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Apache & Ric

Apache & Ric

Member Since 2023
i see some suggested Lantus for insulin. the vials are $350+ !!!! i have 12 other furbabies i have to care for and i couldnt possibly afford something like that. HOWEVER, i just spoke with a local who has a new vial of Prozinc that they will give me if i want to start on the insulin. its about $150 a vial but i may be able to swing that.
QUESTION: should i make the move to prozinc and get away from the vetsulin. ( unless the group thinks you can have the required success needed with Vetsulin) . after about 6 months of use , it looks like the Vetsulin is ineffective . of course i dont know what im doing so it could as easily be me thats ineffective .
my thoughts would be,,,,why put Apache through all this and spend money on the vetsulin if its never going to make the grade. if she has to endure all the poking , why put her through all this unless it can be effective
 
From users here I’ve learned that you can use a GoodRx coupon to get something like a year’s supply of generic Lantus pens for ~$150. Search for “Insulin Glargine” on the GoodRx app. The coupons can be shown to your pharmacy to receive the discount.
 
plumsteal said:
From users here I’ve learned that you can use a GoodRx coupon to get something like a year’s supply of generic Lantus pens for ~$150. Search for “Insulin Glargine” on the GoodRx app. The coupons can be shown to your pharmacy to receive the discount.
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now that sounds like the answer !! can anyone give all the details please ??? want to make sure im searching for` the right item/s
 
There are a couple of additional options for purchasing Lantus (glargine). Many people purchase insulin from Canada via Mark's Marine Pharmacy. The cost is about 1/3 of what Lantus is priced at in the US.

Lantus (glargine) is now available as a generic/biosimilar. The lower cost of the two biosimilars is Semglee. A box of 5 pens costs around $150. I would take a look at the GoodRx or other discount coupons as well as call around your area to see what the price is for Semglee. Not every pharmacy stocks the biosimilar.

Also, you will need a prescription. It's not an insulin you can get at the vet's office and if the vet is selling it, I would be very leery. Some vets will repackage human insulin. It's illegal to do so.

To answer your question about insulin choice, the American Animal Hospital Assn. as of 2018 recommended either Lantus or Prozinc for the treatment of feline diabetes. Insulin, such as Vetsulin, has too short of a duration given a cat's fast metabolism. In addition, it was originally developed for treating canine diabetes. Either Lantus or Prozinc is a good choice. IMHO (and this is an opinion), the benefit of Lantus is that you can get it at any pharmacy. Prozinc would be available either through your vet or Chewy's -- it may be available though some of the big box pet places, though. Should you run out or your insulin go bad, being able to go to a pharmacy to get more is a big advantage. The other advantage is that there is solid research on the effectiveness of Lantus in cats.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
There are a couple of additional options for purchasing Lantus (glargine). Many people purchase insulin from Canada via Mark's Marine Pharmacy. The cost is about 1/3 of what Lantus is priced at in the US.

Lantus (glargine) is now available as a generic/biosimilar. The lower cost of the two biosimilars is Semglee. A box of 5 pens costs around $150. I would take a look at the GoodRx or other discount coupons as well as call around your area to see what the price is for Semglee. Not every pharmacy stocks the biosimilar.

Also, you will need a prescription. It's not an insulin you can get at the vet's office and if the vet is selling it, I would be very leery. Some vets will repackage human insulin. It's illegal to do so.

To answer your question about insulin choice, the American Animal Hospital Assn. as of 2018 recommended either Lantus or Prozinc for the treatment of feline diabetes. Insulin, such as Vetsulin, has too short of a duration given a cat's fast metabolism. In addition, it was originally developed for treating canine diabetes. Either Lantus or Prozinc is a good choice. IMHO (and this is an opinion), the benefit of Lantus is that you can get it at any pharmacy. Prozinc would be available either through your vet or Chewy's -- it may be available though some of the big box pet places, though. Should you run out or your insulin go bad, being able to go to a pharmacy to get more is a big advantage. The other advantage is that there is solid research on the effectiveness of Lantus in cats.
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5 pens will last how long? do you need any accessoies with the pens ?
 
Nope. You don't need any accessories. In fact, you do not want the needle tips for the pens. However, you will need U-100 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings. (Vetsulin uses U40 syringes.)

It's hard to answer your question accurately since how long a pen lasts depends on how large the dose is. When my cat was getting roughly 1.0u dose, a pen would last approximately 80 days.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Nope. You don't need any accessories. In fact, you do not want the needle tips for the pens. However, you will need U-100 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings. (Vetsulin uses U40 syringes.)

