Cost of Lantus Insulin

Hello there

Am a newbie here and am feeling very upset and rather overwhelmed -- my cat, Barnsley, has just been diagnosed with diabetes. My vet has prescribed 2 injections of Lantus insulin per day, 2 units at a time -- that is 4 units a day in total. I am horrified to find that Lantus seems only to be available in 10 ml vials at a cost of around $300 minimum -- and that's mail order, not from a local pharmacy! As I understand it, 10 ml equates to 1,000 units -- is that correct? But our pharmacist tells us that, once started, a vial is only okay for 28 days (information I see this site seems to agree with). 28 days at 4 units per day is 112 units -- and that's the total amount we could use from a vial -- that is, we would be forced to throw nearly nine tenths of it away! Have I understood this correctly? Why is it not available in smaller vials? (I see there are pens with 3 ml, but these looked to me like they are designed for single use only -- is this correct? Am I really going to have to pay $300 per month every month just for insulin -- and throw most of it away?! Help!

 

Welcome to FDMB.

Feeding low carb over the counter canned may reduce the glucose by 100-200 mg/dL and thus reduce the amount of insulin needed or possibly help your cat become diet-controlled. What are you currently feeding?
Also, vet stress at the office may raise glucose 100-180 mg/dL and vets often forget that.

Many of our members order from Mark's Marine - have your vet fax the Rx there - it is about 1/3 the US cost. Get the pens - we use them like a mini-vial and use a syringe to withdraw the insulin, not the pen needles.
We use it longer than 28 days, up to 6 months, by keeping it refrigerated on a stationary shelf.

A starting dose of 2 units may be too high; many cats start on 1 unit. How much does your cat weigh?

 

As BJM has said, a LOT of us are buying our Lantus from Canada because it's 1/3rd the cost it is here in the states.

With the pens, you just use regular insulin syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen.....Each pen holds 300 units (100 units per mL)

Here's all the information on Marks in Canada, including prices and shipping info

 

Can buy the syringes at walmart pharmacy for the vials or pens.

 

If stored properly lantus can be used much longer than 28 days...
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...insulin-info-handling-drawing-fine-doses.151/

Welcome!!

 

Thank you all so much for your replies -- they literally might have been a life-saver for me (or, rather, Barnsley) as I could not imagine how I would manage to find $300-ish a month just for insulin. Thank goodness for Mark's Marine! I will definitely go this route -- and pass this information on to my vet, too, as they are clearly unaware and it may help future clients of theirs.

When Barnsley was healthy, at his last general check-up (only 3 months ago) he weighed 14.8 pounds. But his present weight is only 13.3 pounds. Upon vet's instructions, we are feeding him one cup of hill's prescription glucose/weight management m/d per day. His blood glucose level, when measured at the vet, was 340-odd. It is against this background that vet wants to start him on 4 units a day in two doses. Does this sound appropriate?

Am so pleased I have found this excellent site and such helpful people here -- I am beginning to realize I have so very much to learn and at the moment it is all rather frightening, so I really need a community like this one! Thank y'all so much!

 

You may want to post a new thread tomorrow about food choices for diabetic cats.
Sadly most vets are not well educated on this subject.
Home testing is critical in the care of a diabetic cat. Before making food changes it is important to be testing at home.
There is tons of information in the forum about appropriate food and testing.
Also when tested at the vet it is very possible the number was much higher due to stress.
I know it seems overwhelming but it gets better

 

Okay -- after reading jayla-n-drevon's very helpful posted link, I have some further questions, as some of what is said here directly contradicts what our vet's technician told us. (I hope that it is not inappropriate that I ask them on this thread title). 1) I was alarmed at the instruction never to roll or shake vial -- the technician told us never to shake but said we should definitely roll to ensure all components were properly mixed together. Is this correct? 2) The instruction never to squirt excess 'draw-up' back into vial/pen is directly contra what the technician told us -- he said to draw up too much and squirt back as a way of getting rid of the air bubble in syringe. I am thinking that if we hope to use vial well past its 28 day limit, then we should draw up a little too much and squeeze excess out into a paper towel to eliminate air bubble, thus keeping remaining insulin as free of contaminants as possible. Do others agree?

Also, what is the recommend type of container to keep insulin in, in refrigerator, to best limit contamination?

Many thanks to all for any help, and for making me feel a bit less lost!

