High Insulin costs - help!

Nancy Trant

Nancy Trant

Member Since 2018
I've been using Lantus U-100 insulin for my cat for almost 3 years now and he's doing very well on it.
However the cost is ridiculous! We tried Vetsulin, but the dose was way higher and therefore the cost actually ended up being more because it got used up so much faster so back to Lantus.

Has anyone found another brand, for humans or animals that worked the same as Lantus, but didn't cost as much? I've checked 5 different pharmacies near me in Largo, FL and Publix seems to be the lowest at $280 a 10ml vial.
 
Most of us get our insulin from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada, which is a fantastic place to buy from. You can get 5 Lantus pens for around $165 or so. I use Basaglar, which is a glargine insulin like Lantus, and I get 5 pens for $125. Definitely a better deal then buying insulin in the US. I know there's a link to ordering insulin from Canada, let me find it. :)
 
I think there are some folks here who buy from the cheaper pharmacies in Canada and pass those savings on to us. I bought a lantus pen for 30 and a vial for 60 from members here.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I wanted to avoid shipping things from another country just because I'm afraid it would get stuck in customs. But if that ends up being the only way, I'll give them a call.
I did download a lantus savings card. I'm going to see if that works by calling Publix (or CVS or Walgreens).

Has anyone in Florida gotten Lantus from one of these Canadian pharmacies here? I have one near my house that looks like it caters to our Canadian visitors. Would that be worth checking into?
Also, has anyone had luck with small, privately-owned pharmacies being cheaper than mainstream chain pharmacies?
 
Nancy Trant said:
Thanks for all the advice. I wanted to avoid shipping things from another country just because I'm afraid it would get stuck in customs. But if that ends up being the only way, I'll give them a call.
I did download a lantus savings card. I'm going to see if that works by calling Publix (or CVS or Walgreens).

Has anyone in Florida gotten Lantus from one of these Canadian pharmacies here? I have one near my house that looks like it caters to our Canadian visitors. Would that be worth checking into?
Also, has anyone had luck with small, privately-owned pharmacies being cheaper than mainstream chain pharmacies?
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I’m in Florida and I order from the supply closet
 
Have you tried Levemir, it was a game changer for Phoebe. Like lantus it's a depot insulin. The supply closet is a thread here on the message board that members offer supplies for sale or sometimes free.
 
Nancy Trant said:
I wanted to avoid shipping things from another country just because I'm afraid it would get stuck in customs. But if that ends up being the only way, I'll give them a call.
I did download a lantus savings card. I'm going to see if that works by calling Publix (or CVS or Walgreens).

Has anyone in Florida gotten Lantus from one of these Canadian pharmacies here? I have one near my house that looks like it caters to our Canadian visitors. Would that be worth checking into?
Also, has anyone had luck with small, privately-owned pharmacies being cheaper than mainstream chain pharmacies?
Click to expand...

Marks has been shipping insulin to the US for many years.....In the years since I "found" them and the hundreds of other sugarcat moms/dads that have ordered from them I've heard of 1 time that customs got involved and all that happened was the insulin was shipped back to Marks. (who then re-shipped to the customer and it arrived safely)

We've had people from all over the country buy from Marks....Including Florida, Texas, New York and everywhere in between.

I don't know about the "Canadian pharmacies" you're talking about. Can't hurt to call but I'd bet they still charge US prices.

Definitely check the small "mom and pop" type pharmacies....sometimes they will beat the price of the big places and will sometimes be willing to split open a box and sell an individual pen.....but they're still going to cost more than Marks
 
The only time I heard about a "problem" with shipping from Marks was when there was a mail strike in Canada. I believe Marks got in touch with Chris to let her know and she passed the information along to everyone. There was plenty of advance notice. They seem to be very reliable.
 
I never had any issues ordering from Marks. In fact, I would rate them higher then any local pharmacy. Where else do you get a call about an order from an actual pharmacist? They knew it was coming to Florida and depending on the time of year suggested the foam cooler with extra ice packs or just standard insulated package. It always arrived just fine temperature wise and usually in a week or less. $180ish vs. $550 at Walgreens was a huge savings for a box of 5 pens.

