Starting Lantus Today - Advice Please

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greytblackdog

greytblackdog

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Hi Everyone.

Emma is making the switch from Vetsulin to Lantus today. After forking out a lot of $ at the pharmacy and reading and re-reading the stickies and other Lantus information I think I'm ready to give her first dose tomorrow morning (she had Vetsulin this morning).

Since August Emma has been on Vetsulin and did really well at first. But since January, we've had a rough go of it. 3 UTIs and diagnoses cystitus. She urinates just outside of her litter box which is really frustrating. We've tried everything imaginable to counteract this problem. The urine culture came back negative today, so I'm hoping this switch to Lantus along with some anti-anxiety meds will help her get over this.

Are there any suggestions for Lantus newbies? I know I'm supposed to check at the low point of the day. Should I shoot her tonight with the new med or wait until tomorrow? Thanks in advance.

Heather & Emma
 
Re: Starting Lantus Today

welcome to ll.

So you know to fridge the insulin

Do not shake, rattle or roll it. - treat it like an egg (very fragile)

I see no reason why you cannot start lantus tonight.

Are you home testing? As that is one of the most important things you need to do.

With regard to starting dose - typically it's recommended that a starting dose is 1 unit, however, since you were on another insulin - do you have a spreadsheet available for us to see?

The starting dose may be suggested to go higher or even lower than 1 unit based upon your ss.

Oh and when you change doses, it is typically done in .25 or .5 increments.

Do you have U100 syringes - with 1/2 unit markings?
 
Re: Starting Lantus Today

Hi Heather and welcome to Lantus
There will be many others coming by later with lots of question.
I will somewhat get the ball rolling for you.
Have you worked on setting up a profile for Emma as well as her spreadsheet?
These will be very inportant for the board to help you on your journey with Emma.

Others will want to know what food you are feeding, wet or dry and what dose
your vet recommended.
Lantus is "normally" started at 1u.
Have you been hometesting?

Can you change your subject to read Starting Lantus Today - Advice please.
This will draw attention to your "condo" this is what we call your daily thread.
It will be a good idea to read some of these as well so you get a feel as to our happy family.
You are in good hands here, not to worry.
You can click on my ss and profile in my signatureto see what it looks like.
Also, it would be good if you indicated your loaction, city state/province is enough in case there are memebers near by if you need support.
We will be watching you.
 
Thank you guys for the suggestions. I've updated my post and my profile so I hope it is more helpful.

I have been home testing since August, but I've started a clean sheet for Emma now that we're on Lantus. Her numbers have been really high since January and not going down. Fingers, toes and tails (not that Emma has one, she's a manxx) that this will be the start on a better road for her.
 
Welcome! I can't offer much advice since I am still new here myself but there are so many great people here to help! I started on lantus about a month and a half ago and have started to do really well with it. From everything I have read 1 unit seems to be the starting point. My vet wanted to start us on 2 unit and I said no, thank God. Home testing is the most important thing and you always want to get a preshot number and spot checks in the cycle when you can. Just wanted to tell you you are in the right place!!! You will do great, we will all be rooting for your kitty!!!!!
 
Hmm it's not letting me see your spreadsheet. I think the link you provided is directly to the spreadsheet, here are the steps best I remember them to publish a read-only copy of it:

When your in your spreadsheet, in the top right-ish corner there is a share link. Click on that drop down, then choose "publish as a webpage"
In that pop up, make sure "automatically republish when changes are made".. and click start publishing.
In the bottom half of the pop up, select your BG spreadsheet in the second drop down, and copy/paste the url into your signature..
 
Like Dawn, I can't open your SS. If you check in the Tech forum, there's info on how to open your SS so others can view it without access permissions.

So now, 20 questions:
  • What is Emma's current dose of Vetsulin?
  • Have you decided on a starting dose of Lantus?
  • Do you happen to know her ideal weight and if so, what is it?
  • You mentioned UTIs and cystitis. Does she have any other medical problems, either past or present?
  • What anti-anxiety meds is she being prescribed and is she taking anything else?
  • What are you feeding Emmy? I'm going to presume you are feeding low carb wet food and know about Janet & Binky's list. If not, let us know.

Take your time and read the sticky notes at the top of the Board. There is a huge amount of information in each along with links to even more information. It's a bit daunting at first but the information will gradually come together. We're here to help you get it all sorted out.

Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point in the cycle rather than the pre-shot value. Since the nadir is not always at one fixed place, you will need to consider how and when you can get mid-cycle checks.

Please let us know if you have questions. \
 
Welcome Emma & Heather! Lantus is a great insulin and you are sure to have good results with it. But be patient. It takes a while to begin to get the desired results. Everyone here will help you and the experienced people here are terrific in giving advice on dosing.
Glad you're here!
Ella & Stu
 
Ok, fingers crossed I fixed my spreadsheet. Please let me know if it doesn't work (again).

Sienne, here are the answers to your questions:

1. She was on 3 U BID of Vetsulin. The vets really didn't want to switch, but wanted to increase the dose. I pulled the feline guru from UGA into the mix and she backed me up on the move.

2. We started with 1.0 U last night and will continue. You can see her numbers didn't move much last night (329 to 295 in 6.5 hours), but she is building her shed so I'm not going to worry.

3. She has no other medical problems. She is 12 yo. and became diabetic when she was 5 yo after a steroid shot. We did insulin (I don't remember what kind back then) for 2 years and then managed her diabetes with diet only until August last year.

4. We're going to start Amitriptyline once the compounding pharmacy is done with it. She will go to her litter box but urinate outside of it (even on her food dish or the middle of the floor). Fingers crossed this will help with this issue.

5. We feed Emmy Fancy Feast. All of the low carb types of food except the fish as that seems to make her cystitis worse. We love Jan & Binky's list!

I'm off to give Emma her second lantus shot. I was shocked at how strongly it smelled when I used it for the first time last night.

Thanks in advance for all the help!
 
SS works great!

Definitely have to be really patient with Lantus.. it has a settling in period that can drive any human nuts, and it's even longer when you first start on it.. but it is (for many) a wonderful drug.. my cat and one of my best friends (human type 1) have done really well on it :).
 
Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear that Emma was first diagnosed at age 5.

Emma's numbers look good. I'd like to suggest getting either a curve (every 2 hr testing ) or a mini-curve (every 3 hrs) over the weekend if this is possible.

Also, a posting convention for the Board. Every cat gets one condo (i.e., thread) per cat per day. So, since this is now 3/20, you get to open a new condo for today. You list your test data in your subject line. So, the subject line would be:
3/20 Emma AMPS-246​
As you accumulate test data, edit the subject line by changing it in your first post of the day. If you need to bump your condo up to the top of the list, add a new message. Just editing something in a post doesn't change the condo's position on the Board.
 
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