 

Oh boy
No not agreeing and if you do as your vet instructed it probably won't last.
There is nothing to mix in lantus and it is best to keep in a mug or something like that on a shelf in the refrigerator so it doesn't not get tossed around. Do not keep it on the door as it will open too much and cause the lantus to change temperature often.
You should never inject air into the actual insulin. This may cause contamination.
After you get the syringe and take off the caps you want to slide it up and down a little as there is a lubricant to make it smoother.
If your shooting 1 unit you want to draw back 2 units. Hold the lantus bottle and inject the air into the air NOT the actual insulin. You are creating negative space. Then turn the vial upside down and draw your 2 units.
Tap the air out. Squirt the excess on a paper towel or whatever you choose. When you have the proper dose put the cap on until you are ready to shoot. It is easy to contaminate the tip if it is not capped
There is a video on how to properly draw from a vial or a lantus pen. It is worth watching.
Your lantus will last much longer if handled properly. The video is really great it helped me sooooo much.

 

Lantus does NOT need to be rolled or shaken. Other insulins do, but not Lantus

Absolutely....inside the syringes is a little bit of lubricant to help them work smoothly....You don't want to contaminate your insulin with that lubricant

 

As Lantus is not a mixture, but rather a solution, there is nothing that needs to be rolled in any way shape or form.

It helps to push the syringe in as firmly as possible before withdrawing the insulin to minimize air bubbles.

Yes, squirting the excess out on a towel is preferred. There is a lubricant inside the syringe which could contaminate the insulin.

If you have not yet started insulin, please head over to Cat Info and start reading.

 

Your vet is like a lot of our vets...doesn't know what he's talking about. The Hills dry foods are too high in carbs for our diabetic cats as well as being dehydrating. Our cats need to be on a low carb canned or raw diet that's less than 10% carbs. Luckily this doesn't have to cost a fortune....Friskies pate's, Fancy Feast Classics and 9-lives pates are all under 10% carbs and affordable

No it doesn't...4 units is a HUGE starting dose. Our cats often react to being stressed out at the vets office by having numbers higher than they do when they are home, so it's important to learn how to home test so you can see what's going on with your cats blood glucose at home....this is also the only way to keep him safe!

Depending on what you're feeding and the protocol you decide to use, most of the time, a starting dose of about 1 unit is about right, but as you test at home, you will see how your cat is responding to treatment and learn when it's appropriate to increase or decrease the dose. The people here can help you learn everything you need to know

 

rest of important info here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...insulin-info-handling-drawing-fine-doses.151/

 

I give my cat Lantus as well. I buy it from Walgreens because it's the cheapest place and it costs me right around $260. I keep a vial for a year before I replace it. Doctors are in bed with the pharmaceutical companies and they want you to spend more money on drugs than you have to. Lantus is the best medication to give your cat in the beginning because it has the highest rate of remission. I know that it's expensive but rest assured that you do NOT have to replace it every month.

 

sieden why dont you order from here? https://rxcanada4less.com/index.html

 

HOLY CRAP, thank you for the link to the Canadian pharmacy. I looked up Lantus and it's 99 bucks for a 10ml bottle. I will be ordering from there from now on. Also thanks Scoobydoox, I just saw your post

 

you just need the script but dont order the vial order the box of 5 pens its cheaper and will last longer just keep them in the frig

 

The Lantus Solostar pens are actually the better deal. With the bottle, you end up not using most of it before the potency runs out. The pens can be kept in the fridge (unopened) for the expiration date, which I believe is 2 years. If the pens are well-taken care of, I've seen some members say they've used an individual opened pen to the last drop, or upwards of 6 months. Depending on your dose, with the pens you might not have to buy insulin for a year plus!

 

Thanks scooby and Erica. I will for sure get the pens. Do you guys know of an online place to order syringes?

 

yes. you can either get them at a local pharmacy, i get mine at walmart or here http://www.adwdiabetes.com/catalog/pet-insulin-syringes_179.htm

 

This is how I do it. I take the syringe, pop the safety piece off and then plunge it in and out several times, this makes it pull and push much smoother for fine tuning a dose and this way the syringe won't be all jerky (as other people have mentioned). I push the plunger in as far as it will go then I hold the bottle straight up so that all of the insulin is at the bottom of the bottle, then I insert the needle so that when the needle goes in, it does not insert into the liquid but into the air space. Then I flip the bottle upside down and draw about a 1/2 of a unit more than I actually need and then pull the syringe out. Now I flick the syringe to get all of the air bubbles up to the end where the needle is. Then I actually draw back letting more air into the syringe and then I push all of the air out slowly. This last part (drawing in more air) is something that I just started doing about 6 months ago when I learned that it made it easier to get all of the air bubbles to converge into one so that I could push it all out. Yes I waste insulin by drawing in excess but I never have to worry about injecting anything into the bottle that doesn't belong in there.