Send me a PM if you need some syringes. I have over 100 30u Monoject syringes that won't be used since my boy crossed the bridge earlier this year.
 
We used the Lantus Savings card at a small pharmacy in Pennsylvania, and we were able to get the 5 Lantus pens for $150.
 
Nancy Trant said:
Thanks for all the advice. I wanted to avoid shipping things from another country just because I'm afraid it would get stuck in customs. But if that ends up being the only way, I'll give them a call.
I did download a lantus savings card. I'm going to see if that works by calling Publix (or CVS or Walgreens).

Has anyone in Florida gotten Lantus from one of these Canadian pharmacies here? I have one near my house that looks like it caters to our Canadian visitors. Would that be worth checking into?
Also, has anyone had luck with small, privately-owned pharmacies being cheaper than mainstream chain pharmacies?
Click to expand...
I ordered recently from Marks Marine and the service was absolutely excellent!

The insulin was packed with cold packs and I paid for an upgraded foam box to help it stay cold. I live in southwestern Arizona and they shipped it to me on a Monday afternoon. It did not get held up in customs. I received it on Friday morning as promised. It was still chilly in the box. I had it shipped to my office so it could be signed for and put in the fridge right away. My entire cost for the insulin, the upgraded box and the shipping was approximately $149. Some of the best money I've ever spent.

I had questions and called several times and talked to their staff and to the pharmacist. Big huge thanks to @Chris & China who gave me the 411 on it. @Chris & China, I did as you said and told them "Chris sent me" and they all seem to know you by name! :D :D Thank you. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
If you want I can send you 2 Lantus pens. I got a great deal from someone on here, I think I paid $15-20 per pen if you don’t mind paying that plus shipping (I’m in NJ). We have a lot of pens and I don’t think at this point we will be using all of them :(
 
My kitty was recently diagnosed so this was our first time buying insulin. The Lantus pens say do not use past 28 days. Does anyone here adhere to that?
 
RosiePA said:
My kitty was recently diagnosed so this was our first time buying insulin. The Lantus pens say do not use past 28 days. Does anyone here adhere to that?
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I did when I was using the pens but I will let other members speak for what they do. It's my understanding that some / many do not.

Now I use Lantus in a vial.
 
How long can you use it if it's in the vial, and do you store it in the refrigerator? The Lantus pens say to store in the refrigerator until first use, then remove from refrigerator and store at room temperature for the 28 days.
 
RosiePA said:
How long can you use it if it's in the vial, and do you store it in the refrigerator? The Lantus pens say to store in the refrigerator until first use, then remove from refrigerator and store at room temperature for the 28 days.
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I always store it in the refrigerator except when I'm actually using it.

Others can give you input on how long to use it in the vial.
 
The only reason it says it's only good for 28 days is because that's all the company asked the FDA to test for....so "legally", that's what they have to say!! Big Pharma strikes again!!

If kept in the refrigerator, you should be able to use every drop out of a pen. However, you want to make sure you're using regular insulin syringes and drawing the insulin out of the pen, not using the special "dial-a-dose" mechanism. The reason they say not to refrigerate the pen once in use is because the cold can effect that mechanism and cause it to malfunction.

We also don't use the special needles that go with the pens because it limits you to only making dose adjustments in whole unit increments.....cats doses should be adjusted in much smaller increments, like .25 unit at a time….never whole units
 
The vials are usually going to be a waste of money for several reasons.....Most cats don't need more than 2 units twice a day....a vial holds 1000 units.

Usually a vial is going to start losing efficacy around 4-6 months, so even if your cat was using 2u twice/day, you'd end up throwing quite a bit away when it started to poop out.

The pens are the better choice because each pen only holds 300 units so you're usually going to be able to use it all before that 4-6 months. The remainder of the pens (there are 5 in a box) stay refrigerated and each one's "time" starts when it's punctured while the others are good until the expiration date on the box...usually 2 years or more

Also, if you drop a vial, it's going to break and be a total loss....if you drop a pen, the plastic usually helps to keep it from breaking so you just pick it up and continue using it
 
Chris, thanks for all of that info! Big pharma is making sure to milk us for all we've got, that's for sure.

