Advice from Lantus users please

[jillmerg]

I've been home testing for almost a month now and am concerned with Princess' numbers. I've been working on her SS to get an idea on how her insulin(Novolin)has been working. All her vet tests (nadir) looked good & when I started testing her nadir I thought things were looking positive. Now that I am able to get more numbers on her ss all I can think is... YIKES! For the most part her am&pmps's are high200-mid300's. Isn't that bad? Today she had an AMPS of 289 , +6 100, +11 319. I don't think a dose increase could be an option considering her peaks are pretty low so I'm thinking changing to Lantus. I'm still learning but from what I read the pen gives you most units for the price, right? I'm looking for the most cost effective option & the $24 N isnt cutting it. She luckily hasnt had any other health issues from her diabetes & I would like to keep it that way. I'm afraid with her consistent highs it will be just a matter of time! She's eating DM now , would changing to a 0 carb make enough of a difference? Like I said, I am new to the board & am trying to educate myself as much as I can so if am wrong please inform me.
Thanks~Jill

 

[ASA-Ashley(Smokey)&Anna]

Hi Jill - I had a different diabetic cat several years ago and now have an older Oriental Short Hair who was recently diagnosed along with some pancreatitis to add to the matter, so I'm back as this is an extremely helpful group of folks. I'm new to Lantus; however, from a cost perspective, I've learned the following - Purchasing either the pens or 10ml bottle in the US is extremely costly. I purchased the bottle for approx $260.00 and it lasts for up to 60 days once opened. However, getting the Lantus from Canada is approx $92.00. Points to consider.... Amount of time to ship along with high & low temperatures. The company I spoke with is called Marks Marine Pharmacy. They have a video explaining how they ship their insulin, http://www.marksmarinepharmacy.ca/insulin.html.

Additionally, I previously used a human glucometer and am now using the Abbott AlphaTrak2, which is providing pretty accurate readings. As for food, I'll defer to others as I too am am putting the puzzle pieces together to figure out the best course of action.

Paws crossed for you and your kitty,

Vicky & Anna the cat...

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

When Gabby was first diagnosed, she was quite ill and was hospitalized on an ICU. The vet there was not a feline specialist and started her on Humulin N (same as Novolin). Much like you, what I came to appreciate is that Novolin doesn't have the duration of either Lantus or Lev. As a result, when you're testing at +6, you're not really seeing Princess' nadir. N lasts approximately 8 hours -- not 12 (or more). Those last 4 hours are when numbers are climbing back up. When my regular vet informed me was that Novolin is a great insulin for dogs but not for cats due to cats having a faster metabolism.

For Vicky and Anna - I use the Lantus pens. My last pen was good for over 90 days. There are people who use the vials and can use them without a problem for 6 mos. Lantus prices have skyrocketed. It is far cheaper to buy Lantus through Canadian sources at this point.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

Hi Jill,

Just wanted to welcome you! Lantus is a great insulin for cats - Levemir is great also. Those both last much longer in a cat than Novolin does.

I agree with Sienne - Lantus is not as fragile as once thought and many people can use up their pens/vials to the last drop. Just depends - but i definitely wouldn't discard insulin without having evidence that it wasn't good any longer.

We encourage people to use human glucometers. Our documents are written using human glucometer numbers - they are accurate enough and using the same meters as the dosing guidelines makes dosing much easier to understand. Another huge factor is cost - the cost for human glucometer strips is about 1/4th the cost of an AT strip. That cost can make a huge difference over the long haul!

I hope you'll both ask lots of questions - we'll be glad to help you learn what you need to know to help your kitties. When you do get your Lantus, make sure you read the yellow sticky on "Taking Care of Your Insulin" so you learn how to make it last as long as possible. There is a video on the sticky demonstrating how to draw a dose without contaminating the vial/pen.