Lantus pen or vital?

[Lou the stinker poo's mom]

I am taking louie in for his second curve tomorrow and want to pitch switching him to Lantus. He is currently on Novolin N and after reading this board and watching him, I do not think it is working. He is still eating like a hog, not really much of a change in weight/neuropathy, and I want to get him on an insulin that has the possibility of remission. My question to you all that have your kitties on Lantus, do you prefer the pen or the vital?

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

The pens are the better buy. Most cats don't need more than 1-2 units every 12 hours, so a 10ml vial (that's 1000 units) usually poops out before you can use it all so you end up throwing a bunch away.

The pens are like little mini-vials that are 3ml each (300 units per pen) and come in boxes of 5...which is enough to last most cats over a year....and the pens don't expire until the date on the box which is usually at least 2 years away.

The vials are cheaper, but in the long run, the pens make more sense. If you look at the last post in the Insulin from Canadian Pharmacies thread, you'll find the information on the pharmacy in Canada that a lot of us are using. They're great to work with and the cost is 1/3 less than it is here in the US

 

[BJM]

There are 1000 units in a 10 mL vial.
There are 1500 units in a 5 pack of 3 mL pens.
After about 6 months, Lantus will start to peter out, even if refrigerated.
So, take the dose you are using daily and determine what will work best.
Usually this is the pens, unless you have a high dose cat.