? I think my Lantus has gone bad

[Ramon's mom]

My cat Ramon has been doing very well for over a month on Lantus (switched on May 1 from Prozinc). All of a sudden in the last 2 days his numbers have zoomed. Nothing has changed in his diet (primarily raw) or insulin dosage. The only change has been extremely hot, humid weather (but I do have AC). Earlier in the week I accidentally left the insulin out of the fridge for 6 hours and it kind of looks a little foggy. So I am guessing it has gone bad. I ordered new insulin from Canada last week but it won't arrive until next Monday. What should I do? I upped his dose but it isn't making a dent. His numbers so far are in the high 200's (up from the low 100's). I checked ketones in his urine but it is negative. Is it ok to just keep going like this until I get the fresh stuff on Monday? Is there anything I should worry about happening to him while we wait?

 

[Idjit's mom]

I wish I could give you an answer on the Lantus. I have been doing a little research on preserving Lantus in a power outage situation, worst case scenario w/o refrigeration.
I found this information:

• For up to 4 weeks, you can use insulin in opened or unopened vials that have been stored at room temperature (between 59°F and 86°F).
• https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/managing-insulin-emergency.html

You report extreme hot and humid weather, so the insulin might have been affected even in that 6 hour period.

I suggest you copy your message here and paste it in a new thread on the Lantus forum for input from that user group.

 

[Ramon's mom]

Thanks. I'll repost this in the other forum. It appears that the insulin is having no effect which is why I think it went bad. What I really want to know is whether over the next 3 days I should continue giving it anyway or just stop any insulin until I get the fresh stuff in. Or something else?

 

[Idjit's mom]

I sure hope they can help out with some suggestions on next steps and/or alternatives. I didn't get a great deal of hands on insulin experience and wouldn't venture to advise.