Help with Lantus

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Veronica

Member Since 2016
Hi :-) My cat just turned 19, and has been on Vetsulin since last December when I adopted him. His diabetes was unregulated when I got him, and it's unsure how long he had been diabetic with no treatment. He initially did well with the Vetsulin, but now his numbers seem to dip too low too soon, then rise too much. I would like to switch him to Lantus, and wanted some advice on how to do it most cost effectively. I would be interested in the pen option, which seems to make more sense than a vial (as he would only be on 1 unit twice daily). I've heard pharmacies may not split the pens, and I was looking for any suggestion on how to do this (as I don't really want to purchase several at a time to keep costs down). Also, does anyone have any information on how to safely load a needle from a Lantus pen? Is there a particular way it needs to be done? Thank you very much for any advice!
 
I buy my Lantus vials from Mark's Marine Pharmacy and my vials have consistently lasted 6 months. You get a better unit price by buying a box of pens versus individual pens. A single pen is $50 while a five pack is $150 ($30 a piece). Some people choose to buy individual pens from other people at a reduced cost, but I have not done this.

Here is a video on drawing insulin from the pen. It also covers drawing insulin from a vial so you can compare the differences.
 
Daphne said:
I buy my Lantus vials from Mark's Marine Pharmacy and my vials have consistently lasted 6 months. You get a better unit price by buying a box of pens versus individual pens. A single pen is $50 while a five pack is $150 ($30 a piece). Some people choose to buy individual pens from other people at a reduced cost, but I have not done this.

Here is a video on drawing insulin from the pen. It also covers drawing insulin from a vial so you can compare the differences.
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Daphne, that's a great video! Thanks for finding and posting it!
 
I have a question - is the Lantus Solostar pen the same pen in the video? This may be a dumb question, but wanted to make sure. And, how many units is contained in one pen? I'm trying to figure out how long a pen would last for my cat who gets 1 unit twice a day. Thank you! :-)
 
Veronica said:
is the Lantus Solostar pen the same pen in the video?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's a Lantus pen in the video

Veronica said:
how many units is contained in one pen?
Click to expand...

Each pen contains 300 units, so if your cat stays on 1 unit twice a day, that's enough for about 5 months per pen....but after about 3 months, if there's no other reason for numbers starting to trend higher, it's time to consider that your insulin may need to be replaced (but most of us can use every drop out of the pens)
 
Wow, I had no idea the pens had that much insulin in it!

Thanks for the great advice! Looking forward to switching him to Lantus.
 
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