 

I use the same ones that you do because I like the 3/10 size but I get the short needles. I made a post recently because I just bought some at Wal-Mart but they tried to give me **** about buying them. That's why I wanted to know if I could order them online. I have since taken a photo of my lantus box with the script on it, maybe that will help at Wal-Mart

 

can you show me the box top so i can get those next time at walmart. if i dont show them what i want exactly i end up with what i dont need lol

 

ADW online:
UtiCare
Monoject
Carepoint
Sure Comfort
BD Ultra-Fine

I too get mine at Wal-Mart for less than $13.00/100ct. I'm not sure why they would give you issues unless you live in a state that requires a prescription for needles?

 

I live in Texas and there is no requirement to show a prescription for needles, they just wanted to be jackasses. There is another walmart that I can go to though. Thank you for all of those links, that's helpful.

 

One whole year? Even my vet, who is very anti-expiration date because of the collusion between drug co and legislation, would wonder if maybe that is too much of a stretch. Is it working?

 

Please be careful with that starter dose. That is a lot. Also, your kitty has a better chance of going into remission on a better, low carb wet food diet. REMEMBER: IF YOU CHANGE AWAY FROM THAT STARCHY HILLS DIET, YOU MUST ADJUST THE INSULIN DOWN. The wonderful members here have great advice and stickys on how to do that.

 

Getting off high carb food often drops the glucose 100-200 mg/dL and may reduce the insulin dose vy 1-2 units. Some cats are able to get to a diet controlled state pretty quickly feeding low carb canned food.
If you have not started insulin, do the food change now so you don't have to worry about the glucose droppng too much and sending your cat into hypoglycemia.

 

Yeah it's been working for me withought any problems.

 

omg..first.my cat has had diabetes for 4 years now..currently at 2 units of lantus twice a day. I have never home tested...(scared to admit this but i havent) Hes never had a case of hyperglocemia that Ive noticed. Ive also been spending close to 40 dollars at cvs pharmacy every month and a half it seems for four years for his syringes! are you telling me I can get them cheaper???!!!His insulin vial is replaced every 6 months (about 290 bucks) and stored in the frig and I have rolled it every time before injection because my vet told me to do it like that! Also...I have always shot excess insulin back into the vial..every time for 4 yrs ...is that horribly wrong???hes been ok??? I keep coming back to write more because I feel like for 4 years Ive been doing so many things wrong! I am in nj and they require scripts... Would i just get my vet to send the script to the pharmacy in canada some of you have linked? How would that work??? Thank You so much!!!

 

In the long run, the price of the pens will be cheaper. A vial may last 2-3 months before it becomes ineffective. You will end up throwing a lot of insulin away. If you buy the pens, you will be able to use almost every drop of insulin in them. One pack of pens (5) could last 9 months or more depending on your dose.

 

I have gotten a year with a 10 ml vial of Lantus

 

you get the presciptin from your vet for lantus pens not the vial and then order from https://rxcanada4less.com/index.html
as for syringes you can get them from walmart pharmacy for 13.48 for 100 or from adwdiabetes.com/product/ultiguard-ulticare-pet-insulin-syringes_2278_114.htm
some states require a script for syringes.
and i would watch this video for how to handle insulinhttps://youtu.be/u4KtK_skpmQ
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...insulin-info-handling-drawing-fine-doses.151/
@yygms1978

 

Thank you!! Is this what Id order

https://rxcanada4less.com/shoppingc...ctid=6773&productname=Lantus Insulin 10ml CAN

 

@yygms1978 ....No, what we recommend is getting the pens because you'll be able to use every drop in the pens and if they're kept in the refrigerator, they'll be good until the expiration date on the box...usually at least 2 years away!!

The pens are actually a tiny bit cheaper than the vials (per unit) and you'll never have to worry about throwing any away

This is what we suggest ordering https://rxcanada4less.com/shoppingc...id=3055&productname=Lantus Solostar 5x3ml CAN

If your vet writes a script for the vial, all you have to do is call Marks in Canada and ask for the pens instead!!

You just pull the cap off the pens and pull the insulin out with a regular insulin syringe (picture here)

 

you would order the pens which is 5 ina box and the shipping of 19.99
https://rxcanada4less.com/shoppingcart.php

 

Shipping is actually $25 for all their insulin unless you buy just one pen

They need to fix that on their main website, but it's listed on their http://www.canshipinsulin.com/ site

 

Try looking into DCIN (diabetic cats in need). There should be a link on the website. They have an assistance program that can help to defer the cost of your supplies. Give it a try and see if they can help. Good luck from Jane and Stewey

 

Also, the Pens are obviously kept fresher--no large vial that with time, air, movement, and temperature changes, can become less effective. Those pens are the best way to stretch the supply of insulin and not hazard the quality of the insulin versus the larger vial.