? MONEY❤️ INSULIN

Roxy450

Roxy450

Member Since 2021
Hey everyone !! I have run out of insulin and my vet is the worst !!! Money is extremely car sick and has major anxiety !! They refuse to honour the prescription I have … now I am stuck with no insulin and can’t find a vet … only emergency vet that will charge me close to 500$ to see her run test and then prescribe the insulin .

IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET INSULIN IN CANADA WITHOUT A PRECRIPTION?????

please help!!!!! Thanks
 
Funny I called and they said absolutely not without
I will try sumwhere else …. This is nuts that they won’t give insulin to a cat that is clearly diabetic … I have her ss… yes I know it’s not updated .. but I have the data !
 
Many people have bought Lantus over the counter in La Belle Province.
In Canada, humans need a prescription. Cats do not. You should not have a problem with a different pharmacy and if you do, just explain that the insulin is for your cat (don't mention that the vet is refusing) and you just found out that you can buy it at a drug store cheaper (what a relief!) than the vet. Tell the pharmacist a bit about your cat.
 
Instead of phoning, walk into your local pharmacy and ask for insulin for your cat. That's what worked for me in BC. Not sure if it's different in Quebec. The difference is that you get charged for the insulin, and may have to pay taxes and possibly dispensing fee, if it's for a cat.

I'm going to take off the 911, as it's not a medical emergency.
 
Sorry I just saw this, I believe you can just walk into any pharmacy and request insulin but let them know it is for a cat. I'm in Ontario and my pharmacist was the one who suggested we get it from them rather than the vet. The vet was charging $65/pen cartridge and we get 5/$135 from my pharmacist. Glad you were able to get your hands on some :)
 
Carole & Indigo said:
I'm in Ontario
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Same here. Although I always used Caninsulin I never once needed a prescription. There's a big stink here about using BUPE as a replacement for methadone but all I ever had to do was call my vet and ask for more. Wait until you need Valium for a dog, loads of fun. :blackeye:
 
Sorry I didn’t see this till now. I’ve bought from both shoppers and Costco and never needed a prescription. At Costco they pack it with a little mini ice pack which I thought was nice! I have a 2/3 full vial of Lantus opened mid November … I’d be happy to give to anyone who is in need, I just don’t know if it is safe to give or ship an opened bottle….
 
How does Marks ship things and keep them cold? We've been trying these premade meals for two people and some are good but the cold packs have no markings like recycle or how to dispose of. Inside is a gel. They also come with "recyclable" styrofoam which is a joke according to our county dump. Then there's that mountain of cardboard at the front door.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I don't think you need a prescription in Canada for insulin. It is OTC. So you can go to any human pharmacy and buy some. Tell them it's for a cat so they don't run it through your insurance.

Tagging a few people in Canada for confirmation:

@Gus the Furminator
@Carole & Indigo
@Jodey&Eddie&Blue
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It's true that a prescription for insulin for a cat/dog is not required in Canada. The roadblock is that some pharmacies balk and ask for an initial prescription from the vet and evermore it can be filled. I've run into a pharmacist telling me the prescription had expired and I told them I don't need a prescription. They went away, looked it up and came back to confirm that's the case.
 
Confirmed that in BC you can get it OTC if you tell the pharmacist it is for your pet. Just spoke to my pharmacist.
 
There appears to be a lot of people speculating about whether you can or cannot get insulin from a pharmacy in Canada, some who are not actually even in Canada, but just spreading false info. It IS province specific. No, some pharmacies even for cats will not provide insulin without a prescription. Yes, I am in Canada and yes, I have to have a prescription to get it for my cat.
 
Christie & Maverick said:
There appears to be a lot of people speculating about whether you can or cannot get insulin from a pharmacy in Canada, some who are not actually even in Canada, but just spreading false info. It IS province specific. No, some pharmacies even for cats will not provide insulin without a prescription. Yes, I am in Canada and yes, I have to have a prescription to get it for my cat.
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Good point. Perhaps I should have noted that I am in Ontario and have never required a prescription to buy insulin (Lantus specifically) from either shoppers drug mart or Costco. One of the times I asked for Lantus from shoppers drug mart they asked for a prescription…and I said “oh I had no idea I needed one, it’s for my cat and I didn’t need one last time” and they said “you don’t, it’s just standard to ask because it is required if going through a drug plan” which I wasn’t.
 
