Best place to buy Vetsulin?

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MClarke087

MClarke087

Member Since 2016
Hi,
My cat was on Novolin and was very well regulated at 1unit/2x a day, until he suddenly was not regulated anymore.....His BG before food had been over 600 for weeks before the vet agreed to switch him to Vetsulin. Well he's now up to 6 units 2x a day of Vetsulin and we are running out. It's $84 a bottle at the vet and quite frankly I'm all out of money. I picked up a second job just to pay for his insulin, syringes, BG meter/strips, etc. but I still can't afford that. Besides, this insulin isn't even working!!

I found Vetsulin for sale on 1800petmeds.com but I've heard that some people think the website sells bootleg products.

Does anyone know where to buy Vetsulin at a reasonable price (and shipped to the US)?
 
Hi,
Unfortunately this forum doesn't get a lot of traffic & most folks using Vetsulin are posting on Health. I will tag one of the moderators to move your post for you as I'm unable to help.
@Jill & Alex (GA) Can you please move this post to Health as I'm sure it would get more responses there. Thanks! :)
 
petfooddirect.com and pet360.com both sell it, but you'll have to check what the shipping is. Usually like 20 to overnight it. Still that would come to about 60 which is better than the price your vet is charging. Plus you can often find discount codes or go through a site like ebates for a little money back when you buy online.
 
Before I switched to Lantus, I bought Vetsulin but I had to shop around... $50.00 was the cheapest I could find it at one veterinary practice, while my vet sold it for $70/bottle. Perhaps shopping around at different vets with the RX might help?

Just wanted to note that 6 units is pretty high dose for Vetsulin, and I see you mentioned that it's "not even working". Have you considered changing to a longer-lasting gentler insulin like Prozinc, Lantus or Levemir?

A lot of us buy our Lantus/Levemir from Canada, where you pay $160 upfront for a 5pack of pens but it lasts you for several months, some people upwards of a year depending on the dose. So the initial cost is a bit higher, but you save money on a monthly basis in the long run. I used Vetsulin briefly at 4 units and it did nothing for Carter as well, as it hits hard and is in/out of the body very quickly. Similar to Novolin. I switched to Lantus and had much better results.

Just food for thought. :)
 
JanetNJ said:
petfooddirect.com and pet360.com both sell it, but you'll have to check what the shipping is. Usually like 20 to overnight it. Still that would come to about 60 which is better than the price your vet is charging. Plus you can often find discount codes or go through a site like ebates for a little money back when you buy online.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Do you always have to ship it overnight? The manufacturer's website says it you don't have to but it has to stay over a certain temp, I think it was 70 degrees.
 
Erica & Carter said:
Before I switched to Lantus, I bought Vetsulin but I had to shop around... $50.00 was the cheapest I could find it at one veterinary practice, while my vet sold it for $70/bottle. Perhaps shopping around at different vets with the RX might help?

Just wanted to note that 6 units is pretty high dose for Vetsulin, and I see you mentioned that it's "not even working". Have you considered changing to a longer-lasting gentler insulin like Prozinc, Lantus or Levemir?

A lot of us buy our Lantus/Levemir from Canada, where you pay $160 upfront for a 5pack of pens but it lasts you for several months, some people upwards of a year depending on the dose. So the initial cost is a bit higher, but you save money on a monthly basis in the long run. I used Vetsulin briefly at 4 units and it did nothing for Carter as well, as it hits hard and is in/out of the body very quickly. Similar to Novolin. I switched to Lantus and had much better results.

Just food for thought. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you- I hadn't even thought of shopping around at different vets. How long was Carter on Vetsulin before you determined it was no longer working? My vet keeps saying to give it more time....but if 6 units isn't brining him below 550, then we have big issues.im not familiar with the pens you mentioned...that's different from a bottle of insulin?
 
MClarke087 said:
Thank you- I hadn't even thought of shopping around at different vets. How long was Carter on Vetsulin before you determined it was no longer working? My vet keeps saying to give it more time....but if 6 units isn't brining him below 550, then we have big issues.im not familiar with the pens you mentioned...that's different from a bottle of insulin?
Click to expand...

I only had him on it for a few weeks before I switched, mainly based on the advise of others telling me about the longer-lasting insulins. Vetsulin is very hard hitting and does not work as well with cats as it does with dogs. A lot of vets perescribe it because they want to treat feline diabetes like canine diabetes and it's completely different! That and they are afraid of the sticker shock because buying Lantus in the US can be $300+ a bottle and they think most people won't be able to/want to pay that amount. @Chris & China found this pharmacy in Canada and hundreds of us order from there, without issue.

Mark's Marine Pharmacy is a real pharmacy and not one of those sketchy online pharmacies. I'm from the city it's located in, so I've driven by it several times. However Canada is in the midst of deliberating a postal strike so if it was something that interested you, I'd suggest talking to your vet and possibly ordering as soon as possible.

Yes, the pens are different than the bottles. They are like "mini" viles so if properly taken care of and stored, can last opened several months and unopened up to 2 years. as opposed to a vile or bottle that loses it's potency much faster. You also use a syringe with the pens. Here's what they look like.

I hope his numbers start to improve either way. :)
 
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MClarke087 said:
I found Vetsulin for sale on 1800petmeds.com but I've heard that some people think the website sells bootleg products.
Click to expand...
I have not rally heard of only problems with 1800petmeds.com.
Like others, I would try to get your vet a prescription ofr lantus or Levemir and order it from Mark's Pharmacy.
also, as already said 6 units is a high dose. Can you post some recent BG values that included BG befor sht and BG at about 5 hours?
 
