Switching from lantus to novolin N

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Cat girl

Cat girl

Member Since 2015
Having to switch to novolin N cause I can't afford lantus right now.i read that it starts dropping in about an hr to hr and 1/2. And peaks 4-8 hrs and can last 8-12 hrs.i believe miss kitty might need it 3 or 4 times a day or I'm not on the right amount she needs yet.i gave her 1.5 units this morning.what all do I need to know about this insulin?i want to know all that I can.when should I increase her dose?does it take time to build up or do you know to increase this insulin right away with bg testing?
 
Are you buying Lantus vials or pens? If you are using the vials, you could ask your vet for a prescription for the pens and buy them one at a time. That is one way for spreading out the cost. Depending on the dose, a single pen could last 2 or more months.
 
Have you looked into buying insulin from Canada? That's how I was able to afford it-a 5 pack of Lantus pens is about $170 after shipping and will last you a year or more, which is only about $14 a month, which is cheaper than Novolin. Novolin is not a recommended insulin for cats and you're far more likely to see better results by keeping her on Lantus.

Here's the pharmacy that I ordered my pens from: https://rxcanada4less.com/

If that is still too much, this person was just selling insulin and may have some pens left: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fresh-lantus-for-sale-cheap-25.144501/.
 
Hi Beth. Is this the first day on Novolin? What kind of numbers did you get? Make sure to put on your SS that you switched.
 
Julia & Bandit said:
Have you looked into buying insulin from Canada? That's how I was able to afford it-a 5 pack of Lantus pens is about $170 after shipping and will last you a year or more, which is only about $14 a month, which is cheaper than Novolin. Novolin is not a recommended insulin for cats and you're far more likely to see better results by keeping her on Lantus.

Here's the pharmacy that I ordered my pens from: https://rxcanada4less.com/

If that is still too much, this person was just selling insulin and may have some pens left: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fresh-lantus-for-sale-cheap-25.144501/.
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I bought one pen and it cost $88 and only lasted about a month and half.she was up to 5 units and still climbing never going under the 200s
 
We used Novolin before switching to Lantus. Novolin does have a fast drop and it varies between cats what the timing of onset is (for Bailey it was about 2.5-3 hrs). Novolin does not build up in the system and though online info says that it lasts 8-12 hours, for Bailey it was closer to 7-8 hours. Unless your kitty is well regulated at consistently in the range of 100-200 during the day you would have to do a lot of spot checks, especially if you increase the dose, to make sure Miss Kitty is in safe numbers at nadir. Before switching to Lantus I did end up shooting 3 times a day at 8 hours apart.
 
Sharon14 said:
Hi Beth. Is this the first day on Novolin? What kind of numbers did you get? Make sure to put on your SS that you switched.
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I put in in signature and started her yesterday but not sure how to put 3 times a day dosing on a 2 time a day ss.i put it in the best I could and just found out you can put notes and comments in with the readings.i know nothing on how to make another ss.i had this one made for me.
 
Even with a higher dose, you're still paying $34 a pen vs. $88 if you order from Canada, which is significantly less and comparable to the cost of Novolin. Considering that Novolin is not recommended for cats, the small difference in price is certainly worth it when considering the better results you'll likely see with Lantus vs. Novolin. I see that you're working to transition off of dry food right now; it's very possible that once you're able to do so your cat's insulin need may drop, and so they'll last you a bit longer.

I would also message the person in that thread I posted...he may still have pens left.
 
Kot said:
We used Novolin before switching to Lantus. Novolin does have a fast drop and it varies between cats what the timing of onset is (for Bailey it was about 2.5-3 hrs). Novolin does not build up in the system and though online info says that it lasts 8-12 hours, for Bailey it was closer to 7-8 hours. Unless your kitty is well regulated at consistently in the range of 100-200 during the day you would have to do a lot of spot checks, especially if you increase the dose, to make sure Miss Kitty is in safe numbers at nadir. Before switching to Lantus I did end up shooting 3 times a day at 8 hours apart.
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I'm doing a lot of tests and she is still in 200s so far in her drops.203 is the lowest she has ever been.got that reading at 3:30 pm today
 
Cat girl said:
I'm doing a lot of tests and she is still in 200s so far in her drops.203 is the lowest she has ever been.got that reading at 3:30 pm today
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I'm probably going to get back on lantus ,vetsulin,or prozinc when I get enough money up to go back to vet.i am going to go to another vet.the one I went to was awful and wanted to dilute my lantus.i went with novolin n for now cause it was cheap and didn't need to go to a vet to get it.
 
