Newbie: Ebby switched to Lantus

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MelissaEbby

MelissaEbby

Member Since 2012
Ebby and I made the switch from ProZinc to Lantus today. Her weight is 8.4 pounds and her latest prozinc dose was 1 unit, so I decided to start with .75 units. The vet suggested starting on 1, but I thought I should lower it a touch, just to be safe.

413 was her AMPS
284 +2

I have four days off work, and should be able to keep a very close eye on her, and hopefully gather some good data. I'm posting here in Tight Regulation, but I guess I'm a little confused as to which method to adopt.

Also, the new shot went well, but it took me 3 tries (each time a new syringe) to get that tiny .75 dose correct. I have the relion u-100 with half unit marks. The main problem was, as I was squeezing excess out of the syringe, I kept going past the mark. With my old syringes I could kind of twist them to sneak up on the line, but no luck with these. Maybe a different brand is better?
 
Welcome the LantusLand, the greatest place you never wanted to be! :lol: :lol: You can post here whether you follow TR or Start Low Go Slow. There is a lot of activity here so you can get help faster. What are your concerns?

We use monoject syringes and others use Terumos. They are all frustrating. Do you twist the plunger or the barrel to squeeze out drops? Calipers from Harbor Freight are helpful to consistently measure doses because the markings on the syringes can vary a lot.

Let us know how we can help.
Liz, Zener's other mom
 
Welcome to LL! :YMHUG: Both protocols work, it is really a matter of how aggressively you want to monitor and adjust the dose. Your schedule can have a lot to do w/ the choice.
 
Hi Melissa. Welcome to LL. I had the same problem with the Relion syringes so I switched to Momojet. They are better and you can dial a dose but the nose cone on the end makes it hard to get an accurate dose if you're using calibers.

As for which method to chose, I guess it depends on whether you're ultimate goal is to regulate Ebby or attempt to get her into remission.

Have a great day.
 
Thanks for the welcome!

I will look at both protocols again. I do like the aggressive monitoring and dose changing, and can be home most days. My main concern is I work 3 evenings a week and will have to be gone around her nadir during these days. For now, I'll just go with the flow, and see what's working. Of course, I would like remission, but she is 14 so if she is just regulated for her remaining years, I'll be happy with that too.

I will get different syringes too. Do most of you order these online? Do both brands mentioned have 1/2 unit markings?

Thanks again for the advice and welcome!
 
Yes, use the ADW link at the top of the page and FDMB will get a commission and it costs you nothing. Both Terumo and Monojest have half unit marking, but you have to be careful to look for the right ones!
 
Welcome to Lantus Land!!

Good plan to reduce the dose a little. It looks like Ebby had a good sized drop by +2.

Since you're going to be home for a few days, you may want to get mini-curves (testing every 3 hours) on some of those days. It will help you to see where Ebby's onset and nadir fall.

If you're worried about the evenings when you're working, have you given any thought to a timed feeder. That's one way to insure that food will be available if Ebby needs to eat while you're gone.

As for TR or SLGS, there are people here who use SLGS. You are welcome to post here regardless of which protocol you use. Personally, I'm a fan of TR. It's the approach that has research evidence to support it's use.
 
Thanks everyone for all the info! We had a VERY good day today. Ebby seemed to feel well, and she even jumped on top of the fridge tonight! Her PMPS was 241, which is low for us, so I will set the alarm to check on her tonight.

The timed feeder is something I will probably get. I actually ordered one of these online a while back, but took it back because it seemed so big....like it was made for a dog. Right now I just leave wet food out and free feed, so she does have food available when I am at work.

I'll plan to do as many curves as I can the next few days, and will probably post these here.

I will look over the TR protocol again. Are we at risk for more hypos if we do TR?
 
There is no greater risk for hypos with TR than with any other protocol. I think it helps to keep in mind that TR is based on research. If the protocol was dangerous, it would have never gotten past the university's research ethics board nor would the research be published. Animal welfare is a serious consideration in these reviews. Given that information, most of us rarely see symptoms of hypoglycemia when our cats drop into low numbers. Because TR encourages testing, we are usually able to catch those low numbers and intervene appropriately by using food to steer the numbers back up. In addition, dose changes are made in small amounts so while the protocol is aggressive, it's safe.
 
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