Thinking of making the switch but worried about cost

[Heather & Ducote]

My cat is currently on Vetsulin but his numbers are still not looking good. I have heard that Prozinc is better for cats than Vetsulin and I asked my vet about switching. She said that Vetsulin is $58 while Prozinc is $130 (more than double to price). I saw where you can buy lantus cheaper from pharmacies in Canada and I have seen coupons as well. My question is, is there any relief for the cost of Prozinc like there is for lantus or is the only choice to buy it at full price from the vet? I have three teenagers who already run me dry and I am trying to wrap my head around what it is going to cost to keep my kitty healthy (monitor, strips, lancets, insulin, syringes, boarding when we go out of town, new food, etc.)

 

[Panic]

Prozinc is available on Chewy.com for roughly $106 at the moment, that's where most people get their supply. If you're interested in Lantus though it will be a lot cheaper in the long run. Marks Marine Pharmacy has it for $160 + shipping, but that 5 pack will last you 1-2 years.

If Ducote is in fact a high-dose cat (saw your other board) you'll actually be wanting to switch to Levemir, it's the same price at Lantus. Just things to keep in mind before making a $$$ decision.

 

[Lisa and little]

Also... I have been using Diathrive for strips and meter for quite some time. 450 test strips is around $75, you can set up an auto ship with amount of strips and frequency and meter is free with first order. Has done wonders for my budget.

 

[Heather & Ducote]

Prozinc is available on Chewy.com for roughly $106 at the moment, that's where most people get their supply. If you're interested in Lantus though it will be a lot cheaper in the long run. Marks Marine Pharmacy has it for $160 + shipping, but that 5 pack will last you 1-2 years.

If Ducote is in fact a high-dose cat (saw your other board) you'll actually be wanting to switch to Levemir, it's the same price at Lantus. Just things to keep in mind before making a $$$ decision.

I have actually thought of moving to Lantus as well but what scares me is that it looks like if you miss a dose or give it later than normal it is a bigger deal than Prozinc (I could be wrong, this is just what I have gathered)....? Lantus sounds like a steal compared to the others if it lasts that long! What would be the reason to go to Levemir vs Lantus? I thought that they were pretty much the same.

 

[Heather & Ducote]

Prozinc is available on Chewy.com for roughly $106 at the moment, that's where most people get their supply. If you're interested in Lantus though it will be a lot cheaper in the long run. Marks Marine Pharmacy has it for $160 + shipping, but that 5 pack will last you 1-2 years.

If Ducote is in fact a high-dose cat (saw your other board) you'll actually be wanting to switch to Levemir, it's the same price at Lantus. Just things to keep in mind before making a $$$ decision.

One more question. If you order from the Canadian pharmacy, about how long is the shipping time? Do you have to order way before you need it?

 

[Lisa and little]

One more question. If you order from the Canadian pharmacy, about how long is the shipping time? Do you have to order way before you need it?

Usually no but my last shipment took unusually long due to COVID slowing shipments down. Took 10 -11 days from the day it left Canada to get to me in NY with the $25 express shipping. Usually much quicker than that

 

[Panic]

They do work differently, yes. Prozinc is an in and out insulin like Vetsulin. You have about an hour's leeway with shot-time. Lantus/Levemir are depot insulin, it's like a pool of insulin under the skin that fills and depletes. It's more strict (15 min shot difference per cycle OR 30 minutes difference per 24 hours). Giving sooner is like giving too big of a dose and giving too late is like not giving a full dose. Even if you skip a shot you will still see an insulin effect due to the depot. In and out insulin does not effect other cycles like depot insulin does. If you are confident that you can stick to a stricter schedule I would recommend the depot. I used Prozinc for a long time because I didn't think I could manage but we saw great improvement compared to Prozinc.

Levemir is used in high dose cats since Lantus is acidic and starts to sting once you get into high doses, unlike Levemir. It also just seems to help acro cats more, not sure the reason.

 

[Heather & Ducote]

They do work differently, yes. Prozinc is an in and out insulin like Vetsulin. You have about an hour's leeway with shot-time. Lantus/Levemir are depot insulin, it's like a pool of insulin under the skin that fills and depletes. It's more strict (15 min shot difference per cycle OR 30 minutes difference per 24 hours). Giving sooner is like giving too big of a dose and giving too late is like not giving a full dose. Even if you skip a shot you will still see an insulin effect due to the depot. In and out insulin does not effect other cycles like depot insulin does. If you are confident that you can stick to a stricter schedule I would recommend the depot. I used Prozinc for a long time because I didn't think I could manage but we saw great improvement compared to Prozinc.

