Help Needed- Info on Lantus Solostar Pens Needed for Vet To Write Script Today

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Ozzy Pawzbourne

Ozzy Pawzbourne

Member Since 2016
Hi, I'm trying to get my vet to give me a script for Lantus solostar pens for Ozzy today. His vestulin is past its expiration date and I want to get him a new insulin for his dose tonight. We want to switch to lantus pens. I talked to the vets office this am and she said the vet wanted to do some research on it first, especially using the solostar pens. I called back 4 hours later and he hasn't had time but she said if I could send him some info on it, I might be able to speed up his review process.

Anyone have some links on lantus and solostar pens that I can send quickly to my vet so he can make a determination to go ahead and give me a script?

Thanks!!!!
 
Are you going to order from marks marine pharmacy in Canada? If so, you can just get the script for the vial and tell the pharmacy you want the pens. That is what I did and there was no issue.
 
Is there some thing in the Stcky Note on syringe and insulin handling that might help? You can point the vet to that.
 
Taffysmama said:
Here's one, scroll down to the info for using the pen with syringes. And some reasoning is less costly all at once, and easy to handle, and less chance of the insulin "going bad" before you use it all. As far as the difference in using this type of insulin vs. the vetsulin, I don't know. Maybe that is what your vet is reluctant about?
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...insulin-info-handling-drawing-fine-doses.151/

Where are you in So Cal?
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Thank you so much for your response. I am in the long beach area. I see you are in the OC. Hello neighbor!!!

Do you know any pharmacies that will sell single pens vs the whole box? Like rite aid or walgreens, etc? I called Walmart yesterday and they will only sell the full box of 5 for $432! Yowza! I am hoping to be able to purchase one pen and then order from the Canadian pharmacy everyone raves about!
 
Taffysmama said:
Here's one, scroll down to the info for using the pen with syringes.
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Just checked out that sticky. Wow! Super informative. Going to read the whole thing because I am hoping I will need it because I'm getting a lantus script from the vet. I'm a little frustrated he doesn't know much about Lantus, but I am really super appreciative that he is willing to learn more about it and consider it for my kitty. That's a wonderful sign. :)
 
Ok, I double posted this thread in the feline health and lantus forums because I was hoping for a quick response so I could get some info to my vet immediately - and you guys/gals never disappoint. Thank you so much!

I sent off several bits of info and am really hoping I'm going to be bringing home a script tonight. Ozzy's vestulin is past its expiration date so I think now is a really good time to make a switch. Paws crossed.

Thanks!
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
Thank you so much for your response. I am in the long beach area. I see you are in the OC. Hello neighbor!!!

Do you know any pharmacies that will sell single pens vs the whole box? Like rite aid or walgreens, etc? I called Walmart yesterday and they will only sell the full box of 5 for $432! Yowza! I am hoping to be able to purchase one pen and then order from the Canadian pharmacy everyone raves about!
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My CVS will sell me a single pen. Around $80
 
It depends on the pharmacy, even one Walgreens vs another, for example, it seems. The pharmacist at the CVS by me (Fullerton) sells me the pen and applies some type of discounts (so ask re: discounts!) and it comes to about $80, like I said. I was quoted the same price at Walmart, so I just stick to CVS. BUT, don't get the needles that go with the pen. You need the syringes from Walmart with the half dose markings. Brand is ReliOn 3/10mL cc, Gauge 31, Length 8mm (stripe on box is purple)
 
Taffysmama said:
It depends on the pharmacy, even one Walgreens vs another, for example, it seems. The pharmacist at the CVS by me (Fullerton) sells me the pen and applies some type of discounts (so ask re: discounts!) and it comes to about $80, like I said. I was quoted the same price at Walmart, so I just stick to CVS. BUT, don't get the needles that go with the pen. You need the syringes from Walmart with the half dose markings. Brand is ReliOn 3/10mL cc, Gauge 31, Length 8mm (stripe on box is purple)
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yaya! Fullerton is only 15 minutes from my house. What cross streets is your CVS on? I am calling around to mine now but will go to yours as a back up plan. Thanks for the tips on discounts, too! We ALL love discounts! :)
 
Try this. Let me know if it doesn't work. Gizmo's RX for lantus - vet wrote it pretty generic so I could get vile or pen,
 
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I ended up getting my at a local grocery store pharmacy. None of the pharmacy's had viles (and I didn't know to get pens). I tried CVS (2 different) Walgreens, Walmart (2 different). Finally Krogers had it. The vile was $300 - that was in August 2016 and I am still using it.
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
yaya! Fullerton is only 15 minutes from my house. What cross streets is your CVS on? I am calling around to mine now but will go to yours as a back up plan. Thanks for the tips on discounts, too! We ALL love discounts! :)
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24 hour CVS by St. Jude Hospital. Harbor & Bastanchury
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
Just checked out that sticky. Wow! Super informative. Going to read the whole thing because I am hoping I will need it because I'm getting a lantus script from the vet. I'm a little frustrated he doesn't know much about Lantus, but I am really super appreciative that he is willing to learn more about it and consider it for my kitty. That's a wonderful sign. :)
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Mine knew absolutely nothing about it. Google Lantus insulin and you will find the data info sheet that comes with the insulin..
 
