7/14, Tibby, AMPS 540 +7 350, switching insulins/dose/SLGS?

Amy&Tibby

Amy&Tibby

Member Since 2020
Hello. I'm new to posting on the FDMB. My cat Tibby was diagnosed in Feb. I've been following the advice of my vet, who has been very good and connected me with the FDMB. I've also gotten somewhat proficient at home-testing, finally.

Tibby has been on Prozinc since diagnosed, but his numbers never really regulated. The vet wants to try Lantus instead. Tibby gets 2.5 units of Prozinc 2x/day currently, and then the vet wants me to switch to 2 units of Lantus 2x/day.

When I switch, can I start the SLGS method? Is that something you can just start doing when the dose is already up to 2 units?

Thank you! The spreadsheet should be linked (I hope).
 
Welcome. Yes you can start with SLGS. I’m glad you are testing. While you don’t need as much testing with SLGS I would get a +1 and +2 at first just to see if there’s a big drop. With my cat he onset at late +2-3 so a test around tgen let me know a bit about how the cycle would go.
 
Hi Amy! Welcome to the LB&L forum! This is a great place to be for help, support and guidance. Nice that your vet directed you to join us!

So, starting with Lantus - glad to see there's no more kibble (from the comment on your SS)...and I'd like to suggest that you consider switching to a human meter - just in case you would feel easier about getting more tests. Especially at night. Lantus is a depot drug and after several cycles, once the depot is full there may be some nice reductions in those numbers - particularly at night.

Your Spreadsheet and Signature look great. Be sure to read through the SLGS and TR dosing methods to see which you think might work best for you. SLGS is a bit slower inasmuch as you'll want to hold the dose for longer than TR. TR is a bit more aggressive and you can increase the dose more frequently. Either way, you'll get a feel for it soon.

Please be sure to read the PSA at the very top of this forum for information on how to post, how often to post, etc. That's a great guide to how things work around here and will help you be more comfortable as you post and ask questions.

Great to have you join us! See you both around the forum!
 
Thank you both! The TR felt a bit overwhelming to me, if I'm reading it right. SLGS sounds kind of like what my vet has been trying to do through me. I sometimes can barely get a proper test, but that's becoming rarer as I get more practice. However, even just last night I couldn't get a good read before his evening dose. But I've invested in supplies, and I'm determined to get good at this.
 
Hello and welcome. When you switch from Prozinc to one of the depot insulins, we suggest going at the same dose. Given that you haven't seen anything below 300 on 2.5 units, I'd be reluctant to go as far back as 2.0 units.

You would be fine doing SLGS if you think it suits your lifestyle better. You will need to get a preshot test every time going forward, do a curve once a week (or equivalent spot checks), and increase then if needed.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hello and welcome. When you switch from Prozinc to one of the depot insulins, we suggest going at the same dose. Given that you haven't seen anything below 300 on 2.5 units, I'd be reluctant to go as far back as 2.0 units.

You would be fine doing SLGS if you think it suits your lifestyle better. You will need to get a preshot test every time going forward, do a curve once a week (or equivalent spot checks), and increase then if needed.
Click to expand...

I wondered about that. The vet thought he might have had a little Simogyi effect several weeks ago, so maybe he's being overly cautious by scaling back to 2 units?
 
"Symogyi" effect is an "old vets tale". The theory was based on a very small study of humans on fast acting insulin decades ago. It doesn't translate well to cats and modern insulins, especially if the dose was raised carefully and you are home testing. There is something we call "bouncing", which is a short term effect of the cat's body to lower numbers than they are used to, or fast drops. Bouncing is over and done in about six cycles - so that would be long gone.
 
Could I start the SLGS before I switch to Lantus? His numbers are consistently high before his shots. I should probably do another curve first, or at least get more data.
 
Welcome to FDMB.

You can do the equivalent of SLGS with Prozinc but you would be better off posting in the Prozinc forum. There are different forums based on the insulin you're using as well at a general Health board here. You're currently posting on the Lantus board. We can offer you a great deal of help with Lantus/Levemir/Basaglar but our expertise with Prozinc is, well, not really expertise!

Getting more tests, regardless of which insulin you're using, would be helpful. With SLGS, you want to always get a pre-shot test and at least one additional test during both the AM and PM cycles. You want to know how low the dose is bringing your cat's numbers.
 
I think I'll just wait and start the process with the Lantus, just have it all in one place with one insulin. I'll just practice getting better with testing this week. Thank you so much!
 
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