Cat girl said:
I fed her an hr before her shot and I have to give her the wet food 3-4 times after some time til she can finish it all.takes her forever lol
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They both aren't liking this new dry food much.natures variety.miss kitty keeps wanting the old dry food I had her on.they have been eating more of the wet food lately cause of their dislike to the new dry.it is kind of helping the transition over.
 
Keep testing her so you can see how long the Novolin lasts in her system. Then you'll know if you need to go to 3x/day shots. My civvies don't like the Natures Variety either. It's good that you're getting Miss Kitty on to all wet food. It really may make a difference!
 
Sharon14 said:
Keep testing her so you can see how long the Novolin lasts in her system. Then you'll know if you need to go to 3x/day shots. My civvies don't like the Natures Variety either. It's good that you're getting Miss Kitty on to all wet food. It really may make a difference!
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Just got a 202 at 4:30
 
Cat girl said:
Just got a 202 at 4:30
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Just yesterday it seems she needed the 3 time a day shot but I was thinking maybe cause I don't have her dose high enough yet.since she was in the 400s at hr 8 I decided it would be safe to give her a shot and keep an eye on her bg and see if she will need it at hr 8 again or not.im trying to go by what her body needs the best I can.
 
I'm not familiar with Novolin, and can't give you dosing advice, but I'd wait a bit on the three times a day until you know for sure how it works in Miss Kitty. Hopefully someone that is familiar with Novolin dosing will be able to guide you with increases and if you should go to 3 shots.
What was her preshot number?
 
Sharon14 said:
I'm not familiar with Novolin, and can't give you dosing advice, but I'd wait a bit on the three times a day until you know for sure how it works in Miss Kitty. Hopefully someone that is familiar with Novolin dosing will be able to guide you with increases and if you should go to 3 shots.
What was her preshot number?
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Her Preshot was 380
 
We switched from Lantus to Levemir a little over a month ago, so I have a Lantus vial that you can have. I opened it brand-new on Sept 3rd, and we used it until October 8th, using between 4 and 7 units per day. So maybe 150-200 units used, out of 1000 units? It is 2.5 months old, but it has been refrigerated and temperature monitored the entire time. It is sitting right next to our current Levemir so we take perfect care of it.

I have been holding on to it to be sure that we were going to stay with Levemir. I probably should have let the Lantus go earlier, but wanted it as our security blanket. Those that have been using Lantus a long time could give their opinion on how long it is "good" for, but I have seen folks say 4 months or longer if well taken care of? It still might help bridge the gap until you can buy new.

It's your call. If you think it is useful to you, and maybe you can reimburse me for packing/shipping whenever you can afford it, it is yours. I would also welcome suggestions for packaging and shipping it from anyone. Maybe those of you that order from Canada could tell me how it is packed in order to be secure, and cool enough, but not frozen? I would also rather wait until Monday to send it as it will be about 25 degrees cooler here next week, and it won't have to sit in a warehouse over the weekend...doh except I just realized that next week is Thanksgiving week :-( I could still get it out first thing Monday morning by FedEx 2-day and it should make it by Wednesday? And I just figured from Raleigh to Orlando (don't know where in Florida you are) it looks like maybe $25 to ship 2-day for a 2 pound package, but it might be more or less once we know exact weight and location.

Let me know!
Sandi (& Whispy)
 
@Sandi & Whisper ...I'd think you could ship it Priority Mail at the USPS for a lot less money....you can get a small box from the post office, wrap the insulin in bubble wrap (if you have some) and/or newspaper and put a small ice pack in (be careful that the insulin doesn't come in direct contact with the ice pack)

Should only take 2 days and cost less than $6

Flat Rate Priority mail is the same price up to 70lbs so as long as it fits in the box, it ships
 
Thanks @Chris & China, that is exactly what I needed to know! I wasn't sure how slow USPS would be and how affected the insulin was by temp (I know that my human friend carries his in his pocket for a month but it just reduces effectiveness). If @Cat girl doesn't want it I'll post in the supply closet :-)
 
