How long before trying different insulin? (Aloysius)

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MFMeow

MFMeow

Member Since 2014
Hi again everyone. My original thread was here: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=125674

It's been a few weeks and we're having trouble figuring out the right dose of ProZinc for Aloysius. A wee bit too much... and he sails along for 16 or 20 hours. Not quite enough... and doesn't get a decent dip. I work fulltime days, and there is no one to grab midcycle numbers on him during weekdays. I do get curves on weekends and lately I have been trying to get midcycle data PM so I get a clearer picture of what is going on. It is really hard to know without more midcycle data... at this point, I am willing to give up some sleep for a while to obtain more.

My vets are fantasic about working with me and are very supportive of home testing.

The consensus was that 1.0 unit was too much, so I have taken it down somewhat, and have been trying to adjust based on his preshot reading and see how he responds. (These seem like ridiculously small amounts of ProZinc at this point. He seems to be very sensitive to it.)

After reviewing all the data with my vet last Saturday, the idea came up that maybe ProZinc is the wrong insulin for him. She was thinking of Lantus as an alternative. (I was pleased to hear that, because it seems like a good choice based on what I have read here and elsewhere.)

After she reviewed the situation with the other vets in the practice (and based on my input too) we all agreed to give him at least a few more weeks on ProZinc to see how it goes.

He is active, happy, his urine output and water consumption is way down (from before we started treatment - though I can see clear correlation with increased water intake and urine output on days when he shoots up above 400).

My questions today are:

  • 1. How long would y'all stick with the ProZinc before trying Lantus? I am not sure how long is the "right" amount of time to allow him to adjust before saying "Yeah.... this isn't working so well."

    2. Do you think the Prozinc is actually "lasting" longer than 12 hours (it seems like 16 to 20 hours in some cases) - or is it maybe his pancreas sputtering back to life that is keeping the numbers down for so long? (I know, I know, if only we had crystal balls.) It was my understanding ProZinc typically has a much shorter duration of effectiveness.

We would so much appreciate any feedback/thoughts anyone might have for us. I can't wrap my head around such tiny variations of dose making such a huge difference with Aloysius. (I am using U-100 needles with half unit markings and am obsessive about getting the most accurate dose possible. Also I am very certain the injections are being delivered successfully, unless noted as "fur shot". I have been giving cats vaccinations for years and have that part down.)

It seems like the difference between .3 and .5 is so small, I can't even imagine the different reactions are due to the insulin, and not something completely different.

  • 10/5 PMPS 410, gave .5u, at +11 he was at 174 and at +12 he was 191.
    10/8 AMPS 212, gave .3u, at +12 he was at 438.

I don't know which end is up right now.
 
Is Aloysius eating he same amount and about same carb content food all the time?
How much ProZinc do you have left? I would continue with the ProZinc a for at least a little longer unless you have to purchase a new vial.
Based on our SS data I would stick between 0.3 and 0.4 units. ).5 seems to be too much.
 
Is Aloysius eating he same amount and about same carb content food all the time?
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That is a really *great* question. He gets one 3 oz. can of Fancy Feast classics, varying flavors with 3-5 carbs, at shot time. He grazes on that throughout the day. But -- he eats anywhere from all of it, to as little as 50% of it (on a very few days). When I get home, I am going to look at his log where I write it all down, and see if the days he eats all the food, or the days he eats only half, correspond with any of the highs and lows. Thank you for asking about that, it gives me something else to look at.

How much ProZinc do you have left? I would continue with the ProZinc a for at least a little longer unless you have to purchase a new vial.
Click to expand...

At the rate we are going, I have enough ProZinc for more than a year. I am not ready to abandon it yet. That was my vet's thought, "Well when you need a new bottle, maybe we'll try Lantus." Not sure I want to wait that long, though!

We'll just wait and see for now.

Thanks so much.
 
He does seem sensitive to tiny doses. (Not a bad thing...) It's hard to tell without more data, but I would assume those higher preshots are bounces. Sometimes a flat high cycle after a lower number can be a bounce. You might try lowering the dose to .2 and see if he flattens out a little. Any midcycle numbers you can get will help figure this out. Also, a curve would be very helpful.

The hard thing about changing is that you'd need to start with less of the Lantus (that would be hard to measure) and you lose the freedom of changing the dose so often. He is getting so little that I think changing might present a new set of problems for you.
 
Thank you all for the feedback... the more I read/hear, the more I want to stick with it.

Also, once I checked, there is no correlation between how much he ate and his BG level.
 
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