I stopped using her first pen after the 28 days because I thought maybe it was less effective at that point.
I stored pen #2 at room temperature once I started using it. I now have it in the refrigerator so I'll see if I can continue using it past the 28 days.

At least I now know what to do with pens #3-5.

I wish I had asked sooner because it is such a waste, especially considering how expensive they are.
 
RosiePA said:
Chris, thanks for all of that info! Big pharma is making sure to milk us for all we've got, that's for sure.

I stopped using her first pen after the 28 days because I thought maybe it was less effective at that point.
I stored pen #2 at room temperature once I started using it. I now have it in the refrigerator so I'll see if I can continue using it past the 28 days.

At least I now know what to do with pens #3-5.

I wish I had asked sooner because it is such a waste, especially considering how expensive they are.
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Rosie, you think that's a waste? We didn't know anything about anything on diagnosis, so we bought the vial of Lantus that day. Vet Rx was 1 unit 1X a day..I found this board and was learning that it should have been 0.5 U 2x a day. We had been sold syringes in 1 unit measurements at the vet..for double the price I could have purchased elsewhere. We were floundering trying to find the correct 1/2 unit syringes (after buying two boxes of the wrong ones), and mis-dosing Idjit one morning (using the wrong cotton picking syringe ) because the furry guy was sliding into remission without a word to us! We also were not testing as we should have been and had been told to do so here on the board. So, after 11 days of insulin support, he was off the juice. The vial has stayed in my fridge, because I was afraid the remission wasn't strong or would hold, we have two boxes of syringes, a pet meter we don't use now, and extra strips for that too (just in case).
Now, that's a waste!!!! It's been 5 months, the Lantus is probably too weak now to be any good. I shake my head, and chalk it up to experience and try my best to be helpfully informative to new users. Read everything here, more than once, listen carefully to the advice you get, it's based on years of care and experience. Ask lots of questions and learn everything you can.
Then, if you can, help someone else.
 
Chris,
Thanks for the tip. I got lucky in that sense because I found the Lantus savings card with the 5 pens for $150, which looks like a brand new program. Who knows if it's in response to everyone purchasing from Marks. There is no way I could have given $500 at the time that Bailey was diagnosed. I'm just glad I was able to spend the $150, plus money for meters, strips, and syringes. Can't imagine what pet parents do when they are in such an impossible situation and just don't have the money at all. I at least tried to pay it forward by telling my vet about this so she could pass it on to her patients. She had told me the vial would be $100. I couldn't believe these actual prices!

Lou,
The best thing about your story is that Idjit is in remission, but I can see exactly where you are coming from. The vet didn't offer to sell us anything so that probably helped. She gave me a prescription and sent me forth into the world. We have similar stories in that vet rx was 1 unit twice a day, which we couldn't do just because we didn't have the money for the insulin right away. That gave us time to look on this board and learn to test, hence we now have 3 meters and the pharmacist was great when they suggested the Walmart syringes which were 1/3rd the price of the prescribed syringes. Seems like we didn't too badly after all on the syringes, although still trying to narrow in on test strips because this is all so expensive.

You probably feel the same way I do with regards to the waste. I wish I had known more about preserving the insulin since Bailey's dose (.5 once a day, and .25 twice a day now) is so small. I see people on this board giving their pets so much more, and it would have been nice to know more and maybe be able to donate to another cat lover.

I am learning so much from everyone here, and I am so thankful for the support because this experience is nerve wracking. I am hopeful that Bailey will go into remission one day soon since her dose is so small, and maybe I can one day pay all if this kindness forward.
 
RosiePA said:
I got lucky in that sense because I found the Lantus savings card with the 5 pens for $150, which looks like a brand new program.
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You got really lucky.....they've had some kind of savings card for as long as I've been around, but the vast majority of the time, it doesn't seem to work for most of us.

For a long time there was a certain number that had to be entered that identified the doctor....and vets aren't able to get that number.

