have a new one every year, but not in Canada

 

Thank you so much for the info!

 

I get prozinc insulin from drs foster and smith mail order. It is sent packaged with ice. Also ordered the syringes from them, includes a free sharpes container.

 

I am very interested in this. All the pharmacies where I live charge $300 for a vial of Lantus Insulin. Mark's in Canada is way cheaper, but they said they don't ship far away (I live in NH) because the insulin could spoil. Please answer 2 questions for me, somebody.

Besides Canada, where is the least expensive place in the US that will ship or have these vials? Also, where can one purchase inexpensive insulin syringes?

Secondly, what is an insulin pen, and how is it used? What is the cost?

Thanks so much.

 

How hot is it in New Hampshire right now?

I live in Alabama, which is pretty much on the opposite end of the country, and they shipped to me without issue. However, if it's extremely hot in your area/the general route the insulin would take to get to you, I know they withhold sending the insulin in order to send it in prime weather conditions - that's not to say they can't send it to you at all, I would clarify with them again.

I'm not sure where the cheapest place to get Lantus is here, but I've seen some people mention some places will sometimes sell you one pen. If you look in the Supply Closet, people here also sell some too.

The cheapest place I found syringes at was Wal-Mart, 100 for around $13 dollars.

An insulin pen is just like a "mini" vial almost, with a longer expiry date. Unopened they can last 2 years. I used one of my pens until the last drop, which lasted 4 months. While with the vile, I probably would have thrown half of it away before the potency wore off in the month. With the pens, you use a syringe to draw up the insulin as you would a vial. However, you don't push "excess" insulin back into the pen if you draw up too much. This can cause air bubbles and can ruin the insulin. Instead you draw up extra insulin, and squirt the remainder into the sink. Keep stored at the proper temperature, in an upright, stationary position (so not on the fridge door that constantly goes from hot/cold from being open) in the fridge.

The cost of a singular pen in the US is around $80-$90 dollars, but if you can get Mark's to sell to you, you get a 5 pack of pens for around $160 with shipping. That's 1500 units of Lantus, and since most cats are on 2units or less, that can last you over a year as long as you use up one pen first, then go to the second, etc.

This is all explained further in the stickied notes in the Lantus & Levemir forum.

 

I've spent many hours on the phone with the pharmacy manager at Marks (His name is Jordan) and I've never heard him say they won't ship far away.....We've had many people from all over the country order from Marks and never have a problem. They ship with a medical grade ice pack and it usually takes about a week to arrive. If you want to see how they ship, there's a video at www.canshipinsulin.com

Now they do prefer that if you're in an area where it's really hot or really cold, that you wait until the temperature moderates, but as long as it's not freezing (which will ruin the insulin) they should ship it.

When I first found Marks, it was late June and in the 90's....My first order took 10 days because of 4th of July and Canada day (plus a weekend) when postal systems weren't working. I was still able to use every drop of the 5 pens.

The pens are just a different way to store the insulin...think of them like 5 "mini-vials"...each pen holds 300 units instead of a big vial that holds 1000, so you're able to use every drop while the other pens stay unopened in the refrigerator and will be good until the expiration date on the box...usually at least 2 years away.
You use a regular insulin syringe and pull the insulin out of the pen just like you would if it was a vial....there's a little rubber stopper under the cap

 

All these have half unit markings and are the correct syringes for U100 insulin and are available from ADW online:
UtiCare
Monoject
Carepoint
Sure Comfort
BD Ultra-Fine

They're also available at WalMart if you have one near you..Their Relion Brand 3/10ml, 3o or 31 gauge, 8mm insulin syringes all come with half unit markings and are only $12.58 for a box of 100 (although it seems a lot of WalMart employees don't realize that they DO come with half unit markings!!)

 

In Canada, you do not need a script for Lantus if it is used for a pet. You do need a script if the Lantus is for human use. Now, Mark's requires a script for American customers.

You are very close to the border. As long as you take a cooler and make sure the Lantus stays cold and doesn't freeze …

Costco is probably the cheapest and you do not need a membership if you only use the pharmacy. I don't know if Costco is in Quebec or not. I paid $109 CDN for a box of 5 small vials. That's roughly $85 US. I don't know if they would ask for ID or not, or what the policy is for Americans. I'm sure pharmacies close to the border are used to dealing with customers from the US. You could always google a couple and ask.

The first time I got Lantus from my local pharmacy, they looked at me with a bit of uneasiness. So I spewed forth all sorts of diabetic cat information so they knew that it was a legit request.

 

Try using GoodRx to find least expensive local place for insulin
http://www.goodrx.com/

 

It only lasts about 10-11 months for Max.