No insulin is working....

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MClarke087

MClarke087

Member Since 2016
This might be a stupid question, but I can't find an answer anywhere....

Is it possible that a diabetic cat never reacts to any type of insulin? My cat was regulated on Novolin (1 unit) but over a 4 week span his BG began climbing to "Hi" (that's any # over 600) so he was increased to 3 units but his BG didn't change....he was switched to Vetsulin (3 units) last week but nothing changed. He was increased to 4 units today but I just checked his BG at his "low point" and he went from 594 before insulin, to "Hi" at his low point.

This makes no sense to me so I'm wondering if some cats just never respond to ANY insulin. I don't want to give up on him....but it seems that nothing is helping him. He's shaky, tired, and not himself. He was regulated the first 2 months but he's had insanely high BG for almost a month now.....am I supposed to stop putting him through this?
 
Hello! No such thing as a stupid question.

Both of those types of insulin are fast-acting, and hard-hitting. Basically they drop the numbers very quickly, and then are out of the body within 8-10 hours (at least with Vetsulin) and therefore you usually see a high number again by the next shot time.

There are many other longer acting, gentler types of insulin that often prove to be better for regulation, such as Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc. Assuming the two you've mentioned are the only two you've tried, of course.
 
Erica & Carter said:
Hello! No such thing as a stupid question.

Both of those types of insulin are fast-acting, and hard-hitting. Basically they drop the numbers very quickly, and then are out of the body within 8-10 hours (at least with Vetsulin) and therefore you usually see a high number again by the next shot time.

There are many other longer acting, gentler types of insulin that often prove to be better for regulation, such as Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc. Assuming the two you've mentioned are the only two you've tried, of course.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. He gets insulin every 12 hours so I usually check him at the 6 hour mark, when the insulin should have him at his lowest point of the day....the vet said his low point should still be 6 hours after insulin but his numbers are still rising at that point.
In your opinion, while he's on VETSULIN, at what point would he be hitting his lowest point?
 
With Vetsulin, he could be hitting his nadir as early at +3 (3 hours after the shot) and be wearing off as soon as +6 to +8....then he's totally out of control until the next shot.

That's one of the problems with both Novolin and Vetsulin....they don't last the full 12 hour cycle. Neither one are considered good insulins for cats because their metabolism is faster than dogs.

Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are usually much better insulins but they're pricey in the US. Most of us have been getting ours from Canada but with the postal strike, that's not even an option for now
 
Chris & China said:
With Vetsulin, he could be hitting his nadir as early at +3 (3 hours after the shot) and be wearing off as soon as +6 to +8....then he's totally out of control until the next shot.

That's one of the problems with both Novolin and Vetsulin....they don't last the full 12 hour cycle. Neither one are considered good insulins for cats because their metabolism is faster than dogs.

Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are usually much better insulins but they're pricey in the US. Most of us have been getting ours from Canada but with the postal strike, that's not even an option for now
Click to expand...

Well I guess that explains why my vet hasn't recommended any of those to me. I think I'll do a curve on him after he's been on the new dose for a few days. Although I'm increasingly concerned that his BG has been in the 500-600+ frame for a few weeks now. I feel like we are running out of time to correct him. If he gets ketones again I truly don't have a dime to spend. I'm still playing catch up from his first ER visit as well as his post ER tests/check ups.
My biggest concern is keeping him ketone free.
 
Well hopefully the strike in Canada will be short lived (or even cancelled) but it's not looking too good right now. I'm not sure what the pharmacy we all use is going to do, but they are going to be looking into other options for getting medications shipped to the US ....but it may cost more for shipping than it does now.

Here's the information on Where we're buying insulin in Canada and as we get information about how they're going to ship if the strike happens, I'll be adding it to This thread on the Postal Strike

Here in the states, a 5 pack of Lantus is going to cost around $500 ...at Marks, it's $149.99 plus $25 shipping....A vial in the US is around $300 (and unless your cat is on a high dose, you end up throwing a bunch away) but it's only $99.99 at Marks

A 5 pack of pens is 1500 units....most cats are on less than 2 units twice a day, so that's enough to last a year so it ends up being about $15/month for a much better insulin. A vial is 1000 units and will last usually 4-6 months
 
How big were the changes in dose on the various insulins? Going with full unit increases may bypass the optimal dose.

The methods we have here increase by 0.25 to 0.5 units at a time, after holding it steady for a minimum number of days based on the insulin and method being used.
 
I would discuss with your vet the possibility that your cat (name?) has acromegaly or other high-dose condition. See:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-other-high-dose-conditions-what-we-know.375/

My MurrFee was well controlled on about 5 units of Levemir and then BGs started rising. After consulting with an internist, I reduced dose to three units and got curve like you experienced. A preshot in the 400's pr 500's and then the BG would rise to HI (>600) and then go back down. I finally had MurrFee tested for acromegaly and his IGF-1 vale was above the measurable range. For a year or o I could control his BG with about 50 units of insulin twice daily and then his health went downhill which happens with acromegaly since the disease effects more than than BG
 
If you do switch you can call Marks in Canada and see if they are shipping. If not maybe you can just find a place who will sell just one pen. Also check the Supply closet here. Some people will sell or give their unused for various reasons.
 
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