Insulin help please

Status
Not open for further replies.
Cat girl

Cat girl

Active Member
Took my cat to vet and had a big circus ordeal trying to get some pen insulin and couldn't get it cause the person who filled them wasn't at the pharmacy til Monday.only can get it for $80 for month supply at one pharmacy.if I go anywhere else over $200 and vet wouldn't call me in a reg bottle of insulin cause she thought I couldn't pull up 1/2 unit of insulin.where else can I get insulin and without a prescription?got to be something cheaper that lasts longer.heard a bottle was like $80 for 3 month supply.
 
I am confused. PRoZinc is not usually sold at a pharmacy - only at the vet or by mail. It is a pet insulin, not a human one. You do need a script form a vet to buy it in its cheapest form BCP PZI. IT's a compounded insulin and I think runs about $90 for a vial. A vial of PRoZinc or PZI I should last you about 6 months unless you are giving really big doses, which would be uncommon.

The only place I know to get insulin without a prescription is one of the human insulins (Lantus or Levemir) in Canada.
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
I am confused. PRoZinc is not usually sold at a pharmacy - only at the vet or by mail. It is a pet insulin, not a human one. You do need a script form a vet to buy it in its cheapest form BCP PZI. IT's a compounded insulin and I think runs about $90 for a vial. A vial of PRoZinc or PZI I should last you about 6 months unless you are giving really big doses, which would be uncommon.

The only place I know to get insulin without a prescription is one of the human insulins (Lantus or Levemir) in Canada.
Click to expand...
There is an animal section at my pharmacy.the person who did all the animal scripts wasn't there and all I know it is a 12 hr insulin in a pen you draw it from.???vet never said
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hey Beth, sorry about your ordeal. I am assuming the insulin is Prozinc since you posted here, correct?
Click to expand...
Bobbie And Bubba said:
@Sue and Oliver (GA) , @Cat girl just posted on another thread that her pharmacy has an animal section and the person that took care of animal RX wasn't in until Monday. All she know is that the insulin is in a pen. Would that be Lantus?
Click to expand...
she never said the name.i was thinking preloaded pens that I inject but she said no that it is a pen of insulin I draw from.that is the same thing I would be doing from a bottle.this vet really really has me confused and mad lol
 
Merlin said:
I bet it is Lantus.
Click to expand...
Yeah heard that lantus and levemir both have a pen like thing you draw insulin from.she said they were going to dilute the insulin or something and make it to where I can pull 1/2 unit on a 100 unit syringe somehow.i could have just used a 30 unit and could have done a 1/2 unit easy on it since it is made for measuring up smaller insulin doses.but since the insulin is getting changed it would be wise for me to use another unit but if I switched to a regular bottle that wasn't changed in anyway a 30 unit would work.i don't know why she said I couldn't do it at all.lol
 
Most people here use o.5 unit needles so they can measure small doses. You stick the needle into the pen so you can give doses in smaller increments. Humans use the pen as is, but cat owners don't.

I would not let her sell you diluted insulin. No only is it unnecessary, but it won't work the same as regular insulin.

You might look at the forum for Lantus. The stickies at the top will give you lots of good info.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-glargine-levemir-detemir.9/
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Most people here use o.5 unit needles so they can measure small doses. You stick the needle into the pen so you can give doses in smaller increments. Humans use the pen as is, but cat owners don't.

I would not let her sell you diluted insulin. No only is it unnecessary, but it won't work the same as regular insulin.

You might look at the forum for Lantus. The stickies at the top will give you lots of good info.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-glargine-levemir-detemir.9/
Click to expand...
When I was on the phone with her she said my pharmacy had to dilute it to where I could draw the 1/2 etc and I was thinking what is she talking about??that it didn't sound right.oh ok that helped me.so it is pretty much is a preloaded pen but with a cat you can only draw from it instead of inject it itself like on a human?im going to check around for a good insulin that isn't too pricey.$80 for a 3 month supply isn't bad but $80 for a 1 month seems a little high for me.im on disability income so money is super tight.gets so hard to make ends meet anymore don't it?
 
