Switching from lantus to prozinc?

[sammiehyde]

I've been posting on the lantus forum for a while, but am considering going back to Prozinc for Sammie. His numbers are all over the place, regardless of the insulin type it seems . He started on prozinc which did get his symptoms under control, but his numbers were high. Still seems to be the same on Lantus and it's so much more expensive. Plus, when he was on Prozinc, he was still eating normal dry food. Now, he eats mostly canned with a little Young Again Zero for snacks. Anyone have any suggestions for us? How do I go about switching from Lantus to Prozinc? I'm waiting for a call back from my vet, but I'd like as much info as possible before changing anything.

 

[Djamila]

Hi there, and welcome. You change back the same way you changed to Lantus - you keep the same dose, and just do extra monitoring for a few days.

That being said, Lantus actually works out to be cheaper than Prozinc if you buy it from the Canadian pharmacy (not sure if that's an option for you?). If you are in the US, we can give you the link to the pharmacy many folks on Lantus use. they are safe and reliable and the shipping is pretty quick. It also looks like you're using an AlphaTrak which is quite expensive. You can save a ton of money by switching to a human meter. The AT2 test strips are like a dollar for each test. On a human meter you can get test strips for under 25 cents each which allows you to test more consistently without spending as much money each time. most of us around here use human meters.

Have you read the protocol for Lantus? I'm noticing that you aren't changing the doses the way that's recommended, and that is likely contributing to the results you're seeing. If a cat isn't getting into good numbers, you can increase the dose on Lantus every few days (they can guide you over there on exactly how to do that) and those dose changes get you to better results. Right now it looks like Sammie is likely a high-dose kitty and needs more insulin to get to some better numbers/better health. If you decide to come back to Prozinc, the guidelines for dose changes are similar, but even a little faster than they are on Lantus. you don't hold a dose for days and days like you've been doing. It's important to be testing enough to make effective changes in dose so Sammie can get into better numbers.

You are very welcome to come back to Prozinc and we will do everything we can to help guide you, but I would encourage you to consider sticking with the Lantus and following the protocol for that faithfully for a little while, as Lantus or Levemir are usually the recommended insulin choices for higher dose cats. Of course it's up to you, and if you decide to switch we are here for you.

 

[sammiehyde]

Hi there, and welcome. You change back the same way you changed to Lantus - you keep the same dose, and just do extra monitoring for a few days.

That being said, Lantus actually works out to be cheaper than Prozinc if you buy it from the Canadian pharmacy (not sure if that's an option for you?). If you are in the US, we can give you the link to the pharmacy many folks on Lantus use. they are safe and reliable and the shipping is pretty quick. It also looks like you're using an AlphaTrak which is quite expensive. You can save a ton of money by switching to a human meter. The AT2 test strips are like a dollar for each test. On a human meter you can get test strips for under 25 cents each which allows you to test more consistently without spending as much money each time. most of us around here use human meters.

Have you read the protocol for Lantus? I'm noticing that you aren't changing the doses the way that's recommended, and that is likely contributing to the results you're seeing. If a cat isn't getting into good numbers, you can increase the dose on Lantus every few days (they can guide you over there on exactly how to do that) and those dose changes get you to better results. Right now it looks like Sammie is likely a high-dose kitty and needs more insulin to get to some better numbers/better health. If you decide to come back to Prozinc, the guidelines for dose changes are similar, but even a little faster than they are on Lantus. you don't hold a dose for days and days like you've been doing. It's important to be testing enough to make effective changes in dose so Sammie can get into better numbers.

You are very welcome to come back to Prozinc and we will do everything we can to help guide you, but I would encourage you to consider sticking with the Lantus and following the protocol for that faithfully for a little while, as Lantus or Levemir are usually the recommended insulin choices for higher dose cats. Of course it's up to you, and if you decide to switch we are here for you.

Hi there, and welcome. You change back the same way you changed to Lantus - you keep the same dose, and just do extra monitoring for a few days.

That being said, Lantus actually works out to be cheaper than Prozinc if you buy it from the Canadian pharmacy (not sure if that's an option for you?). If you are in the US, we can give you the link to the pharmacy many folks on Lantus use. they are safe and reliable and the shipping is pretty quick. It also looks like you're using an AlphaTrak which is quite expensive. You can save a ton of money by switching to a human meter. The AT2 test strips are like a dollar for each test. On a human meter you can get test strips for under 25 cents each which allows you to test more consistently without spending as much money each time. most of us around here use human meters.

Have you read the protocol for Lantus? I'm noticing that you aren't changing the doses the way that's recommended, and that is likely contributing to the results you're seeing. If a cat isn't getting into good numbers, you can increase the dose on Lantus every few days (they can guide you over there on exactly how to do that) and those dose changes get you to better results. Right now it looks like Sammie is likely a high-dose kitty and needs more insulin to get to some better numbers/better health. If you decide to come back to Prozinc, the guidelines for dose changes are similar, but even a little faster than they are on Lantus. you don't hold a dose for days and days like you've been doing. It's important to be testing enough to make effective changes in dose so Sammie can get into better numbers.

You are very welcome to come back to Prozinc and we will do everything we can to help guide you, but I would encourage you to consider sticking with the Lantus and following the protocol for that faithfully for a little while, as Lantus or Levemir are usually the recommended insulin choices for higher dose cats. Of course it's up to you, and if you decide to switch we are here for you.

We (the vet and I) have decided to switch Sammie back to Prozinc. As when we went from Prozinc to Lantus he wants me to drop the dose down and start over around 2 units with Prozinc. Then I hold a dose for 2 weeks, do a curve and increase 1 unit at a time if needed-that's what we did before and what I have mostly done all along. From what I've read on this website, that may not be the best plan. I'll still start him low (in case I missed a good dose earlier), hold for a few days at least, then increase 0.25 units at a time when needed. Does that sound right?
Also, I believe I mostly followed the Lantus protocol except the large dose increases-my vet suggested 1 unit at a time and I hadn't really studied this websites recommended protocol until much later in the process.
I do have a relion meter , but I often have trouble getting enough blood out of Sammie to use it. I use Freestyle Lite test strips in my alpha trak meter to save on cost. I've read about other people doing this and have done many side by side tests to confirm they read the same.
I plan on starting him on Prozinc on Thursday (my day off from work) as long as it comes in by then, so any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[AshleyDiamond]

Then I hold a dose for 2 weeks, do a curve and increase 1 unit at a time if needed-that's what we did before and what I have mostly done all along. From what I've read on this website, that may not be the best plan. I'll still start him low (in case I missed a good dose earlier), hold for a few days at least, then increase 0.25 units at a time when needed. Does that sound right?

Yeah you don't need to hold the same dose for 2 weeks. That is to long. Hold the dose for 3 cycles, which is 1.5 days and then go up .25u at a time based off your numbers. Try to get as many mid cycle tests done as your schedule allows because that helps see what each dose is doing for kitty.

 

[Rachel]

Yep holding for 2 weeks is definitely too long! Ashley gave you some good info above.

Whichever meter you prefer to use is just fine. Just make sure you let us know so we know what numbers we're looking at! Please feel free to come here and ask any questions you have. We're more than happy to help!

 

[sammiehyde]

Thanks. I'll let you know how it goes when I start him back on Prozinc. I' m hoping it will work better this time since he is on a better diet than before. At least he's not symptomatic of a diabetic cat anymore and he feels good..