Amy & Herman said:
Good point. Perhaps I should have noted that I am in Ontario and have never required a prescription to buy insulin (Lantus specifically) from either shoppers drug mart or Costco. One of the times I asked for Lantus from shoppers drug mart they asked for a prescription…and I said “oh I had no idea I needed one, it’s for my cat and I didn’t need one last time” and they said “you don’t, it’s just standard to ask because it is required if going through a drug plan” which I wasn’t.
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Very true. It’s unfortunate but there is a perpetuation of a common theme that no script is needed in Canada, which has not been my experience. My pharmacy actually insists on it because it is for a cat, and when I asked for a refill, I was told I needed a new script. And have been doing this for 6 years so….
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Very true. It’s unfortunate but there is a perpetuation of a common theme that no script is needed in Canada, which has not been my experience. My pharmacy actually insists on it because it is for a cat, and when I asked for a refill, I was told I needed a new script. And have been doing this for 6 years so….
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Ultimately up to the pharmacy if they want to allow it I think. Seems to be inconsistent; in BC I was just told I don't need a script for it. Apparently even if it's for you, you can get it without a script after a consult (according to my pharmacist anyway).

But the only reason they told me this is because I asked, and asked them to check with their supervisor whether this was allowed. Took them like 20 minutes to get back to me.

It is not something which you can go up to a pharmacy and expect to be able to just buy like a normal OTC medication for sure.
 
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Christie - did you ever try a different pharmacy? We had another member in Alberta who also got told she needed a prescription. She went to a couple different pharmacies and found one that didn't need one. I originally had a prescription for Neko - cause the vet said I needed one and charged me for writing it :mad:- only to have the pharmacist say I didn't need it. I subsequently shopped around a couple different pharmacies for better prices on the insulin and never was asked for a prescription. Note, for other drugs for cats, I have needed a vet prescription. So the no prescription is specific to insulin.
 
In Canada Insulin is a schedule II drug.

As per https://www.napra.ca/national-drug-...ram/what-are-the-national-drug-schedules-nds/, "Schedule II drugs, while less strictly regulated, do require professional intervention from the pharmacist at the point of sale and possibly referral to a practitioner. While a prescription is not required, the drugs are available only from the pharmacist and must be retained within an area of the pharmacy where there is no public access and no opportunity for patient self-selection. "

The drug scheduling system is federal, so it SHOULDN'T really vary province to province. You might find variation province to province in how willing pharmacists are to allow you to purchase it. But ultimately it seems to be up to them, as it requires "professional intervention at the point of sale and POSSIBLE referal to a practicioner". To me that reads as "it's up to the pharmacist as it's on them if they give insulin to someone who is going to use it in an inappropriate manner".

EDIT: Just phoned an Albertan Pharmacy, they confirmed that if it's for a pet you would not need a consult or prescription. The number I called was 780-438-0385, Save on Foods Pharmacy. I'm starting to suspect that a lot of pharmacists just don't know this is how it works.
 
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Fair enough but that’s not been my experience. My point was let’s not have carte blanche commentary from people who aren’t in Canada and have not had to work the pharmacies like I have, that it always is the case « in Canada » that scripts are not required.
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Fair enough but that’s not been my experience. My point was let’s not have carte blanche commentary from people who aren’t in Canada and have not had to work the pharmacies like I have, that it always is the case « in Canada » that scripts are not required.
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100% agreed. I had the same problem; it definitely is not the same as a normal OTC medication that you can just go to a pharmacy and go "hey I want insulin" and they'll give you some Lantus.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Same here. Although I always used Caninsulin I never once needed a prescription. There's a big stink here about using BUPE as a replacement for methadone but all I ever had to do was call my vet and ask for more. Wait until you need Valium for a dog, loads of fun. :blackeye:
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Lol! Amazes me that they're that OCD about it when all you have to do is walk into a methadone clinic, tell them you're an opiate addict and you'll get a script for a crap tonne of the stuff. The diversion is coming from people who do that and sell it on the street. It is not coming from people wanting 0.05 mg of buprenorphine for pain management for a cat. People can easily be on like 32 mg of buprenorphine (suboxone technically, just buprenorphine with nalaxone added, which blocks opiate receptors sending addicts into withdrawal if they inject it) and hawk it on the street. The dose for a cat is like 0.005 to 0.01 mg per lb of body weight!
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Very true. It’s unfortunate but there is a perpetuation of a common theme that no script is needed in Canada, which has not been my experience. My pharmacy actually insists on it because it is for a cat, and when I asked for a refill, I was told I needed a new script. And have been doing this for 6 years so….
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What province are you in? I'm in BC and, as I said, I've had them ask even when I'm just renewing and a difference pharmacist takes the call. But as I also said they checked and reversed that response.
 