You can get Lantus from Canada at a good price, but I don't know how long it will take to get it. If you want to do that, maybe get the 1st pen from your pharmacy, then order from Canada after that. Post on the Lantus forum (or Health) forum with the dilution question, and where and how to order from Canada.
 
Never dilute Lantus and store it that way. Lantus is acidic and dilution with something which is not the same pH may cause it to become ineffective. It may be possible to draw up and amount and draw in sterile saline, roll, and discharge the excess right before shooting.

But it is not recommended. You're better off getting calipers and magnifiers. I used Carson Clip and Flip, available on Amazon. They clip onto your existing glasses and come in several strengths of magnification.
 
Hi--Hoping I can get some wisdom from some people in this amazing group-My kitty (15 male ) was diagnosed about 5 weeks ago-he was put on vetsulin which seemed to be working pretty good but his numbers have been going up a little and my gut tells me I should switch to either lantus or PZI…my vet is fine with either but I want him to go into remission and I really believe he will if I make the right decision for him. I am so frustrated…… He is stress free licking himself LOL-My other kitty (16 male) has KI issues and been giving sub q fluids for 5 years-he does awesome-both on adequan as well. Does anyone have experience with both lantus and PZI? I monitor him closely and he is on all wet low carb diet--I use alpha trak2 and always test before injecting and usually more than that.
Does anyone know if lantus is the exact same as my father in laws lantus or is it different strengths?
 
I'm only familiar with ProZinc, Goof went into remission on it, but recently his numbers shot up for no apparent reason, so he's getting a little juice again. Darn it.
 
jayla said:
Does anyone know if lantus is the exact same as my father in laws lantus or is it different strengths?
Click to expand...
Yes I believe Lantus (Glargine) is the same as the humans. Prozinc is specific for kitties.
 
Last edited:
jayla said:
Hi! Thank you for responding… may I ask how long he was on it before remission? How long was he in remission?
Click to expand...


He went into remission on June 1st, but he had a broken tooth removed last month, and his numbers have been a little wonky since then, that happens sometimes. At this point I can't say he's officially back ON the juice, he's only needed a couple of shots, he was 122 this morning.
 
Mogmom and Goofus said:
He went into remission on June 1st, but he had a broken tooth removed last month, and his numbers have been a little wonky since then, that happens sometimes. At this point I can't say he's officially back ON the juice, he's only needed a couple of shots, he was 122 this morning.
Click to expand...
Thank you again--I am switching to PZI tonight ;)) So happy your kitty is back on the wagon !!
 
jayla said:
Does anyone have experience with both lantus and PZI?
Click to expand...
I am thinking here that you might be asking is one better than the other too??? I am by no means an expert in either one of them, I just read a lot of posts in both forums. In the Prozinc forum there are less users than the Lantus/Levemir Forum and that may be why I see more remissions in LL forum. They both are good insulins and what I have seen over the past couple of years, there has been remissions in both insulins. I really don't know if one is better than the other and I don't know if there are any studies that would show one doing better over the other. However, there are some differences though. In Lantus, there are two protocols to follow and that is the Tight Regulation (TR) and Start Low/Go Slow (SLGS) Regulation. You choose one or the other. Lantus doses are based on the nadir (mid-cycle number). So you want to find the dose that will get you to the safest, lowest number possible. Lantus is also a depot insulin which means that you fill a depot (a bucket-like) and you maintain that depot hence a more consistent dose. Prozinc's dose is based on pre-shots numbers and the nadir. Instead of a depot insulin, Prozinc is an "in and out" insulin which means it really only lasts for about 11-12 hours while Lantus is in the system for a lot longer due to that depot. Prozinc's schedule is a little more forgiving and that works if your work/life schedule is really crazy where Lantus TR is a little more strict (the SLGS protocol I believe is a little like Prozinc). In both insulins, you are going to see bounces (fluctuations of number) and in both insulins, you need to be very diligent in home testing. As far as prices, I believe Prozinc may be a little more pricier than Lantus. You have the option to buy Lantus for a lot less from a Canada pharmacy and when I look on Craigs List, all I see is Lantus, never Prozinc.

