OLD PZI STICKY: Please read BEFORE first post! Links/info

ProZinc Sources

ProZinc Insulin Sources List

ProZinc comes in 10ml bottles in U-40 concentration ONLY. For more information about this insulin please visit Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica's ProZinc website.

Local Pharmacies:
Costco $77-$82 + local tax Oct, 2010 - non-Costco members can use the pharmacy, tell greeter you are "going to the pharmacy."
Valley Drug and Compounding $90 + 9.x% tax in Encino CA. Nov, 2009

Internet Pharmacies:
Drs. Foster and Smith $114.99 + $19.99 shipping. Choose "ProZinc" from the drop-down menu in the box to the right of the photo. Jan, 2010
1800PetMeds ProZinc $129.99 + $19.99 shipping Jan, 2010
AtoZvetsupply.com $80 + $34.65 shipping Jan, 2010
Allivet $89.99 + $30 shipping Jan, 2010
Discount Pet Drugs for $99.99 + shipping Jan, 2010

Coupon Sites:
RetailMeNot
FatWallet Pet Forums
Coupon Cabin

Shipping:
Try to place any Internet orders on Saturday through Tuesday or Wednesday so your order will be packed and to your door within 24 hours. Or speak with your Internet pharmacy to ensure that your order will be packed and shipped all within a 24 hour time period.

NOTES:
Most internet pharmacies will PRICE MATCH. And some local pharmacies and vets [like VCA] will PRICE MATCH. It is possible to have your vet call in a prescription to another vet. The bigger online retailers have coupon codes at one of the Coupon Sites above that can soften the shipping blow. For instance 800 pet meds will PRICE MATCH and have $5 off coupons [I've seen up to $20 coupons] that would basically take the shipping down to $15 [at least]. If you rather not go the 800 pet meds route, you might be able to get the $80 AtoZ place to match the total price that 800 pet meds would come out to. Or you may be able to find a better combo of price matching and coupons with another online pharmacy listed in one of the Coupon Sites above. Also since ProZinc has a 2 year shelf life, some may wish to buy a couple bottles at a time to reduce the shipping cost per each bottle. If you get from a pharmacy not listed here, make sure you are getting the real ProZinc in the green, blue and white bottle pictured here and not a compounded insulin like Wedgewood or others. Since shipping must be overnight and on a frozen gel pack, if you can find it locally for a good price that is usually going to save you money. Any other comments PM me and I'll try to incorporate. Also if you find ProZinc at your local pharmacy [or good deals anywhere else], PM me and I'll add it to the list.

 

Onset, Nadir, and Duration Information

Onset, Nadir, and Duration with PZI​

General Information

Onset, when the insulin starts taking effect, is typically around 2 hours after injection. The numbers will continue to rise until the point of onset, when they start to go down again.

Nadir, when the insulin is at its peak and BG values are lowest, is generally between 5 and 7 hours after injection. With ProZinc, the nadir can move around in the first 45 days of usage, as their body adjusts to the insulin.

Duration, the time until the insulin loses most of its effectiveness and BG values start to rise again, is often between 8 and 10 hours after injection. Read more about Duration on the Pet Diabetes Wiki.

Overlap is when one shot is starting to have an effect (Onset) around the same time the previous shot is wearing off (Duration). This prevents the numbers from rising as much between shots, and thus can be an aid in keeping BG values in a more steady range. For some cats, it may be helpful to use an alternate shooting strategy such as TID to achieve overlap between shots. Often this will assist in improving duration and will allow a return to BID with better results. Read more about Overlap on the Pet Diabetes Wiki.

Idexx PZI Vet Typical Onset, Nadir, and Duration

Onset: 1-4 hours following injection
Nadir: 4-7 hours following injection (within 9 hours for 80%)
Duration: 9-10 hours following injection

source for PZI Vet specifications: Pet Diabetes Wiki PZI Vet page

*Please PM me if you have suggestions for fine-tuning the information contained in this post. The information here is collated from posts made by FDMB members more experienced than I am, and is meant as a general starting point for newbies to understand how PZI works in cats.*

 

BCP Sourcing

BCP PZI Insulin Sourcing

Where:
BCP Insulin is only available from one place-
BCP Veterinary Pharmacy
1614 Webster Street • Houston, Texas 77003
713-771-1144 • 713-771-1131 fax

Pricing:
BCP allows veterinarians the option to charge a markup on their insulin. BCP will not discuss price with the consumer until they get the prescription, with an OK from the vet to bill directly. So HINT: ask your vet to fax a prescription and OK BCP to bill you directly. Since BCP is less than transparent about pricing, your pricing may differ from the reports listed below.

Below are some price reports:

• U100 - 5ml - $52 + shipping - April, 2010
• U40 - 10ml - $44.00 + shipping - January, 2010 - via "Kathy and Mickey" (she says PM her with any questions)

[more pricing reports are needed! Please PM me if you have recently purchased]

Shipping:
Unless you are local to Houston, overnight shipping on a frozen gel pack is the only way to get BCP insulin. As of April 2010, BCP charges $13.50 for overnight FedEx shipping. BCP wisely only ships insulin Monday through Thursday.

NOTES:
Visit the BCP Bovine Insulin page or the petdiabetes BCP page for more details about this insulin.

BCP comes in U-40, U-50, and U-100 strength. Most will probably want to order BCP insulin in U-40 strength. U-40 is the lowest concentration making smaller doses easier to measure especially in conjunction with U-100 syringes. If you do plan on using a U-40 insulin with U-100 syringes make sure to read the info above. On request, BCP will send a free 5ml sample of the U-100 strength insulin but free samples of the U-40 strength insulin are unavailable.

*please PM me if you have more input/hints/info on BCP and I'll try to incorporate it*