From Lantus to Levemir - Did your cat feel better?

[Rachel & Gus]

Has anyone switched from Lantus to Levemir and noticed that their cat felt better - had more energy, less depression?

The better control I've gotten over Gus's blood glucose, the worse his energy seems, plus he has weight gain and just not alert or acting like himself. We have been going steady at around 150 with an occasional high of 220 or low of 78, but mostly just holding steady.

After doing some research - I've come across a lot of people (not cats) who said they felt better after switching from Lantus to Levemir.

My own personal experience - I tried three different synthetic thyroid medications over a period of two years and felt terrible on all of them. I finally switched to natural thyroid and it was like night and day. My lab numbers on the synthetics were normal, but I felt like crap - depressed, low energy, bloating.

Cats can't tell us when they feel bad. We just have to observe there behavior. I'm just wondering if it is possibly the Lantus making Gus feel this way. He seems to feel better and have more energy if I give him less insulin and let his numbers run higher, but of course that's not the optimal thing to do.

Gus's lab work has all been normal.

I'm going to post in the Think Tank as well. If anyone has any feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Sheila & Beau GA & Jeddie GA]

You might read some of Mel and Musette's recent threads (her user name is "MommaOfMuse"). She just switched Musette to lev about a week ago (from lantus) and thinks she is much more relaxed and feeling better.

My guys both got switched from vetsulin to lev and I know Beau felt better after the switch (in fact, he felt so good he went OTJ!). lev just seems to be a gentler insulin.

 

[MommaOfMuse]

I just switched Musette from Lantus to Levemir about a week ago and she definitely feels better and I have much better control over her numbers as well. Her curves are flatter and she stays in the good numbers longer during the day. With Lantus she was either nose diving or sky-rocketing and bouncing all over the place. It has been a night and day difference since the switch.

While she was on Lantus she was crabby and just wanted to sleep a good part of the day. Since the switch, she is playing more, more social with my other cats and us. Also while she was on Lantus she acted like she had a headache, she would squint her eyes and hang her head for couple of hours after her shots, and if I would touch her flank where I had given her injection she acted like it hurt because she would either growl or nip at me. In fact she got to the point to where she would either hide if she saw the syringe or hiss and try to duck away when I would go to tent to give her the Lantus.

Since the switch not only doesn't she try to escape the shots, she actually comes running or will be waiting for me when it is shot time and purrs up a storm. At least in her case it has been a world of difference since putting her on Levemir. My only regret is that I didn't switch her sooner, as we have struggled with the Lantus for 7 months now without getting any real control over her bloodsugar, within a little over a week she is seeing low yellows and blues at her preshots. It has been a wonderful switch for us.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

[Rachel & Gus]

Thank you both so much.

Gus is similar to Musette - sleeping way more now that I increased his Lantus. He just doesn't feel good and I can tell. His numbers are great but he feels like crap.

I want my cat to have a good quality of life and right now he doesn't. Last summer, his numbers were in the low to mid 200s and he was on 1.5 - 1.75 units of Lantus. He is now on 3 units of Lantus and keeps in the 100s and sometimes dips into the double digits. He was so much more playful last summer at higher numbers and less Lantus which is why I've been suspecting the Lantus as the possible cause.

When you switched Musette from Lantus to Levemir - how did you do it? Did you wait for a 24 hour period for the Lantus to clear or did you just start using the Levemir right away?

 

[MommaOfMuse]

I just started her the very next shot with the Levemir and at the same dose she was on the Lantus, but she was on a much lower dose of Lantus than Gus. She was only on a fat .5u of Lantus but we had been all up and down the dosing scale with her because she would nose dive into the 30s on a dose then bounce skyhigh, so I would shoot through the bounce, reduce her dose and then she wouldn't hold the reduction, her numbers would start creeping up again. she was just super erratic numberwise as well as just not feelin good in numbers that said she should be feeling great at.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

[carolyn & jesse (GA) & spock]

Wow - good info. I think I may consider Lev for Jesse. This is his 2nd go-round and even though his numbers are not bad, he just eats and sleeps (and is getting very fat). :sad:

 

[Skylin]

Thank you both so much.

Gus is similar to Musette - sleeping way more now that I increased his Lantus. He just doesn't feel good and I can tell. His numbers are great but he feels like crap.

I want my cat to have a good quality of life and right now he doesn't. Last summer, his numbers were in the low to mid 200s and he was on 1.5 - 1.75 units of Lantus. He is now on 3 units of Lantus and keeps in the 100s and sometimes dips into the double digits. He was so much more playful last summer at higher numbers and less Lantus which is why I've been suspecting the Lantus as the possible cause.

When you switched Musette from Lantus to Levemir - how did you do it? Did you wait for a 24 hour period for the Lantus to clear or did you just start using the Levemir right away?

Ditto for me.
She has always been super sensitive kitty, and has from what I say, has suffered from depression in her life.
When she was on Lantus, her numbers were wonderful, but she'd give me the look like she did years ago, - like theres pain inside. And Of course she slept way more, ignored everybody. Wasnt happy with me when we celebrated her good numbers. (rare) Havent tried Levemir yet but I plan to in the future.