So let us know how things are going. Your name is Jayla and your kitty's name is? Next time, if you could start your own post that would be helpful too. Do you need any assistance in setting up your spreadsheet? Again, so glad that you found this website.
 
Last edited:
Merlin said:
I am thinking here that you might be asking is one better than the other too??? I am by no means an expert in either one of them, I just read a lot of posts in both forums. In the Prozinc forum there are less users than the Lantus/Levemir Forum and that may be why I see more remissions in LL forum. They both are good insulins and what I have seen over the past couple of years, there has been remissions in both insulins. I really don't know if one is better than the other and I don't know if there are any studies that would show one doing better over the other. However, there are some differences though. In Lantus, there are two protocols to follow and that is the Tight Regulation (TR) and Start Low/Go Slow (SLGS) Regulation. You choose one or the other. Lantus doses are based on the nadir (mid-cycle number). So you want to find the dose that will get you to the safest, lowest number possible. Lantus is also a depot insulin which means that you fill a depot (a bucket-like) and you maintain that depot hence a more consistent dose. Prozinc's dose is based on pre-shots numbers and the nadir. Instead of a depot insulin, Prozinc is an "in and out" insulin which means it really only lasts for about 11-12 hours while Lantus is in the system for a lot longer due to that depot. Prozinc's schedule is a little more forgiving and that works if your work/life schedule is really crazy where Lantus TR is a little more strict (the SLGS protocol I believe is a little like Prozinc). In both insulins, you are going to see bounces (fluctuations of number) and in both insulins, you need to be very diligent in home testing. As far as prices, I believe Prozinc may be a little more pricier than Lantus. You have the option to buy Lantus for a lot less from a Canada pharmacy and when I look on Craigs List, all I see is Lantus, never Prozinc.

So let us know how things are going. Your name is Jayla and your kitty's name is? Next time, if you could start your own post that would be helpful too. Do you need any assistance in setting up your spreadsheet? Again, so glad that you found this website.
Click to expand...
Hi!!
Thank you so much for the information. I have been so frustrated….. I am so confidant that he will revert and this whole up and down drives me crazy. My baby is Drevon and he is 15 years old-(I have another Rico-he is 16)…They are both rescue cats and I love them beyond words… Rico gets subq fluids for KI issues for 5 years and he does great. I started them both on adequan as well.
I got the PZI today as I felt from the start that was the one I felt connected to but I had the vetsulin and so it went--My regular DVM is not a kitty specialist so I have a Dr just for this…I asked her if he was her kitty what she would switch to and she said PZI so I went with my gut and her experience. I do believe they are both good choices it is just that I feel like his life is literally in my hands and I love him so much I don't want to let him down. I have a detailed log document I keep on my computer but I will sit down and figure out how to use the spreadsheet on this site. I will also do some research on how to use this site more effectively for everyone-
So we start PZI tonight -he had vetsulin this morning and we are going back to his original dose per injection numbers-he was 221BG so he will get 1/2 unit tonight. I usually test then let him eat and relax and shoot in about a hour after-
I always test prior-and on my days I am able I test 3-4 times a day. I will be doing a curve after he is on PZI for a week or so-
Thank you so much again and I promise to figure out how to use the forum properly :))
 
Hi Jayla! Let us know what questions you have as you go along and we'll be happy to help. I know you got good info from Cindi already, so I won't repeat what she's said. Just wanted to let you know we're here to help!
 
When you have a moment, could you add a few tidbits to your signature? It will help us give you feedback.

Editing your Signature

In the upper right corner of the screen, within the dark blue bar, you will see ID, Inbox, and Alerts

Click on your ID.

On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature.
This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback. You are limited to 2hard returns, so separate pieces by | or -.
This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
Add any other text, such as your name | cat's name | date of Dx (diagnosis) | insulin | meter general location (city and state/province) any other pertinent issues like if there are any food issues, history of DKA, hepatic lipidosis, pancreatitis, allergies, IBD, etc.

Click the Save Changes button at the bottom.

Always click the Save Changes button at the bottom when you have changed anything.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top