Sandi & Whisper said:
Thanks @Chris & China, that is exactly what I needed to know! I wasn't sure how slow USPS would be and how affected the insulin was by temp (I know that my human friend carries his in his pocket for a month but it just reduces effectiveness). If @Cat girl doesn't want it I'll post in the supply closet :)
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I would like to have it but I live in an apartment complex that the regular mail goes thru the manager and she is awful.she don't give people their mail when she is suppose to,loses it,got some wet and threw the people's mail away!i wouldn't want anything delicate like insulin to get into her hands.that is one of the main reasons I never grabbed any up from supply closet and then the #2 reason was worrying that someone could add something to the insulin to be evil and kill your cat.there are a lot of sick people in this world. I'm not saying you guys are evil or bad so please don't get me wrong.if you have any ideas that would get around the front desk I would be all for doing that.miss kitty's bg at 5:40pm 203 again and 6:55pm was 249 so climbing back up.
 
@Cat girl ....can you go to your post office and pick it up yourself? Priority mail has a tracking number that you can follow and you can ask your post office to hold the package so you can pick it up directly
 
Chris & China said:
@Cat girl ....can you go to your post office and pick it up yourself? Priority mail has a tracking number that you can follow and you can ask your post office to hold the package so you can pick it up directly
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I don't have a car but might be able to find someone to give me a ride.a neighbor maybe?readings at 9pm are 349
 
Go ahead and plug the numbers into your spreadsheet, It will be easier for someone to give you advice. Make sure to point out that you are now using Novolin.
 
Sharon14 said:
Go ahead and plug the numbers into your spreadsheet, It will be easier for someone to give you advice. Make sure to point out that you are now using Novolin.
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Aren't they in there?maybe it is because I put them in my tablet while it is still offline and that is why you don't see them.let me connect it to internet and see if they come up.if I have to do 3 time a day dosing can the ss be made up for 3 times a day too?at least miss kitty is acting more and more like herself.she is coming to sleep with me again finally!been playing a lot death meowing with mice toys in her mouth.so cute.she still seems to be losing weight though so must increase her wet food even more especially since they don't like that new lower carb dry food.should have order EVO instead.they are mostly eating wet now.
 
Well if you can get a neighbor to take you, I'd send @Sandi & Whisper a message and see if you guys can work it out so you can get the lantus she's offering. If she can get it out early tomorrow, it might get to you by Saturday (her post office should be able to tell her)

Just click on her name and then "Start Conversation" to send a private message
 
Cat girl said:
Aren't they in there?maybe it is because I put them in my tablet while it is still offline and that is why you don't see them.let me connect it to internet and see if they come up.if I have to do 3 time a day dosing can the ss be made up for 3 times a day too?at least miss kitty is acting more and more like herself.she is coming to sleep with me again finally!been playing a lot death meowing with mice toys in her mouth.so cute.she still seems to be losing weight though so must increase her wet food even more especially since they don't like that new lower carb dry food.should have order EVO instead.they are mostly eating wet now.
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I live a few hrs from Orlando in lake city fl.i use to live in North Carolina for a long time in Murphy and in Durham area next to Raleigh.
 
Chris & China said:
Well if you can get a neighbor to take you, I'd send @Sandi & Whisper a message and see if you guys can work it out so you can get the lantus she's offering. If she can get it out early tomorrow, it might get to you by Saturday (her post office should be able to tell her)

Just click on her name and then "Start Conversation" to send a private message
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Ok thanks
 
Instead of ordering Evo, try to get them strictly on the wet food. It may make a huge difference. If you absolutely must have some dry, try the Young Again Zero Carb Mature. If you call them they'll send you samples. Even though Evo is relatively low in carbs, many have reported that it raised their kitty's BG's.
 
Sharon14 said:
Instead of ordering Evo, try to get them strictly on the wet food. It may make a huge difference. If you absolutely must have some dry, try the Young Again Zero Carb Mature. If you call them they'll send you samples. Even though Evo is relatively low in carbs, many have reported that it raised their kitty's BG's.
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I would love to have them on all wet diet but there is one night a month I have to go over to my mothers for the night and don't get home til the next evening and she ends up missing one shot a month and I like to leave them a little food down so they aren't without food all that time.i wish I had someone who could feed them and give her her shot but I don't.:( Maybe I can feed them wet and only give dry the night I'm gone?
 
