Lantus - refrigerated - vial -

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Toronto & Ovi said:
Hi, how long can Lantus be used after starting a new vial, without losing any potency?
Thank you.
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If it's a 10 mL vial, it'll likely lose its oomph before you run out. I'd say about 6 months. The Lantus pen cartridges can be purchased as a 5-pack. They're 3 mL each, so a total of 15 mL in a box. You'll use up 3 mL long before it expires and the unopened cartridges can be stored in your fridge until their expiry date which is usually about 2 years down the road.
 
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Excellent. Thank you much!
We use a 10 mL vial, I was afraid it shall be thrown away and replaced after few months or so.........
 
The manufacturer will tell you that opened Lantus is good for 28 days. People here have used a vial down to the last drop. However, how long it can last will depend on how gently you handle the vial. While Lantus is a bit sturdier than we initially thought, it is more fragile than other insulin that you need to roll or otherwise shake to combine -- so don't do that with Lantus! Also, the size of the dose obviously determines how long it takes for you to use up a vial. Remember to store the vial somewhere other than the door of the refrigerator. The door is subject to greater variation in temperature and the vial will have a greater chance of being disturbed when you open and close the door.

And, there's the obvious -- don't drop the vial on a hard surface. Unlike the pens which are encased in plastic, the vials shatter.
 
Toronto & Ovi said:
We use a 10 mL vial, I was afraid it shall be thrown away and replaced after few months or so.
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When it's time to replace it, consider switching to the pen cartridges. Much more cost effective! Many people here purchase from Mark's Marine in Canada, as they seem to have the best price. Some vets aren't familiar with using a pen cartridge with a syringe and may tell you it can't be done, but they are incorrect.
 
Thank you. I have to look into more info about the pen cartridges, I have no idea what they are and how you can use them - but your advice sounds interesting enough to give it a serious thought.
 
With the pens, you still use the same insulin syringes you use with the vial....you just pull the insulin out of the pen!!

The reason most of us use the pens is that each pen only holds 300 units, so you can use every drop and don't have to worry about having it lose efficacy and having to throw a bunch of it away like you do with a vial. The other pens (you buy them in a box of 5) stay in the fridge and are usually good for at least 2 years!!

They're also encased in plastic, so if you drop them, there's very little chance of breaking them, where with the vial, if you drop it, you're going to lose it all when it shatters.

You just pop the top off the pen and insert the syringe into the rubber stopper underneath!!
syringe in pen pic.jpg
syringe in pen close up.jpg
 
Toronto and Ovi are in Ontario, Canada. Lantus is available without a prescription in a human pharmacy and it comes in a vial, a box of 5 pens or a box of 5 pen cartridges for about $125 CAD. I buy the box of cartridges (five 3 mL cartridges to a box) - no need for the whole pen body.
 
Very interesting, thank you both. Makes sense to buy the cartridges instead on a 10mL vial. Cartridges are next, for sure. Any reason why do you use syringes instead of pens? At first sight seems to be easier to use the pens....exact dose and so.
 
Toronto & Ovi said:
Any reason why do you use syringes instead of pens?
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Because we do dose changes in .25 unit increments....the pens only do whole unit changes

There's no way to do half unit or quarter unit changes on a pen (and those .25 unit changes can make a huge difference!)

We use syringes with half unit markings ....and we just have to eyeball the .25 and .75's or some people use calipers
 
Oh...I thought the pens are much better at small doses as 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, etc.
People are using callipers for 0.1u and so, too? Or eyeballing????
 
I see that Chris just said what I was about to say. Just as an example: my cat Rusty's dose is 0.1 of a Unit. There is no way I could measure this tiny dose on the pen, since it dispenses insulin in whole units! I live near the Canadian border and go to Canada to get insulin. I prefer the cartridges to the pens (in the US one can only get pens), but you should try both to see which suits you. Both come in a 5 pack. The cartridges are a little cheaper than the pens.

Yes, I use calipers.
 
Toronto & Ovi said:
I thought the pens are much better at small doses as 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, etc.
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The pens only dispense in whole units, so the lowest dose you can give is 1.0 unit.....next is 2.0.....when we're giving doses like .1, .25, .5 and .75, the only way to do that is with regular insulin syringes and either eyeballing it or using calipers
 
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