It's hard to answer your question accurately since how long a pen lasts depends on how large the dose is. When my cat was getting roughly 1.0u dose, a pen would last approximately 80 days.
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that estimate of 80 days is sufficient. thank you
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Nope. You don't need any accessories. In fact, you do not want the needle tips for the pens. However, you will need U-100 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings. (Vetsulin uses U40 syringes.)

It's hard to answer your question accurately since how long a pen lasts depends on how large the dose is. When my cat was getting roughly 1.0u dose, a pen would last approximately 80 days.
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do you get the pens just for the insulin to put in to syringes?? or actually use the pen ( i assume no if you dont needle tips?)
 
Hi Ric
lantus is an excellent insulin, but expensive in the US that's why most members get the generic glargine
Here is some info
Check this out
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1
One pen would last me about 3 months . we use the pens just like a vial, you would just insert the syringe it the gray rubber stopper on the pen and draw out your insulin
Its generic lantus



Or this one also

I see some members will call CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens
Posted by another member
One members posted this
. I paid $175 for a box of 5 pens at Walmart pharmacy, but GoodRX coupon says you can get it for around $90 if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you.

We don't use the pen because you can only adjust the dose by full units, we adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time. Are the U-100 syringes you already have do they have half unit markings


Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen!
syringe-in-pen-pic-jpg.45006




If you happen to get the generic lantus you will need U-100 syringes with half unit markings
You can get the syringes with half unit markings at a Walmart. Their ReliOn Brand syringes of 0.3 cc (30 unit) capacity come with half unit markings. Cost $12.58 for a box of 100
This is what the packaging looks like: either box
They won't say it half unit on the box but the are . open then and look before you leave the store, can't be ordered on line , need to go into the store
:
upload_2021-9-5_23-18-9-jpeg.62508




Or you can order these
https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/1316/surecomfort-u100-syringes-half-unit-31g-3-10cc-5-16in-100ct
adw-coupon-dia10.jpg

10% off your next order!

You will need a script , tell them what you want and they will contact your vet to fax a script over, give your vet a heads up, ask for refills
We use the half unit markings because we adjust doses by 0.25 units
 
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The pens are not great for cats! You treat the pen just like you would a vial, albeit a mini-vial. There's a rubber stopper at the tip of the pen. You insert the syringe into the stopper. The only difference between using a regular vial and the pen is that you don't want to inject air into the pen.

The issue with using the pen as a syringe is that you can't adjust the dose by 0.25u. The pens only dispense in 1.0u increments. In addition, you have to prime the pen by pumping out a unit which means you're wasting a good deal of insulin.
 
well i might as well switch. the vetsulin isnt even for cats and i pay $70 a vial that lasts about 2 months so,,,, the Lantus generic is way cheaper and it is the preferd insulin. i will be contacting my vet tomorrow !!! im going to need advise on dosage when i switch. i will not listen to my vet anymore.
what is the diff between brand and generic if any ?
 
Hi Ric, you have been getting very good advice so far from Bron on adjusting the dosage. I’m glad to see that you reduced Apache's dose down to 1.75. I definitely am optimistic that the Lantus(generic) will give you much better control over her blood glucose without so many highs and lows. The curves should be much flatter which will be much better for her. She may still bounce, but hopefully that will improve as she spends more time in lower numbers.

Now, as to feeding, she will need to be fed more often. If you need for her not to gain weight then you can still keep the same amount pf total food, but you will divide it up and feed small snacks during the early part of the cycle. Feeding with a depot insulin like Lantus is different than feeding with vetsulin. You can test, feed, and shoot all pretty much within 5 minutes and don’t need to wait for her to even finish eating to give the shot. Then, a general procedure for many cats is to give a snack around +2 and then a few more teaspoon snacks before nadir. We will need to see when her onset time is and when her typical nadir is. Do you know how many carbs are in the food that she is required to eat (the ProPlan)?
 
ive been at 1.5 units for the past few cycles so Bron actually increased the dose. should i stay at the increased dose of 1.75 or go back to the previous of 1.5 ??????s omeone reviewed the label of the proplan duck sensitive skin and stomach and it had 4.54 % carbs. apache has a food allergy and can only eat this food. her nadir is usually at 5hrs. as uou can see in the profile picture Apache loves her new timer feed bowl !! she gets snacks at 2 and 4
 
I’ll let @Suzanne & Darcy answer that, but if you were at 1.5 when she went under 90, you’d reduce to 1.25. You can keep the same dose when you switch to Lantus. Lantus is a much gentler longer laying insulin which means that it takes about 2 hours to start working and that’s why you can test, feed, shoot all back to back. It also means your cat will be protected a full 12 hours each cycle and 24 hours a day. Keep asking questions!
 