They also won't allow it to be used if they know it's for an animal and not a human:(
 
When I filled out the application for the discount card, it never asked the question, and I just put Bailey's name on the card since the prescription was written for her. It didn't even occur to me that they would make that distinction, human or animal.

Also, the pharmacist clearly knew it was for an animal because the vet had written the prescription for one pen , which ended up being $90, and it just made more sense to get the 5 pack for $150. We were there for over an hour while they called the vet, then the vet called me, then the vet called them back, etc. Plus, I would suspect the printed prescription itself would make clear that the doctor was a vet, not an MD, although I really don't recall for sure.

I hope that the manufacturers of Lantus have opened up their discount program to animals now, and that this was not a one time mistake. If it was, and I end up needing more insulin, I will follow the advice here and buy from Mark's.
 
My two cents: Just wanted to let you know I'm using my 1st vial of Lantus which I purchased around the first week of January - so it's nine months old - Luci went down to 54 last night - so I know the Lantus is still doing what it's supposed to do. It has been kept refrigerated/cooler w/ice for the entire nine months. I was thinking it was losing its effectiveness when Luci wasn't responding and am ready with a new Lantus pen to make the switch...but last night she proved me wrong - again - by doing her dive...and then back up in response to MC food...so I guess I'll keep using that vial of Lantus until I get every single drop out of it - at $275 a vial I'm reluctant to toss it due to the manufacturers recommendations - since the manufacturer has that recommendation for humans and not for pets using 1 or 2 units a day...anyway, that's my experience. May not be the same for all users and I understand/appreciate that. We all have to do what we think is best for our kitties.

I had no luck whatsoever trying to use a discount card - they told me at Costco that those cards are only good for 'humans' not animals and that was that...I left minus $275 in my checking account...:facepalm:
 
Sue,

Glad it worked for you after 9 months. I originally did not refrigerate the pens because I was told it wasn't necessary. Then I read the insert, which did say to refrigerate, but that it was ok to store are room temperature. Glad I started reading on this board to refrigerate them because I stuck them in there after about a week of having them at room temperature. Hopefully, they will last for me.

I guess my small local pharmacy made a mistake. It's funny, because my vet recommended the pharmacy because it has it's own discount program and other patients had said they were able to get meds for a good price there, but the discount didn't amount to much so the pharmacist ran the Lantus Savings card. My human daughter's doctor sent me to a different small local pharmacy this year because she said her patients claim they saved a lot of money going there versus the chain pharmacies. Maybe there is something to that?

https://www.amiba.net/community-drug-stores-cheaper-than-chains/

I don't know anything about this website (maybe biased, idk), but several similar articles came up in the search claiming independent pharmacies are cheaper than the chains. Interesting.
 
Catacular said:
Hey there, did you apply for the savings card to see if it helps? It claims "Pay $99* for a 10ml vial." I used the card at the CVS within my local Target.

https://www.lantus.com/sign-up/savings-and-support
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Thanks very much for sharing this. I used it today at Costco and it worked even when they knew it was a veterinarian prescription. They said the information is now in my file so any refills will be available with this discount. THANK YOU!!!
 
Chris & China said:
They also won't allow it to be used if they know it's for an animal and not a human
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I wonder why that matters. We are still buying their product and paying the company money for it, reguardless who the medication is for. I’m also willing to bet that what we pay out of pocket for our pets is a lot more than what the company would get from a human insurance company. Just saying
 
Ana & Frosty said:
I wonder why that matters. We are still buying their product and paying the company money for it, reguardless who the medication is for. I’m also willing to bet that what we pay out of pocket for our pets is a lot more than what the company would get from a human insurance company. Just saying
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It's not just human to animal. But different species of animal to animal. I used previcox (sp) for my old horse, it's an anti inflammatory. Alot of the English show world uses it too. The dog version actually called previcox is a 1/4 of the price and you use less of it (weird, I know) than the horse brand -equicox I think it's spelled.
 
I purchased the pens with a Lantus card in Tampa, Florida, at a CVS with absolutely no problems or questions. The pharmacist knew it was a cat named Odie.
 
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