Taffysmama said:
24 hour CVS by St. Jude Hospital. Harbor & Bastanchury
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Thank you so much Taffy's Mama! I called my CVS and they won't split the box but I was able to find a Rite Aid by my house that will sell me an individual pen for $89. The Vestulin is approx. $60 from my vet so it's not much difference to get the lantus. I am so thrilled about this. Now I just need my vet to write me the script today. Calling again here in a moment to pester again. :blackeye:

Will I need two separate scripts for the Lantus since I will order the one pen from Rite Aid and then try to order for the future from the Canadian pharmacy?
 
What is the recommended starting dose on Lantus? I may need to make a recommendation to him for the start slow go low method in case he doesn't know the dosing guidelines and I need to convince him I will be safe with Ozzy.
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
Will I need two separate scripts for the Lantus since I will order the one pen from Rite Aid and then try to order for the future from the Canadian pharmacy?
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That I don't know. We are so far from Canada...I just get it from CVS with discounts. I'm going to try that coupon, though! I don't know what the cost savings is from the Canadian pharmacy?
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
What is the recommended starting dose on Lantus? I may need to make a recommendation to him for the start slow go low method in case he doesn't know the dosing guidelines and I need to convince him I will be safe with Ozzy.
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Sorry can't help with that. You could accept what he suggests then check here and see what people say.
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
What is the recommended starting dose on Lantus? I may need to make a recommendation to him for the start slow go low method in case he doesn't know the dosing guidelines and I need to convince him I will be safe with Ozzy.
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Not my area to answer, I am too new to this. But, Taffy was started at 1 unit and he is approx 14 lbs.
 
Signing off, see you here in future! Good luck getting everything together and let me know if I can help with anything as far as supplies over the weekend. You have my cell # now.
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
Thank you so much Taffy's Mama! I called my CVS and they won't split the box but I was able to find a Rite Aid by my house that will sell me an individual pen for $89. The Vestulin is approx. $60 from my vet so it's not much difference to get the lantus. I am so thrilled about this. Now I just need my vet to write me the script today. Calling again here in a moment to pester again. :blackeye:

Will I need two separate scripts for the Lantus since I will order the one pen from Rite Aid and then try to order for the future from the Canadian pharmacy?
Click to expand...

Yes you will need separate script for Canada. You vet can fax it.
 
And do check out Marks...5 pens for about $175, s/h included...but knowing we can pick just one up in a pinch is golden info!!!
 
Not sure now price went up. I think some mentioned a week or so ago it was $166 + shipping for box of 5. It will last quite some time depending on dose could last at least a year if stored properly.

Call them of try their website. I think you can get a quote online.
 
Beth 73 said:
Go , Jo, go !! Cheering you on from the Ozarks :):bighug:
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Thank you so much! My poor pet hospital - I've repeatedly called today for the script they probably think I'm a stalker or a freak - or both! The pharmacy that sells the individual pens by my house closes at 6pm which is in 3 HOURS! So I'm getting a little pushy, sorry, but I am. I'm on a mission right now! I really want the lantus tonight so I will have 5 good cycles to monitor Ozzy before I go back to work. I don't want to start him on a new insulin when I'm not here. And 2 of those cycles are overnight and I don't know that I can stay up to monitor the whole cycle unfortunately.
 
Not sure it will help tonight with the short time-line, but here is the published write up about Lantus/Lev about using it with cats

Management of Diabetic Cats with Long-acting Insulin.pdf

Maybe it will help with your vet - but they sound really busy.

I would defiantly try and find a local vet office that is familiar with FD and is willing to work with you. Even then, you are going to have to educate them. Trust me, there are few that have the knowledge and experience that you will find on this forum.
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
I've repeatedly called today for the script they probably think I'm a stalker or a freak - or both
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Can you just go there (take Gizmo's RX for an example) and ask them for it? Then go straight to the pharmacy?

I used the same RX when I purchased from local grocery store and Mark's - I had scanned it in. When you order from Mark's you upload it to the order for their records. They don't need a hard copy.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
Not sure it will help tonight with the short time-line, but here is the published write up about Lantus/Lev about using it with cats

Management of Diabetic Cats with Long-acting Insulin.pdf

Maybe it will help with your vet - but they sound really busy.

I would defiantly try and find a local vet office that is familiar with FD and is willing to work with you. Even then, you are going to have to educate them. Trust me, there are few that have the knowledge and experience that you will find on this forum.
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I sent him this exact article. Hoping and praying we can get the script today!!!
 
LizzieInTexas said:
Try this. Let me know if it doesn't work. Gizmo's RX for lantus - vet wrote it pretty generic so I could get vile or pen,
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Sorry Lizzie, I missed your reply earlier. Thanks for the script. I saved it on my phone so I can take if with me if needed. I'm calling them back (again) in 30 mins. Running out of time here to get a script filled tonight. I have been at this since 9am.
 
