? vetsulin to prozinc?

who switched from vetsulin to prozinc and can tell me what it was like for their cat?

I still have a lot of vetsulin to get through, I can't afford lantus (5 kids, 5 furry pets)

why did you switch?
how did your cat take to the new insulin?
did they end up in remission?

For those who have dealt with this is he fine to just stay on vetsulin, or smarter to consider prozinc?
(Tux spiked yesterday/ this morning I think because i gave him some whole milk )

 

You said you can not afford Lantus

https://rxcanada4less.com Marks Marine pharmacy

Here is the link for Canada with the pens we use them like a vial because with the pens you can only increase or decrease by whole units, so you would just take your syringe and stick it in the little grey rubber stopper and just draw the insulin from that







Lantus Solostar Cartridges 5x3ml per box (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 15 ml $159.99 USD

Lantus Solostar PEN CAN (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) *single pen open box* Brand 100iu/ml one pen 3 ml $49.99 USD

Lantus Solostar PENS 5x3ml per box (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 15 ml $164.99 USD

Lantus VIAL Insulin (10ml per vial) (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 10 ml $110.99 USD


Like I said you are better off buying the 5 pack of cartridges or the 5 pack of pens
You will need U-100 syringes when using Lantus
They will last you way over a year
After your vet writes the first script you won't ever need another script.
Call them and will tell you what to do
They are very nice people

Oh when you buy the pens they will have an expiration date on them
Most likely 2022 or 2023 by now.
Put them in the frig , a middle shelf
As long as you don't puncture them they will be good until the expiration date
So you are actually saving a ton of money

 

Prozinc might cost around 107.00 for a vial
I will tag @JanetNJ she uses Prozinc

 

I see you have 2 meters listed on your spreadsheet, it's best to stuck to one meter

 

My cat started on vetsulin. She did well on it and went into remission. When she came out of remission it was because of acro and the high dose of vetsulin was stinging her so we switched. I like ProZinc. I get good duration, it doesn't sting, and I like the flexibility you have with shot times. I get it from chewy.com on autoship for $102.

 

Thank you Janet

 

I'm using alpha for now for the vet

 

okay good to know. I hadn't seen anyone reporting remission on vetsulin so I was honestly getting worried.

he is on a really low dose with vetsulin, .5 - 1 unit gets him lower, but i haven't mastered getting him under 120 if that's even needed.

thank you for sharing

 

thank you for this, anyone in the world can order from the Canadian website?

 

Yes When using Lantus you need U-100 syringes with half unit markings.
We increase or decrease by 0.25 units , so it's easier using half unit marking syringes

 

I would note that in your signature , or if you are not using the Relion at all
remove, it does make a difference when members are looking at your signature and SS

 

120-150 I'd do 0.25. Over 160 I'd do 0.5, over 200 do 1

This is a thread talking about remission on vetsulin. https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/recent-caninsulin-vetsulin-and-n-remissions.165224/

 

oh i want to cry thank you. that gives a little hope.

 

Your cat is doing great and has a really good shot at remission. Aim for getting the nadir down to around 85-110

 

Hi,
Why exactly are you thinking of switching insulins? Your cat's numbers are looking really good.
And you are achieving a level of control with Vetsulin that is way better than is typical for this insulin (it can often drop the blood glucose very steeply; but not, it seems in your kitty's case....)
I'm generally of the view that, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'....

I agree with Janet that your kitty has a good shot at remission...

I'd just say that if you are aiming for slightly tighter control do be cautious about the lower ranges. Numbers below about 50 on a human meter or 65 on Alphatrak are getting into hypo range. So it's wise to keep above these numbers to give some buffer of safety, especially with Vetsulin/Caninsulin.

Re air bubbles in syringes, it can be helpful to press the plunger down really firmly (ejecting all the air that you can) and then hold that down while inserting the needle tip into the actual insulin. Then, when you withdraw insulin you may find that you are far less likely to get air bubbles. (I also quickly 'press and release' the end of the plunger a few times too once the needle tip is in the insulin, prior to drawing up the dose, and this 'seems' to me to create a sort of vacuum that minimises air in the syringe... I don't know if that will work for you too...)
I know that it is easier to get air bubbles with Vetsulin anyway because of its needing to be mixed before each shot. That itself can create bubbles, but 'hopefully' those will subside somewhat if the insulin is left to stand for a few minutes after mixing and before giving the shot.

If you are struggling to measure small doses in U40 syringes then there is the option of using U40 insulin in U100 syringes. But this must be done in conjunction with a conversion chart (which we have here) to ensure that the correct amount of U40 insulin is drawn into the U100 syringe. Doing this can make measuring small doses of U40 insulin much easier... If you want to try this be sure to get U100s with half unit markings
Quick explanation...
U40 insulins (Vetsulin and Prozinc) have 40 units of insulin per ml.
U100 insullins (Lantus, Levemir) have 100 units of insulin per ml.
So, there are 2.5 times the number of units per ml in U100 insulin as there is in U40 insulin. Or, looking at it another way, U100 insulin is 2.5 times as 'strong' as U40.
What this means in practice is that one unit of U40 insulin will measure to the 2.5 unit line on a U100 syringe. This is why measuring smaller doses is easier in U100s....
Here is the link to the conversion chart just in case you're interested in seeing how it works:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm

I don't have very good close vision so I always use a magnifier to check doses anyway. I have a craft magnifier on a stand that I keep on the kitchen worktop for that purpose. And it is a huge help with the smaller doses...

Keeping fingers and paws crossed for continued improvement!

Eliz

Oh, PS....

There have actually been lots of remissions with Vetsulin (I've been on this forum for 14 years and I've seen plenty....). But, in terms of remission, Vetsulin/Caninsulin seems to work best for that group of cats that only need a short time on insulin (and maybe a diet change) to go into remission. If a cat is not getting good control with it after a few months then it may be worth trying a switch to a different insulin.

 

Hi
Mac started on caninsulin(vetsulin) in August when he was first diagnosed - prozinc would have been our vet's first choice usually but there was a shortage at that time.
He was perfectly happy on it and his symptoms improved lots so we probably would have stayed on it but his numbers were dropping fast at the start of the cycle and rising back up quite a bit before the end of the cycle.
So we decided with the vet to swap to prozinc as it was available again to try for a bit gentler longer curve.
I am paying approx £50 per vial which lasts me over 3 months (ignoring the discard after 2 month thing).
I do use the u100 syringes instead of the u40 after making the relevant dosage conversion as I like the shorter length - less fur shots when Mac is in a wriggly mood.
Hope that helps a bit
Gill