Levemir is used in high dose cats since Lantus is acidic and starts to sting once you get into high doses, unlike Levemir. It also just seems to help acro cats more, not sure the reason.

Thank you, that was very helpful! I do think that I would be able to stick to a regular schedule and have success with a depot insulin but in the back of my mind I am scared because there is always that "what if" and it makes me want to stick with the in and out insulin

 

[Panic]

That's exactly how I felt too - someone told me that I could always switch back if I felt I needed, which I didn't.

 

[Heather & Ducote]

Thanks for all of the advice! I looked on Chewy and found a good price on the Prozinc. I got the insulin and syringes for $101 (using a coupon code and free shipping). The Vetsulin and syringes from my vet cost me around $80 so this is not much of a difference I am going out of town for a week (6/8 - 6/15) and Ducote will be boarded at the vet. I plan on starting the new insulin when we return. Do you stay on the same dose when switching from Vetsulin to Prozinc?

 

[Irish Pat]

Thanks for all of the advice! I looked on Chewy and found a good price on the Prozinc. I got the insulin and syringes for $101 (using a coupon code and free shipping). The Vetsulin and syringes from my vet cost me around $80 so this is not much of a difference I am going out of town for a week (6/8 - 6/15) and Ducote will be boarded at the vet. I plan on starting the new insulin when we return. Do you stay on the same dose when switching from Vetsulin to Prozinc?

Hello Heather...do you mind me asking what coupon code you used, could help me out in the future, I also use prozinc.....And you definitely came to the right place...These people are amazing...I read thru some of you other posts and trust me I know the feelings you have or had all to well....Hopefully in time it gets easier, im still working on it.....But I have learned so much from these amazing people on here.....I hope things get better for all of us!!!

 

[Heather & Ducote]

I ALWAYS go to Retailmenot.com before I make any purchase online. There is a search bar where you can search any store and it will pull up all current coupons and promo codes available. The code that I found was MAYRX20 which saved me 20% off of pharmacy items (it saved me $24.36). Since the code has the word "MAY" in it, it is only good until tomorrow. But check with that website before making online purchases because they are always uploading the newest codes.

 

[Irish Pat]

I ALWAYS go to Retailmenot.com before I make any purchase online. There is a search bar where you can search any store and it will pull up all current coupons and promo codes available. The code that I found was MAYRX20 which saved me 20% off of pharmacy items (it saved me $24.36). Since the code has the word "MAY" in it, it is only good until tomorrow. But check with that website before making online purchases because they are always uploading the newest codes.

Awesome, thank you

 

[JOJI and Kit]

It's more strict (15 min shot difference per cycle OR 30 minutes difference per 24 hours). Giving sooner is like giving too big of a dose and giving too late is like not giving a full dose. Even if you skip a shot you will still see an insulin effect due to the depot. In and out insulin does not effect other cycles like depot insulin does. If you are confident that you can stick to a stricter schedule I would recommend the depot. I used Prozinc for a long time because I didn't think I could manage but we saw great improvement compared to Prozinc.

we are looking at switching kit from prozinc to lantus. given the in/out vs depot characteristics does this mean that w lantus there's not the ability to "stall" like we've had to do a few times with kit on prozinc?

or maybe you can stall on lantus, but with tighter tolerances? i.e. w prozinc we've had to stalled 2x 20mins to be able to shoot. from your 15/30min quote above is it correct to think that there is the ability to stall of a max 30 min (e.g. 2x 15min) in a 24 hour period?


tia ^jw

 

[Panic]

we are looking at switching kit from prozinc to lantus. given the in/out vs depot characteristics does this mean that w lantus there's not the ability to "stall" like we've had to do a few times with kit on prozinc?

or maybe you can stall on lantus, but with tighter tolerances? i.e. w prozinc we've had to stalled 2x 20mins to be able to shoot. from your 15/30min quote above is it correct to think that there is the ability to stall of a max 30 min (e.g. 2x 15min) in a 24 hour period?


tia ^jw

You can stall as needed with depot insulin, you'll just have to keep into account that numbers will still be affected by the depot that cycle (and you may prefer to skip). Stalling also has to follow the 15-30 min adjustment rule, so if you're 3 hours late by stalling it may be easier for you to just skip so not to mess up your schedule. Skipping or reducing a dose can affect the next few cycles as the depot fills back up (aka higher numbers until then) so it's just something to keep in mind.

 

[Panic]

*Just to clarify, stalling itself can be done like normal, you don't have to stall only in 15 minute increments, but when you're working to get back on schedule afterwards you stick to the increment rule. So if you're 3 hours off schedule, anyone using Prozinc could get back on schedule after 3 cycles (1 hour each time), but a depot insulin would take 6 days.