Cost of Insulin

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JDC123

Member Since 2020
Hello everyone I am a NEW MEMBER today 3/18/2020 who recently started giving Jeff my 9 year old cat his first insulin shots,
My vet started him on Lantus 2 times a day, and Jeff is making progress. Poor Jeff cant walk very well. His back legs are very weak. Lantus is expensive and says discard after 28 days. I have half the bottle left and cant buy another one for a while. Can I use this Lantus for longer say two more weeks til I can afford another vile? I would be grateful for any advise and so would my buddy jeff,
 
JDC123 said:
Hello everyone I am a NEW MEMBER today 3/18/2020 who recently started giving Jeff my 9 year old cat his first insulin shots,
My vet started him on Lantus 2 times a day, and Jeff is making progress. Poor Jeff cant walk very well. His back legs are very weak. Lantus is expensive and says discard after 28 days. I have half the bottle left and cant buy another one for a while. Can I use this Lantus for longer say two more weeks til I can afford another vile? I would be grateful for any advise and so would my buddy jeff,
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Hi and Welcome!!

As long as you keep the Lantus vial or pen in the fridge you can use it for months (people here have mentioned at least 6 months) without any problem, but if you have it already out of the fridge and at room temperature it may not work properly after the 28 days

And for future purchases most of us buy pens and use them as mini vials pulling out with the syringe since that way you use till the last drop before opening the next one and less insulin gets discarded

Where are you located, people here may be able to give you advice on where to buy the insulin so that you can save some money
 
Veronica & Babu-chiri said:
Hi and Welcome!!

As long as you keep the Lantus vial or pen in the fridge you can use it for months (people here have mentioned at least 6 months) without any problem, but if you have it already out of the fridge and at room temperature it may not work properly after the 28 days

And for future purchases most of us buy pens and use them as mini vials pulling out with the syringe since that way you use till the last drop before opening the next one and less insulin gets discarded

Where are you located, people here may be able to give you advice on where to buy the insulin so that you can save some money
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Thank you so much that was really helpful. I have had the Lantus refrigerated from the start so it should be OK I am located in New York City and bought my Lantus from CVS,
 
JDC123 said:
I have had the Lantus refrigerated from the start so it should be OK
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Good then you don't have to worry about the 28 days you can keep using it just fine

A lot of members buy their insulin on line from Canada which is for what they mentioned a lot cheaper so hopefully someone will take a look at your post and give you suggestions (I'm in Mexico so not much help in that area)
 
There are some things that can help you get Jeff's glucose under control and help improve the neuropathy. You are already on a good insulin. The other recommendations are for you to home test and also feeding him a low carb canned or raw food diet. Home testing means checking his glucose levels before every shot. You do this to make sure it is safe to give the dose and prevent hypoglycemia. You also will understand how the dose is working and if it needs to be adjusted. This is something we recommend to everyone.

A low carb canned or raw food diet will also lower glucose levels. Pate flavors are usually lower carbs than anything with gravy. Many members feed their cats Fancy Feast or Friskies. Most dry food is high in carbs and will make it difficult to control the glucose levels.

Methyl B12 will also help with the neuropathy. Many members give their cats Zobaline.
 
JDC123 said:
Thanks so much I will look into testing Thanks again!
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Please do is very very important to test so that you can keep him safe what you will need is :

  • Glucose meter, lancets (at the beginning is better to use gauge 26 - 28) and a lot of test strips, it can be a human one, most of us use human ones because the test strips are a lot cheaper and the protocols written here are based on human meters
  • Treats to give to your cat after testing to bribe him and eventually convince him is a good thing
  • A warm cloth or a sock filled with a bit of rice ( this are the most used ones) to warm his ear before poking
  • Neosporin with pain relief or vaseline ( not indispensable but it can help )
Here's a link that can help you http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
Welcome. I'm in PA. I buy insulin from Marks in Canada. I go through it fast as Ollie gets more than usual (high dose condition).

Getting it from Mark's the expiration is about 2 yrs out. At this time I have enough for at least a year (kept in fridge).

If you go this route, now is the time to get it before it gets to hot. Marks will not ship if destination has hot temperatures or if temperatures are in the freezing range. Best time to order is now to get through the summer and in October or November to get through the winter.

I use Levemir instead of lantus and a box of 5 pens was $169 and that included their regular shipping which has ice packs. I have not used the extra packing option as I order this time of year and in November.

Above Zobaline was mentioned. It works great but does take some time to see improvement. It helps with the nerve pain of diabetes. Scroll to the bottom of the link for it. I've used it for 2 cats.

https://www.ilifelink.com/zobaline-for_diabetic_cats-3_mg_x_60_tablets.html
 
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