Lantus - How long . . .

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And what is the best way to reorder it? Do you go through your local pharmacy or ?
 
use it until it's gone ;)....most likely you will use it up before the expiry date (check to see what it is), and it will last a bit longer then that. If the insulin starts to go cloudy then it's going bad. As far as ordering, I'm in Canada and we just go to a drugstore as no prescription is needed here..........I'm sure all the pharmacy's have it there, or many order from Marks' Supply in Canada and have it shipped as it's cheaper...........others will add to this msg I'm sure.
 
Usually the vials start to lose efficacy somewhere around 4-6 months, but we've heard of them lasting much longer. The only way to know is to watch the numbers....if they start to go up and there's no other reason, it's time to suspect the insulin.

Most of us use the pens so we don't end up throwing half a vial away. A vial holds 1000 units which most cats won't use before it starts to go bad. A pen only holds 300 units in each pen so we can use every drop.

The other pens (that aren't currently in use) stay safely in the refrigerator until needed and they are good until the expiration date on the box....usually about 2 years away.

Most of us buy our Lantus from Marks Marine pharmacy in Canada because they're so much cheaper than anywhere in the US
 
I started using mine on 04/02/18 so going on 4 months. I keep the vile in a vile koosie and it is only out of the refrigerator long enough to draw the dose. I have used almost all of the insulin in both the viles and pens. I switch when I am on vacation so I can monitor just in case the old has lost some potency and the new is a bit stronger.
 
My vial is 7 months old - has been refrigerated the entire time. Only removed for drawing and then returned to top shelf near the back. Kept it in the box that it came in from the pharmacy. It seems to still be working - Luci had a couple of nice days the last two days from that vial. We're not quite empty yet...but soon. Switching to pens then - as I can use one and then keep the others un-opened for longer. Our via expires in 2020...so we're nowhere near expire date!
 
Chris & China said:
Usually the vials start to lose efficacy somewhere around 4-6 months, but we've heard of them lasting much longer. The only way to know is to watch the numbers....if they start to go up and there's no other reason, it's time to suspect the insulin.

Most of us use the pens so we don't end up throwing half a vial away. A vial holds 1000 units which most cats won't use before it starts to go bad. A pen only holds 300 units in each pen so we can use every drop.

The other pens (that aren't currently in use) stay safely in the refrigerator until needed and they are good until the expiration date on the box....usually about 2 years away.

Most of us buy our Lantus from Marks Marine pharmacy in Canada because they're so much cheaper than anywhere in the US
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Thanks, all, for the great info! :bighug:

And @Chris & China thanks especially for the info on the Canadian pharmacy. That is a great hook-up. Thank you.

I used the Lantus pen for ? 8 months or so. Pretty Girl did not have good results and has done much better since using Lantus from the vial. I know that it should be the same thing but in our case it wasn't. I did really love the convenience of the pen and the easy way to measure and shoot etc. And the ability to use just one pen and keep the others in the fridge. But it was apparently not the right solution for Pretty Girl. She's done so much better since we started using the vial. It doesn't make sense . . but then neither do cats.
 
JeanW said:
I did really love the convenience of the pen and the easy way to measure and shoot etc
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We don't use the "dial-a-dose" mechanism on the pens.....we use the regular insulin syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen, just like as if it were a "mini-vial"

The pens don't give the option of making the small changes in doses like we recommend
 
JeanW said:
And the ability to use just one pen and keep the others in the fridge.
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I think most people keep the pen they're using in the fridge, too, assuming they're on a small enough dose that it won't be used up within a month. I also use Mark's Marine.
Maybe Pretty Girl likes the vials better because they're like crystal--or diamond!--but the pens are only common plastic.:cat:
 
Chris & China said:
We don't use the "dial-a-dose" mechanism on the pens.....we use the regular insulin syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen, just like as if it were a "mini-vial"

The pens don't give the option of making the small changes in doses like we recommend
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Thank you @Chris & China. That makes sense and I understand why you do it. Due to a bad experience with a previous vet, it probably won't work for us. But I'm really glad to know about Mark's Marine! (what a funny name for a pharmacy?) Agree that syringes are so much more precise.
 
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