Cleo now on Prozinc

Cleocatra

Cleocatra

Member
Our vet put Cleo on prozinc 2U to start out today. Here's hoping we can bring those #'s down.
She's been very insulin resistant due to acro.
Any hints, advice and opinions are welcome!
 
Tiger had some really high #'s but looks like he's coming down. Today is 1st day on Prozinc after 8 months on Lantus. Her am # is highest I've ever seen. Hope we're not going opposite direction.
 
I don't have any tips, but I've got my fingers crossed for Cleo! Keep your chin up and give her time. That was quite a dose reduction when the vet switched you, so I'm not surprised her numbers went up. When it comes time to up the dose, go slowly. Protocol for Prozinc is to up it by .25 of a unit, wait 3 cycles, then reevaluate. Otherwise, you might skip right over her optimum dose.
 
Good luck, Cleo!

Curious, why the switch to Prozinc and not Levemir?

Juls and Billy said:
Protocol for Prozinc is to up it by .25 of a unit, wait 3 cycles, then reevaluate. Otherwise, you might skip right over her optimum dose.
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Wonder if protocol is different for acro cats?
 
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why switch? I asked the vet if switching would bring her #'s down because lantus wasn't bringing them down while the doses kept increasing every week.
I didn't ask about Levemir.
Thanks, Juls, for the tip about increasing by .25 @ 3 cycles. I need to ask my vet about that. She didn't expound on dose increase rate. thank you!
I forgot to mention we've been on 75mcg of Cabergoline for 7 days now. Hoping to see a reduction, but nothing yet.
 
I have no experience with acro cats but from piddling around on the forum it seems the majority of high dose cats switch to Levemir. Initially because high doses of insulin can sting, and Levemir is less acidic, but I'm not sure if there's more to Levemir than just that. @Wendy&Neko had an acro cat, she would probably know. Most cats go from Prozinc to Lev/Lantus, not the other way around. Every cat is different though. 9u to 2u is an odd switch too, I believe when switching from depot to in-and-out insulin you're to keep the same dose.
 
My cat, Colin, was an acro. When I got up to 5u of prozinc. I switched to levemir on advice from FDMB members. We got up to 19u BID. This was before cabergoline was known, so hopefully it will help you keep Cleos dose down. @JanetNJ kitty is also acro, on Prozinc, and doing well. Hopefully she will check in soon and have some advice for you.
 
Panic said:
I have no experience with acro cats but from piddling around on the forum it seems the majority of high dose cats switch to Levemir. Initially because high doses of insulin can sting, and Levemir is less acidic, but I'm not sure if there's more to Levemir than just that. @Wendy&Neko had an acro cat, she would probably know. Most cats go from Prozinc to Lev/Lantus, not the other way around. Every cat is different though. 9u to 2u is an odd switch too, I believe when switching from depot to in-and-out insulin you're to keep the same dose.
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Yes, it is odd why she dropped it down. Probably to be safe. I read up on Prozinc- said it's designed only for cats and that it, too, is long acting. Lantus is for humans.
 
Cleo doesn't have a history of DKA hopefully? Yes, Prozinc is a great insulin for cats but they also do exceptionally well on human insulin. Usually lol. My kitty did well on Prozinc, better than Vetsulin by miles, but I switched her again after a few months to Lantus because we really weren't able to keep numbers down.
 
Panic said:
Wonder if protocol is different for acro cats?
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Nope. Nadirs above 200 you can increase by 0.5 units in the modified Prozinc method and I think that's applicable here too. This has nothing to do with whether they have acromegaly, just high numbers. Cleo's starting Prozinc starting dose in all likelihood was too low. But it sounds like this vet has very little experience with high dose cats, and Chris is following her guidance. So far his vet hasn't been following any particular protocol we are familiar with. All the Lantus increases were by 1 unit when they should have been 0.5 units. I hope the low start doesn't set her back too much. When I switched to Lantus from Caninsulin and a lower dose, it set me back 3 months.

Cabergoline starts to see results, if it sees results (not for all cats), at around 10 days in plus or minus.

Both Lantus and Levemir were designed for humans. Levemir is a better choice for cats that end up on high doses. Cats take lots of medications that were originally developed for humans.
 
Cleocatra said:
She wasn't happy I upped by 1U on my own on Sunday and told me about it Monday afternoon. I don't want her to kick me off, so I'll have to do what she says. I'm sure this forum can be the bane to many vets, most who are trying to save face that they don't have much hands-on experience except what they learned in school and other vets. But that can be another discussion.......
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There was someone saying just the other day they had to make fake spreadsheets to give the vet to keep them happy. :woot:

I wish vets were more welcoming to the idea of their clients taking an educational interest in their pet's disease. It's not like we're injecting them with essential oils. :rolleyes:
 
Cleocatra said:
Tiger had some really high #'s but looks like he's coming down. Today is 1st day on Prozinc after 8 months on Lantus. Her am # is highest I've ever seen. Hope we're not going opposite direction.
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It'll take at least a few cycles to see anything..at least I hope you see results. I didn't, which is why we switched to Vetsulin..faster acting "in and out". Unfortunately in Tiger..it wouldn't stay past in his body longer that 8hrs, but it looks like and Doc and other members here think that it might have "kick started" his response to the insulin. Then we made the switch back to Prozinc and he is looking real good now. Just took a reading 135 +4
 
Looks like Tiger responded well to going back to PZ. I'd like to see Cleo hit in low 400's at midday test (this would be "nadir"?) for the next few days. If not, I will send #'s to dr. and see if she wants to increase.
Interesting note- this morning Cleo didn't have the usual morning ravenous appetite. She was a little calmer. I hope she's not feeling bad (GI issues) or extremely high blood sugar making her feel worse than usual. Wish she could talk!
 
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