Apache & Ric said:
ive been at 1.5 units for the past few cycles so Bron actually increased the dose. should i stay at the increased dose of 1.75 or go back to the previous of 1.5 ??????s omeone reviewed the label of the proplan duck sensitive skin and stomach and it had 4.54 % carbs. apache has a food allergy and can only eat this food. her nadir is usually at 5hrs. as uou can see in the profile picture Apache loves her new timer feed bowl !! she gets snacks at 2 and 4
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Have you gotten any tests today on the 1.75 dose? That would be good to know.
 
Apache & Ric said:
yes amps-294
3hr- 163
4hr- 153
5hr- 175
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Okay. Thanks. So far so good. I didn’t see these numbers on the spreadsheet yet. That is helpful. What hour are you in the cycle now/how long until her evening shot? It looks like 175 will be fine for tonight, but we will see. If she stays in these blues or higher, I would stick with it.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Okay. Thanks. So far so good. I didn’t see these numbers on the spreadsheet yet. That is helpful. What hour are you in the cycle now/how long until her evening shot? It looks like 175 will be fine for tonight, but we will see. If she stays in these blues or higher, I would stick with it.
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i just posted the ss numbers now. shes coming up on her 7th hour so 5 more hours till her next shot. i just test till i know numbers arent falling .the poor girls ears are like a pincushion !!
 
when i call my vet for the lantus generic prescription. what is the exact wording im looking for. lantus pens? are there sizes? how many? must include generic alt ?
 
Apache & Ric said:
when i call my vet for the lantus generic prescription. what is the exact wording im looking for. lantus pens? are there sizes? how many? must include generic alt ?
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I see Suzanne tagged me about this, I actually was fortunate enough to buy them from our supply closet , members who are either giving it away for free or selling it

I just found a post on our group where a member asked the same question and one of our members replied
Tell your vet to write the script for lantus and write "substitution permitted".
I would have your vet write it for 5 pens ,the expiration date will most likely be for 2024 or 2025
Ask the pharmacist what it is.
Keep them on the middle shelf in your fridge
There aren't sizes to ask for
The 3 generics for lantus are

Basaglar, Semglee, and Glargine any one of these are fine, it depends on which one they have in stock.

All the pens are
  • a box of five 3 mL prefilled Pens
I would call all the places I listed in post #9 ( numbers are to the right of each post) and ask them what they have and tell them you have an Rx coupon to use or they might have a coupon that they use ,see who has the best price
 
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thank you for the kind words. she is just the sweetest snuggle muffin and the runt of the litter of 6 which i have all of . born in my house. her mother just died recently and there have been 6 very sad kitties, then Apache gets this. she was in very bad shape when i diagnosed her. i had to force feed her every 2 hours for six dayz. luckly i can administer sub-q fluids as i recently HAD a cat with renal disease and have cared for many with that condition. she has fought a long hard battle to get where she is now and if she is willing to fight, i will stand next to her and fight also. i am very lucky as most of my cats ive had lived to 20 years. i cannot thank you enough for the help. vets are completely useless. i can see what a money making racket it can turn into for them . the only accolade i can give my vet is that he knows i dont have much money and will let me administer "home care" whenever possible cause he knows i can handle it diligently to a T . most vets wont give that option and in that case i would have had to let Apache go. besides battling diabetes she is also battling allergies. that also has been a frustrating battle. she still sneezes alot. combating that with Benedryl and trying to stay away from the steroid stuff. my vet gave her an injsction when she was diagnosed and i think it did worse than good cause thats when she stopped eating.
 
Apache & Ric said:
thank you for the kind words. she is just the sweetest snuggle muffin and the runt of the litter of 6 which i have all of . born in my house. her mother just died recently and there have been 6 very sad kitties, then Apache gets this. she was in very bad shape when i diagnosed her. i had to force feed her every 2 hours for six dayz. luckly i can administer sub-q fluids as i recently HAD a cat with renal disease and have cared for many with that condition. she has fought a long hard battle to get where she is now and if she is willing to fight, i will stand next to her and fight also. i am very lucky as most of my cats ive had lived to 20 years. i cannot thank you enough for the help. vets are completely useless. i can see what a money making racket it can turn into for them . the only accolade i can give my vet is that he knows i dont have much money and will let me administer "home care" whenever possible cause he knows i can handle it diligently to a T . most vets wont give that option and in that case i would have had to let Apache go. besides battling diabetes she is also battling allergies. that also has been a frustrating battle. she still sneezes alot. combating that with Benedryl and trying to stay away from the steroid stuff. my vet gave her an injsction when she was diagnosed and i think it did worse than good cause thats when she stopped eating.
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That’s a sweet story. I’m happy you have the whole litter. I’m glad your vet is willing to work with you as far as letting her have home care. Do you test her for ketones?
 