chuckstables said:
just buprenorphine with nalaxone added, which blocks opiate receptors sending addicts into withdrawal if they inject it
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WTF? I'll take your word for it but what's the point of adding naloxone to any opioid? Noah's story was he needed all his teeth pulled but would not have survived the anesthesia so for 2+ years he had quality of life using transdermal BUPE. Did I ask for BUPE and get something else? Whatever it was it worked and we never had to keep him away from the stairs. He never showed any human signs of withdrawal, not a pretty sight and a perverse form of punishment. 'Do no harm' my butt!
Street drugs are ruining it for all of us. I won the lottery in reverse, Trigeminal neuralgia, Chiari malformation and cluster headaches. I'm one of the few that can only be treated with opioids and Rizatriptan if I catch it in time. Lucky me my liver and kidney functions are fine and I got to keep my driver's license. What I hate is losing Philip Seymour Hoffman because someone slipped "a little extra something" to him. That's like giving grain alcohol to an alcoholic thinking you're doing them a favor.
Naloxone kits are free here, no questions asked and there's no legal danger in administering it. Because my wife and I both get migraines that make you puke we take Imitrex / Sumatriptan / Treximet so she's well aware of how to use the Naloxone inhaler.
chuckstables said:
methadone clinic....people who do that and sell it on the street
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I had a pharmacist friend who volunteered at a methadone clinic. 4 liter jugs of methadone and zero security. In Ontario you have to do the walk of shame going in every day for months before you get take-home doses. It's no wonder people just think "screw this" and go back. Chasing the dragons tail will always be with us.
Psilocybin and LSD are being recognized as legitimate treatments for depression and PTSD. It's not long acting but 8 or 12 hours without that pain is a lot better than group therapy where the doctor is yawning and keeps checking his watch.
 
I’m a little late to the party but I’m in Ontario and never had an issues asking for insulin OTC without a prescription. I’ve previous purchased at both Shoppers and Costco. I didn’t have to mention if it was for me or the cat either times (though I did get a funny look when I didn’t give insurance info)…

I did talk with one pharmacist about using syringes with the pens as the had never heard of that… which did lead to me saying it was for my cat…. But again, no issues getting the insulin

ETA: sorry just now seeing you got your insulin already (YAY!)
 
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Noah & me (GA) said:
WTF? I'll take your word for it but what's the point of adding naloxone to any opioid? Noah's story was he needed all his teeth pulled but would not have survived the anesthesia so for 2+ years he had quality of life using transdermal BUPE. Did I ask for BUPE and get something else? Whatever it was it worked and we never had to keep him away from the stairs. He never showed any human signs of withdrawal, not a pretty sight and a perverse form of punishment. 'Do no harm' my butt!
Street drugs are ruining it for all of us. I won the lottery in reverse, Trigeminal neuralgia, Chiari malformation and cluster headaches. I'm one of the few that can only be treated with opioids and Rizatriptan if I catch it in time. Lucky me my liver and kidney functions are fine and I got to keep my driver's license. What I hate is losing Philip Seymour Hoffman because someone slipped "a little extra something" to him. That's like giving grain alcohol to an alcoholic thinking you're doing them a favor.
Naloxone kits are free here, no questions asked and there's no legal danger in administering it. Because my wife and I both get migraines that make you puke we take Imitrex / Sumatriptan / Treximet so she's well aware of how to use the Naloxone inhaler.