Chris & China said:
Have you ever considered getting an auto-feeder? That way you could leave food down and program it to open when you want them to eat

There's the PetSafe Electronic Feeder and CatMateC20 that have 2 trays and others that have up to 5 places that open when you have them programmed to
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Oh wow they have something like that?!i saw an electronic thing where you could see,talk,play,and give your cats treats thru your phone etc.while you are gone.i thought that was so cool and really wanted one.so the wet food stays good in the auto feeder?are they expensive?i need to go check them out!
 
The blue words are "links" that will take you right to them on Amazon

Lots of people here use them with wet food....some of them come with an ice pack to help keep it fresh or you can make "food-cicles" by adding water to canned food and freezing it in ice cube trays or mini-muffin tins

As it thaws out, it's just like fresh but adds some extra "cooling time" due to being frozen
 
Chris & China said:
The blue words are "links" that will take you right to them on Amazon

Lots of people here use them with wet food....some of them come with an ice pack to help keep it fresh or you can make "food-cicles" by adding water to canned food and freezing it in ice cube trays or mini-muffin tins

As it thaws out, it's just like fresh but adds some extra "cooling time" due to being frozen
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Oh those are so cool!im going to get one .they aren't too bad on price either.i didn't know They had feeders like that.
 
Chris & China said:
We're just full of information here! ;)

Keep asking questions and reading other people's posts....You may see answers to things you didn't even know you wanted to know!
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I have found some usefully info already reading other posts so I'm going to keep reading around.knowledge is power!lol.i enjoy talking with everyone and hearing their furbaby stories and learning what I can.
 
Cat girl said:
I have found some usefully info already reading other posts so I'm going to keep reading around.knowledge is power!lol.i enjoy talking with everyone and hearing their furbaby stories and learning what I can.
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At hr 12 PMPS was 518! I really think she does need 3 shots a day to keep her sugar from getting so high.
 
BJM said:
With NPH, needing to dose every 8 hours is pretty common.

Here are some guidelines on using NPH effectively.
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Yeah when she gets into the high 400s and 500s her diabetic symptoms pick up again.drinking tons of water etc.i would like to keep her out of that area best that I can.so probably going to do the every 8 hrs.her bg this morning is 440.miss kitty kept me up all night I believe wanting more food.she had some in her dish but she don't like that kind very much.she knocked everything off my table by my bed one by one.she laid on bed staring at me and meowing.she ran around acting crazy playing etc.ugh!so tired lol.so do I need a different ss chart for 3 time a day dosing?or just do my best with the 2 and put in notes that I dosed at a certain + number?
 
Please insert a blank line above where you started the NPH and color it red.
Type in all caps, "NOW USING NPH"
This will make sure folks realize that.

Here is a TID spreadsheet.
Log in to your Google Drive account.
Go to the TID spreadsheet and File, Save a Copy.
This should save it in your account.
Put your cat's name at the top by double-clicking on the TID and editing it.
In the Drive list of files, you can change the name to whatever you want.
Follow the regular steps for sharing and linking.
 
BJM said:
Please insert a blank line above where you started the NPH and color it red.
Type in all caps, "NOW USING NPH"
This will make sure folks realize that.

Here is a TID spreadsheet.
Log in to your Google Drive account.
Go to the TID spreadsheet and File, Save a Copy.
This should save it in your account.
Put your cat's name at the top by double-clicking on the TID and editing it.
In the Drive list of files, you can change the name to whatever you want.
Follow the regular steps for sharing and linking.
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I will only be using the TID sheet briefly cause sandi & whisper are being so wonderful to send me a lantus pen in the mail and I will have miss kitty back on lantus soon.
 
Cat girl said:
I will only be using the TID sheet briefly cause sandi & whisper are being so wonderful to send me a lantus pen in the mail and I will have miss kitty back on lantus soon.
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I will fix
Cat girl said:
I will only be using the TID sheet briefly cause sandi & whisper are being so wonderful to send me a lantus pen in the mail and I will have miss kitty back on lantus soon.
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i don't know if I can do all that but I will try.i had to have someone else do my ss and send it to me cause I have no idea what I'm doing.i can try and see if I can do it though.
 
Cat girl said:
I will fix

i don't know if I can do all that but I will try.i had to have someone else do my ss and send it to me cause I have no idea what I'm doing.i can try and see if I can do it though.
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I managed to get the TID sheet copied and saved but it is locked and won't let me change name or put anything into it.what did I do wrong?
 
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