Possible allergy to Lantus and maybe a pancreas issue?

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Amélie

Amélie

Member Since 2018
Hello,

My kitty Tewksbury has been on Lantus for a week and I noticed some twitching..his paws and his head (nothing in his paws) I have had a hard time regulating him. First day started at 2 units and his BG's declined tremendously and never went back up (12 hrs)so only one dose for the day. Following day, 1 unit, again low BG levels and never went back up (12 hrs) so started giving him .5 units. He's still up and down though but last night I checked his blood before feeding-he was up to 22.0 so gave him .75 units and he was twitching, jumping in place..it's like he was high. His eyes were really excited and he wouldn't let me pet him. ( he didn't do this on 2 units?)

After approx 2 hours he finally calmed down but it really freaked me out. I think I also need another vet- he insists that I give Tewks 1 unit (wanted me to start at three units) and that I feed him purina pro plan DM. He wasn't impressed that I'm giving him low carb canned food. He insists that I give him the kibble along with the canned food. He also said he's not sure- but he think there may be an issue with his pancreas? Uhm I never said I wouldn't authorize testing on my boy- just left the sentence hanging.

If there was "an issue with his pancreas" would the insulin be effective? And most importantly do you think Tewks is allergic to Lantus? I 've read that theses can be side effects but I feel like maybe it's more then that. Perhaps a switch of insulins?
 
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Not sure about your questions. But just wanted to bump up your thread so others might see it. Also, if you put the question mark in the title, more people will see it and respond.
 
Yes I did test him and he started his day at 22 and then ate and I gave him his insulin. .5 units. I should mention that I put polysporin on his ears and right after he started his twitching (which I've noticed before) but then the jumping started and odd behaviour.
 
Chubba said:
Not sure about your questions. But just wanted to bump up your thread so others might see it. Also, if you put the question mark in the title, more people will see it and respond.
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Thanks Chubba..Appreciate it! :-)
 
Are you getting tests in the middle of the cycle (between shots)? A typical Lantus cycle is like a smile, high at the ends then down towards the middle. We use those middle tests to see how well a cat is doing on a dose. On this forum, we use a common spreadsheet to records the blood sugar levels. If you use it, we'll be able to help you with dosing. The instructions for the spreadsheet are here.

I wonder if Tewksbury is allergic to something in Polysporin. I have seen that in one or two cats, and my mother just discovered she is allergic to it. It caused a rash. Lantus/glargine has an acid base. Some cats react to the shot. But that's usually right after the shot, not for two hours later.
 
Not sure what's going on with the twitching, I suppose it could be the insulin, but it could also be so many other things. My cat was more excitable after her evening shot when she was on Lantus, I don't know why, but it didn't happen after the morning shot, only the evening one. You can switch to Levemir if you really suspect it's the insulin, you're so early on giving insulin, it shouldn't be a huge disruption for you to switch now. It's an expensive experiment however, especially if it doesn't turn out to be the problem.

Try to set up a spreadsheet like Wendy suggested, it will help you see what's going on and help others help you.

What stood out to me in your post is that your vet thinks there may be trouble with his pancreas. I say it's worth further investigation. Pancreatitis can cause diabetes and if you can take supportive measures to get that situation handled, your cat will have a better chance of going in to remission from diabetes. There is no cure for pancreatitis, but there are things you can do to help manage it. If you get some diagnostic testing done (Spec fPL blood test and/or ultrasound) and that's what it turns out to be I would also encourage you to find a group about pancreatitis and see if they have further information. Here's a great post Marje wrote about pancreatitis:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/a-primer-on-pancreatitis.83108/
 
Amélie said:
Yes I did test him and he started his day at 22 and then ate and I gave him his insulin. .5 units. I should mention that I put polysporin on his ears and right after he started his twitching (which I've noticed before) but then the jumping started and odd behaviour.
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Did you test while he was acting odd?
 
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