MClarke087 said:
Thank you! Do you always have to ship it overnight? The manufacturer's website says it you don't have to but it has to stay over a certain temp, I think it was 70 degrees.
Click to expand...
I'm still on my first vial but for me I would because it's been over 90 degrees by me for the past two weeks and for the foreseeable days ahead.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
I have not rally heard of only problems with 1800petmeds.com.
Like others, I would try to get your vet a prescription ofr lantus or Levemir and order it from Mark's Pharmacy.
also, as already said 6 units is a high dose. Can you post some recent BG values that included BG befor sht and BG at about 5 hours?
Click to expand...
I don't really understand the chart that everyone on here uses but I'm doing a curve on him today. I did a curve on him a few days ago and I tested him hourly:

Before food & insulin: over 600 (the meter only goes to 600 so the exact number is unknown)
1 hour later: over 600
2 hour later: over 600
3 hour: 590
4 hour: 560
5 hour: over 600
Remained over 600 until next dose

He's been this high for weeks and weeks. We've changed insulin and increased his dose again and again. Nothing's working. Can cats be immune to insulin???
 
Without a spreadsheet it is difficult to assess what is happening. There are some high dose conditions such as acromegaly but when you say his dose has increased 'again and again' can you give us an idea of timescales and his numbers on each dose, you may have skipped the optimal dose by increasing too quickly. On what basis did the vet keep increasing the dose and what tests at the vet has your kitty had to date?
 
MClarke087 said:
I don't really understand the chart that everyone on here uses but I'm doing a curve on him today. I did a curve on him a few days ago and I tested him hourly:

Before food & insulin: over 600 (the meter only goes to 600 so the exact number is unknown)
1 hour later: over 600
2 hour later: over 600
3 hour: 590
4 hour: 560
5 hour: over 600
Remained over 600 until next dose

He's been this high for weeks and weeks. We've changed insulin and increased his dose again and again. Nothing's working. Can cats be immune to insulin???
Click to expand...
wow that is super high especially considering the large dose. poor kitty. when was he first diagnosed? What kind of food does he eat?
 
Alexi said:
Without a spreadsheet it is difficult to assess what is happening. There are some high dose conditions such as acromegaly but when you say his dose has increased 'again and again' can you give us an idea of timescales and his numbers on each dose, you may have skipped the optimal dose by increasing too quickly. On what basis did the vet keep increasing the dose and what tests at the vet has your kitty had to date?
Click to expand...
He was going to the vet for the fructoseimine (no idea how to spell that) tests. Each time the dr told me to increase the insulin. He's been in the 600s (or higher) for about 1.5-2 months. It began when he was still on Novolin. He was regulated at 1unit 2x a day then his BG began to climb steadily for about 2/3 weeks. After a vet visit and fructosemine test he was increased to 3 units. He was on that for a couple weeks until I insisted we try a new insulin.
We began at 4 units on Vetsulin. The vet didn't like his high BG levels and the fact that he's drinking more and that he's been peeing huge amounts outside the cat box so after 1.5 weeks she increased him to 5 units 2x a day and about a week later increased him to 6 units 2x a day.

He's monitored very closely and his BG hasn't budged throughout any of this- he's almost always over 600. Even at his "low point", the lowest I've seen him get is about 550 but that's not even happening now.
 
JanetNJ said:
wow that is super high especially considering the large dose. poor kitty. when was he first diagnosed? What kind of food does he eat?
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That's exactly my concern.....I don't know why that much insulin isn't affecting him at all. This message board is my last hope.
He's on DM.
He was diagnosed about 4 months ago.
 
Has a urine culture been done? Fructosamine tests will give an indication of average glucose over the previous 2 weeks and I'm surprised the vet advised dose changes on the basis of a fructosamine result. Can we agree which of your threads to use as you now have 2 threads running. We'll help you try to figure this out.
 
Alexi said:
Has a urine culture been done? Fructosamine tests will give an indication of average glucose over the previous 2 weeks and I'm surprised the vet advised dose changes on the basis of a fructosamine result. Can we agree which of your threads to use as you now have 2 threads running. We'll help you try to figure this out.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I think the other post may be more appropriate now that I have an answer as to where to buy Vetsulin.
Thank you for trying so hard to help, I'm feeling pretty frustrated and scared for my guy.
 
Dry or canned DM?
At least the curve is showing some decrease.
Does you cat have any other medical conditions?
My MurrFee was originally controlled with a low dose and then he developed acromegaly. At the end he was on about 50 units of insulin twice daily.
At the beginning I reduced dose based on advice fro a internist and that cure was in th 4-500's PS and then gong to Hi (>600) and then back to the 4-500's before next shot.
I finally had his blood test for acromegaly and the value was greater than the measurable range.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Dry or canned DM?
At least the curve is showing some decrease.
Does you cat have any other medical conditions?
My MurrFee was originally controlled with a low dose and then he developed acromegaly. At the end he was on about 50 units of insulin twice daily.
At the beginning I reduced dose based on advice fro a internist and that cure was in th 4-500's PS and then gong to Hi (>600) and then back to the 4-500's before next shot.
I finally had his blood test for acromegaly and the value was greater than the measurable range.
Click to expand...
He's on both canned and dry DM, a mixture at each meal. In regards to other conditions, the vet told me his kidneys aren't working 100%, but she said he's okay and it's just something to be aware of.
I haven't heard of acromegaly before today. I'll research it today.
Thank you for helping.
 
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