If you are using the Start Low Go Slow method, the starting dose is 0.5 units if on all wet food, 1 unit if dry is in the picture. Since 1 unit of Vetsulin got him to green, you may end up increasing to that amount. If you were using Tight Regulation, we'd use the dose of the previous insulin as a guide.

Good luck!
 
We got the lantus!! So excited and scared too (new insulin, new protocols, etc). Will be studying up on the stickeys in the next hour or so because Ozzy's dose is due here soon.

So my vet was really awesome. I didn't get to talk with him when I came in to pick up the script and the syringes, but the vet tech said the Dr. has never prescribed lantus and wanted to learn about it together. He was not sure how you administer it with the pen and said if we wanted to bring the pen back from the pharmacy after we got it, we could experiment together and learn how to use it. How nice is THAT!? Fortunately though, I have all the knowledge I need here and supporting folks to walk me through it.

The vet also wanted me to keep him posted on Ozzy's progress on lantus and send info and photos of him along the way. I am really happy our vet is being so supportive and collaborative even with a medicine he was honest about not knowing a lot about it. Ozzy is their first kitty to try lantus at their practice so he might just pave the way for others. How cool is that. Now let's hope he goes into remission (my dream!!!) and can be a great example for other kitties along the way. I'm thinking of putting together an information package about feline nutrition (they offer Hills and we know that is not the right food for a diabetic cat), home monitoring, and long acting insulin to give to the vets in the practice to share with others. I want to also include a lot of information from this board and encourage others to join as well.

When I went to the pharmacy, I had an awesome pharmacist who was trying to get me some discounts on the lantus. I was able to get $5 off so it was around $85 vs $90 for 1 pen but she said the other place we were trying to get a discount from was closed and we could call back Monday and see if we can get a refund for the difference. She actually quoted me around $300 for the full box of 5 pens with the lantus savings card (which I thought was a pretty good deal), but I just wanted one so I can order at a better price from the Canadian pharmacy for our next order. The pharmacist also said to keep the pen in the fridge the whole time and it will last longer. I mentioned I heard it is only good for 28 days once opened and she said ...nah...that's for sterility purposes that they tell you that. She said keep the cap on and keep in the fridge and it will last for months. She encouraged to do BG checks and if it seems like the numbers are going up or acting funny, to go ahead and refill. What do you guys think about that? Keeping the pens refrigerated (even though we are told they don't have to be once opened) and using a pen for several months?

Ok, off to read stickies. I will probably start a new thread with questions.

I am really excited for my kitty right now. I love him so much and just want to do right by him!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 
One thing I did was make my own cheat sheet with notes and links to info I wanted to read/research or just keep handy for future reference. It is just a word document and I copy/pasted the info/links into I and added my notes.

Also Google Drive is very handy to save articles, labs, food, med and supplement info to also.

Good luck and we are here if you have any questions!
 
LizzieInTexas said:
One thing I did was make my own cheat sheet with notes and links to info I wanted to read/research or just keep handy for future reference. It is just a word document and I copy/pasted the info/links into I and added my notes.

Also Google Drive is very handy to save articles, labs, food, med and supplement info to also.

Good luck and we are here if you have any questions!
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Thank you so much! OMG Gizmo is SOO Cute! I have literally been swooning for days over the cutest little kitties on this site. I would just adore him if he were mine!!
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
What do you guys think about that? Keeping the pens refrigerated
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Yes, refrigerate. I keep mine on the bottom shelf bcuz my top shelf sometimes things freeze, and freezing insulin is bad. I also turned my frig temp down (up?)(less cold, LOL) a little and I keep the pen upright in a tall, stable glass with something in it to keep pen stable (I use the plastic bag it came in, but paper towels would be okay). I don't know about everybody else, but I tend to draw out a little more than the dose needed, so I can get out bubble and adjust as precisely as possible. I'm better at it now than with my last pen (less wasting), but even so, the first one lasted me about 2 months. I started a new pen when the old one still had a few days worth left bcuz it seemed like the potency was decreased. I had left it out on counter at least twice overnight. The pen is made to be mobile, jostled around in a purse or whatever and not refrigerated, BUT I think that back and forth changes in temp may be bad. Not sure. When I got my new pen, though, my cat's numbers started to go down again, so that is why I think my insulin was waning in potency. But maybe it was coincidence, idk.

Did you tell your vet that you would be using the lantus pen with syringes and not with the solostar needles? It's easy to draw the insulin out (as I am sure you have seen/tried it tonight by now!) Be sure to charge your vet for the lessons!!
 
Taffysmama said:
Did you tell your vet that you would be using the lantus pen with syringes and not with the solostar needles? It's easy to draw the insulin out (as I am sure you have seen/tried it tonight by now!) Be sure to charge your vet for the lessons!!
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Yes, I did. But they still gave me the wrong U-100 syringes! Dang it! Someone is helping me do a conversion now so I can give Ozzy his first dose!
 
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