ketones will be my next venture as i didnt even know what that was. i see the blood meters and strips are as expensive so i have to figure out a way to get her urine. when u test for ketones how many times do u do it? just like BG ? more? less?
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
I see Suzanne tagged me about this, I actually was fortunate enough to buy them from our supply closet , members who are either giving it away for free or selling it

I just found a post on our group where a member asked the same question and one of our members replied
Tell your vet to write the script for lantus and write "substitution permitted".
I would have your vet write it for 5 pens ,the expiration date will most likely be for 2024 or 2025
Ask the pharmacist what it is.
Keep them on the middle shelf in your fridge
There aren't sizes to ask for
The 3 generics for lantus are

Basaglar, Semglee, and Glargine any one of these are fine, it depends on which one they have in stock.

All the pens are
  • a box of five 3 mL prefilled Pens
I would call all the places I listed in post #9 ( numbers are to the right of each post) and ask them what they have and tell them you have an Rx coupon to use or they might have a coupon that they use ,see who has the best price
Click to expand...
where do i find this supply closet please ??
 
Apache did not eat her snacks last night and will not eat at meter/feed time...what do i do ???? i know to stall but what if she still doesnt eat
 
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Here is a screenshot of the pGoodRx pagen form generic glargine. You have select the generic and pen (carton) in the pull down menus since the default is real Lantus vials.
Generici Lantus.png

Note that if yo select real Lantus the coupon is not for a pet prescription. The prescription is required to say it is for a pet.
 

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Katsallday said:
Try to blend up the food and make it into a puree. That could make her eat
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i did that. Apache is ALWAYS screaming for her food. i think the additional snacks have provided too much food. i will divide the usual amount of food to include the 2 snacks
question: since vetsulin is quicl acting, i now must split up one can (3oz) of food BUT how much to give at Meter / feed ???? half can with 2 quarter c an snacks ??? is 1/2 can enough food for her shot ???
 
Apache & Ric said:
i did that. Apache is ALWAYS screaming for her food. i think the additional snacks have provided too much food. i will divide the usual amount of food to include the 2 snacks
question: since vetsulin is quicl acting, i now must split up one can (3oz) of food BUT how much to give at Meter / feed ???? half can with 2 quarter c an snacks ??? is 1/2 can enough food for her shot ???
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Yeah she could be getting full since she was very use to what you were feeding her before. You wouldn't happen to have fortiflora on hand would ya? I'd assume if you did you would have tried that lol. She could be full, she could have a belly ache, maybe it's almost hairball time or even constipation. Lots of reasons cats won't eat, I swear some cats do it to mess with me. I have 18 myself and they laugh at my stress sometimes :arghh:

So since your on vetsulin we gotta work real hard to make her eat for her shot or else she'll drop fast. Hmm. Do you have shakeable parmesean cheese?
 
Katsallday said:
Yeah she could be getting full since she was very use to what you were feeding her before. You wouldn't happen to have fortiflora on hand would ya? I'd assume if you did you would have tried that lol. She could be full, she could have a belly ache, maybe it's almost hairball time or even constipation. Lots of reasons cats won't eat, I swear some cats do it to mess with me. I have 18 myself and they laugh at my stress sometimes :arghh:

So since your on vetsulin we gotta work real hard to make her eat for her shot or else she'll drop fast. Hmm. Do you have shakeable parmesean cheese?
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Apache has food allegy and can only eat her one food. i dont dare give her anything else as i tried just about everything dialing in on the allergy. i have famitodine i can give her. she not constipated cause a few hours ago she dropped a bomb. is just waiting till shes hungry again to administer the shot the correct answer?
 
Apache & Ric said:
Apache has food allegy and can only eat her one food. i dont dare give her anything else as i tried just about everything dialing in on the allergy. i have famitodine i can give her. she not constipated cause a few hours ago she dropped a bomb. is just waiting till shes hungry again to administer the shot the correct answer?
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Ah yeah I did forget about her allergies. Warming up to food maybe? Finger feeding? Sometimes if they can just get a taste that reminds them "oh yeah I love this stuff" and they start eating. Bop her on the mouth with some so she can a quick taste and see if that changes her mind
 
Katsallday said:
Ah yeah I did forget about her allergies. Warming up to food maybe? Finger feeding? Sometimes if they can just get a taste that reminds them "oh yeah I love this stuff" and they start eating. Bop her on the mouth with some so she can a quick taste and see if that changes her mind
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trust me ....Apache is always screaming for her food. i believe her stomach is upset by the way she is sitting. this does happen every once in a while with the food allergy. i reaffirm my belief its too much food
 
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