EYES PLEASE? PMPS=281,+1=345,+3=349,+3=313,+4=312,+5=340!!!

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Sherry and Harley

Sherry and Harley

Member Since 2010
Hi there-

So, we made the switch from Humulin N to Lantus this evening (was on Lantus many months ago, but was not testing...I can find the post with all our history if you want it linked here-lemme know). I received some donated Lantus in the mail today from a very generous person who lost her kitty a few months ago.

I think I'm pretty up to speed with all the protocols and issues. The numbers are pretty crappy....not at all the way she responds to insulin. I'm wondering if the Lantus just didn't survive the trip from Atlanta...

Thoughts?

Thanks a bunch!
 
Yes, ... what Sarah said! (She types faster than me.) :-D

It's a little too early to say whether the Lantus is damaged from the shipping. Because this insulin needs to build up in the system, it can take several days before you see some results. Lantus is a depot insulin... here is part of the explanation on how it works:
There's a storage shed/insulin depot under your cat's skin. It has first dibs on the insulin. Once it is filled, the insulin that you shoot doesn't have to go into the shed. It can be used. The shed HAS to be filled before the Lantus or Levemir gets to use the extra on cat's BGs. So by skipping shot, or waiting too long to shoot, or giving a fur shot... the cat starts dipping into it's shed and the next shot or shots have to partially go to refilling shed before they can work on BGs.
Click to expand...
Link to more of the information: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=150
 
Hi-

They're not so great compared to where she usually is...and they are only continuing to rise. How high is she going to be by the morning? I'm not going to be home all day to monitor her tomorrow. It's a bit concerning. How long does it take to build up? Is she going to be this high for days? I was hoping for better, not worse with the change... :-(

s
 
I hope it won't take too long... a couple of days probably. Also those 300's may be a bounce from the low numbers in the 40's yesterday. It looks like Harley has bounced when getting low numbers like that even before starting Lantus.

I know it's hard to see those pink numbers, but it's only been one shot so far and Lantus is a gentle insulin with steadier longer lasting results compared to the N you had been using.

Hang in there! It will get better.
 
Hi-

Ok...I'll be patient...I wasn't going to start the Lantus until Thursday night, when I would be able to be home with her all day Friday and then all weekend. Sigh...clearly I wasn't even patient enough to do that since I started her tonight! I also hadn't considered that this was rebound. She's been low before and still was able to keep her subsequent BGs in the yellows (pre-shot), blues, and greens. Perhaps...

Thanks for the info...fingers crossed that this part doesn't last too long.

Thanks for being here in the wee hours of the morning! I'm calling it a night...early morning for me tomorrow!

s
 
the vet told us that Lantus is extremely fragile. He said that we should turn it softly before filling the vile. He said never shake it or we will break the hormone. We treat it very carefully since his strict instructions about this.
 
You don't even need to turn it or roll it. It doesn't need to be mixed in any way since it is already in solution. Another pet insulin (Vetsulin/Cannisulin) needed to be gently rolled, but not Lantus.

So you can skip the turning thing and continue to treat it gently. :-D
 
Hi Sherry and Welcome to Lantus Land!

One thing you will need to keep in mind is that Lantus is very different than N. Humulin N is not as long lasting an insulin as Lantus and can have an immediate effect on numbers. (That's the good part of using N.) However, it is harsher because of it's quick action -- you can get fast drops and big swings up as its out of the system. You also slide the dose. It's also not a particularly good insulin for cats - it's much better for dogs.

As others have noted, Lantus has to build up in the system. A small amount of your dose over the first 5 - 7 days goes toward building the "shed." As a result, the entire dose is not bioavailable but progressively more will be as the depot is established.

You'll hear this repeatedly here in LL -- Lantus requires patience. Doses need to settle so you can evaluate their effectiveness.

In looking at Harley's SS, one thing to be aware of is that Lantus is far less forgiving when it comes to shot time. We encourage you to stick as close to a 12-hour shot schedule as is possible. Because Lantus dosing has a cumulative effect, an early shot acts like a dose increase and a late shot, like a decrease. You really don't have the window for shooting the way you have with N.
 
Hi Sienne-

Thanks for the info. Yes, I will work on my patience and give the Lantus time to settle in. Just an FYI, the varied shot times on the Humulin was me purposely shooting early to keep her numbers low (versus me being flaky) since it was so short acting. I know this is not an option with Lantus. With that said, hopefully there will be a little bit of understanding that I do have to work (and occasionally over-snooze my alarm, like this morning). There will be days that start and end beyond the 12 hour mark (leave the house at 7a and return at 8p...it happens). I will do my best to stick to the schedule and adjust up or down accordingly if it's absolutely not possible. On those occasions, would those just be skinny or fat shots? We'll see how today goes...

Thanks for checking in.

s
 
We get that you need to work in order to pay for strips and that sometimes life interferes with FD. It was more of a "heads up" since with the shorter acting insulin varieties, some people assume they have an hour on either side of shot time which is still considered, "on time."
 
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