I had a pharmacist friend who volunteered at a methadone clinic. 4 liter jugs of methadone and zero security. In Ontario you have to do the walk of shame going in every day for months before you get take-home doses. It's no wonder people just think "screw this" and go back. Chasing the dragons tail will always be with us.
Psilocybin and LSD are being recognized as legitimate treatments for depression and PTSD. It's not long acting but 8 or 12 hours without that pain is a lot better than group therapy where the doctor is yawning and keeps checking his watch.
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Because Nalaxone doesn't work if you ingest it orally (at least not very well; you'd have to take probably 100x the dose orally to get the same effect as injecting it). It's not a stable molecule; your stomach breaks it down and it never makes it into the brain where it would actually do anything. Some of it does however make it to the gut (a small amount), which probably is why suboxone doesn't constipate you as much as methadone.

The whole idea is that if you take it like you're supposed to (orally as a pill) then the nalaxone won't do anything. If you abuse it by crushing it up, heating it, and shooting it THEN the nalaxone will send you into withdrawal.

Only reason I know is cause I used to have to supervise inmates getting out of prison who would abuse the stuff inside. They'd all joke about how it was "poor mans dope" because you couldn't inject it. Kinda miss that job honestly. Now I just talk to normal people on a phone all day lol!
 
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Noah & me (GA) said:
Same here. Although I always used Caninsulin I never once needed a prescription. There's a big stink here about using BUPE as a replacement for methadone but all I ever had to do was call my vet and ask for more. Wait until you need Valium for a dog, loads of fun. :blackeye:
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Hahahahah I could only imagine :banghead::nailbiting::stop:
 
Got a question… anyone have experience with libre 2 ? I used these monitors with money first time and never had a problem ….

this time around see was fine but once I applied the second monitor she started acting funny … she was walking very weird and I thought it was a case of neuropathie… monitor fell off and since she has been walking better … thought it was b12 helping … as soon as I put in on today she started walking exactly the same way …!!!! I’m not sure what is going on and now had to remove this libre (100$ down the drain ) NOT SURE WHAT IS GOING ON ???? Any ideas ?
 
chuckstables said:
Kinda miss that job honestly...talk to normal people
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There's a huge prison not far from here, a medium/maximum for those sentenced to less than two years, men and women. It's also where you go to play cards if you're doing your time on weekends. Because one of my OCD things is severe fidgeting I can barely look at it when I drive by. In 20 years I've never seen anyone on the baseball diamond or the soccer field. It is the definition of blandness where the sky is always grey and potatoes are on the menu every night. When you are "rehabilitated" you get dropped off at the local mass transit station with a voucher so now even the bus driver knows you're an ex con. Two days in there and I'd be swallowing spoons and looking for dirty needles too.
I'd rather spend a day talking to one of these miscreants than one minute in a Walmart with 'normal' people.
 
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You do not need a prescription for Insulin in Canada but if the insulin is being transported to the United States they prefer to have a prescription because the US requires one

I get my insulin from Marks Marine Pharmacy

Description Quantity Unit Price
Upgraded Insulation (Styrofoam + Extra ice) (1unit) (1 Box qty) 1 $15.00
Lantus Solostar For Pets (100U/mL) (15 mL qty) 1 $164.99
Subtotal $179.99
Shipping Fee $25.00

Total $204.99

Marks Marine Pharmacy will call your Vet on behalf of
1-877-888-9265

Now I could of course drive to Windsor, Canada (other side of Detroit, MI)

Go to Walmart and purchase of Box of (5) pens for $75.00 (Without a prescription) - I have a passport for international travel. Call the Canadian Wal-Mart in advance to have the insulin waiting for you
Reason is the high demand from US citizens crossing over to Canada on charter buses to purchase Insulin for their families (several youtube videos show this process)

My understanding when crossing back to the US the border patrol will ask if you are bringing anything back to the US (Insulin - now do not have massive amounts because they will assume your selling it) They will generally let you go back in the US with insulin because they understand the high costs in the US and you need it for your family
 

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