I want to change from Vetsulin to Novalin because of the cost difference. Pharmacists have told me that Novalin is being used a lot for dog and cat diabetes with no side effects. I have been giving my cat 4 units of the Vetsulin in a U-40 syringe. What would the conversion be using a U-100? Thanks!
Vetsulin vs Novalin
- Thread starter Chau
- Start date
Bandit's Mom
Very Active Member
Actually, neither Vetsulin nor Novolin is a good insulin for cats. In fact, the current guidelines for the treatment of feline diabetes published by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) in 2018 no longer recommend Novolin N for the treatment of Feline Diabetes. It continues to be recommended for dogs but the AAHA noted that this type of insulin has insufficient duration to be recommended for the treatment of feline diabetes.
Vetsulin is also more suited to dogs than cats. With cats you don't get enough duration. It will hit hard at onset and wear off quickly. You want a long acting insulin like Glargine. Lantus pens are now available in the US at human pharmacies for around $20. A pen lasts an average cat 2-3 months.
If you need financial assistance for treating your kitty's diabetes, Diabetic Cats in Need has two Compassionate Assistance Programs...one is for one time help for people who can't come up with the start-up supplies (insulin, syringes, lancets and a blood glucose meter) and the other is a continuing assistance program for low income caregivers who can't afford the treatment costs.
@Chris & China (GA)
Link to your previous posts:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/u-40-1-2-cc-and-u-40-3-10-cc.299055/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/changing-my-cats-insulin-and-feeding-time.272755/
Vetsulin is also more suited to dogs than cats. With cats you don't get enough duration. It will hit hard at onset and wear off quickly. You want a long acting insulin like Glargine. Lantus pens are now available in the US at human pharmacies for around $20. A pen lasts an average cat 2-3 months.
If you need financial assistance for treating your kitty's diabetes, Diabetic Cats in Need has two Compassionate Assistance Programs...one is for one time help for people who can't come up with the start-up supplies (insulin, syringes, lancets and a blood glucose meter) and the other is a continuing assistance program for low income caregivers who can't afford the treatment costs.
@Chris & China (GA)
Link to your previous posts:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/u-40-1-2-cc-and-u-40-3-10-cc.299055/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/changing-my-cats-insulin-and-feeding-time.272755/
squeem3
Very Active Member
Are you in the US? US pharmacists aren't familiar with veterinary medicine and treating veterinary issues and shouldn't be advising customers on what medicines to use (probably not legal either).
Have you discussed your cat's diabetes with your vet recently? If not, that's the first step you need to take. There are better insulin to use than Vetsulin and Novolin. Lantus (glaringe) is used often in cats. Prozinc is a pet insulin and you can use U40 syringes with it.
With any insulin change, you don't want to continue with the same dose because you don't know how the cat will react. Always start back at a low dose of no more than 1 unit twice a day with the proper syringes and increase slowly as needed based on blood glucose curves. There may be some rare exceptions to the rule. Do you test your cat's levels at home?
Novolin is too short acting to use in cats and makes them feel pretty horrible with the blood glucose swings. Cheaper insulin does not mean better blood glucose levels for a cat.
Have you discussed your cat's diabetes with your vet recently? If not, that's the first step you need to take. There are better insulin to use than Vetsulin and Novolin. Lantus (glaringe) is used often in cats. Prozinc is a pet insulin and you can use U40 syringes with it.
With any insulin change, you don't want to continue with the same dose because you don't know how the cat will react. Always start back at a low dose of no more than 1 unit twice a day with the proper syringes and increase slowly as needed based on blood glucose curves. There may be some rare exceptions to the rule. Do you test your cat's levels at home?
Novolin is too short acting to use in cats and makes them feel pretty horrible with the blood glucose swings. Cheaper insulin does not mean better blood glucose levels for a cat.
Vetsulin has another name outside of the US -- it's called Caninsulin. That should give you an idea about how it was developed for canine diabetes. My cat was started on Novolin -- that was in 2009. A lot has changed since then and Novolin was not a great choice. Her numbers would plummet and the insulin did not last for a full 12-hour cycle. I did my homework and asked my vet about switching to Lantus. In the years since, veterinary organizations, like the AAHA, have done comparisons and are consistently recommending either Lantus/glargine or Prozinc as Squeem3 indicated.
The good news is that Lantus is now available as a generic/biosimilar medication. Its nonproprietary name is glargine. GoodRx has discounts on a 5 pack of pens. It's also sold at Sam's Club and Costco as well as most pharmacies. You just need to have your vet write the prescription for glargine.
I'm tagging one of our members who can fill you in on how to track down discounted glargine. @Diane Tyler's Mom GA
The good news is that Lantus is now available as a generic/biosimilar medication. Its nonproprietary name is glargine. GoodRx has discounts on a 5 pack of pens. It's also sold at Sam's Club and Costco as well as most pharmacies. You just need to have your vet write the prescription for glargine.
I'm tagging one of our members who can fill you in on how to track down discounted glargine. @Diane Tyler's Mom GA